Budapest was always one of the top cities James and I wanted to visit before we even got to Europe. But for some reason, it never worked into our plans. So, one day we decided to book flights with Emma and Matt to go to Budapest for a weekend. It was one of those times when you book something quite far in advance and forget about it and then all of a sudden you’re going next weekend. This post is outlining some of the best things to do in Budapest.
History of Budapest and its people
In 1873 the long-separated yet closely positioned cities of Buda and Pest were joined across the Danube river and the city was officially born. However, the geographical area of Budapest and the Hungarian people have quite different origin stories. You know the drill, I’ll blast out some history first, for those just here for pretty pictures feel free to scroll down a little.
Archaeological findings have shown there to have been Celts in the area in the first century BC. The Romans then came in around 89AD founding the city of Aquincum in the current day Pest area. Budapest is naturally divided by the river Danube and this was long a barrier between the west, Buda side and the eastern Pest. In 1849 the Széchenyi Chain bridge was opened as the first permanent bridge across the river. Later in the 19th century Buda, Pest and Obuda came together to form one city.
The Hungarian people, also known as Maygar, have a slightly different beginning story. They were part of roaming tribes from the central and southern areas of the Ural region. Our walking tour guide described them as similar to the horse tribes of the Dothraki in Game of Thrones, naturally including the chiselled abs. They eventually became distinguished from the Uralic people as they spoke Ugarian and began occupying lands near the Caspian sea. In the 9th century the Ugarians came further southwestward and eventually settled in present day Hungary around 896AD.
Now back in the day as we’ve learned from many of the different places we’ve been, a river is always handy for a growing city in terms of trading, transport and sustenance. Therefore the location of Budapest on the Danube river is no coinsidence, this made Budapest a target for various different take overs by European powers throughout the following few hundred years. Most notably the Ottoman empire in the 16th and 17th centuries, and then the Austria (Habsburg) Empire. In 1848 there was the Hungarian Revolution followed by a civil war against the Austrian rule which the Hungarians eventually lost. About 20 years later a compromise was made to form the dual monarchy of Austro-Hungary, Hungary received more autonomy and this started the rapid growth and development of the cities Buda and Pest with the eventual union of the two.
The end of World War I saw the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Hungary becoming an independent state along with a significant loss of land. After the second World War, Hungarian was taken over by the Soviet Union up until 1989 where, after the fall of the iron curtain, it was declared the Republic of Hungary.
Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church
On the Buda side of the city upon the hill sits the Matthias Church along with the Fisherman’s Bastion. The Fisherman’s Bastion was build in the late 19th century during the rapid growth of the city and to coincide with the 1000th anniversary since the Maygar people settled in Hungary. The design is inspired by neo-romanesque and medieval styles and was built as a panoramic terrace to view the city from.
The upper towers open each day at 9am, but the lower terrace is open 24 hours. So it can be a good spot to watch the sun rise and set over the city. It’s a lovely area for view of the Danube and across to the Pest side of the city with views of the Parliement building and St Stephen’s Bascilica.
As we walked around the corner to see the Matthias Church I let out an audible ‘Wooooow’. This romanesque style church was built in the late 14th century. It was the brightly patterned roof tiles that blew me away, it was such a unique and vibrant design. Click on the photos below to get a closer view.
Parliament building
One of the most iconic spots in Budapest is the Parliament Building. Our Airbnb was across the river from it and we had a wicked view of it as we walked into the city. It’s the second largest Parliament building in Europe, can you guess where the biggest one is? – the answer will be at the end of this post.
It’s amazing from all angles, I recommend seeing it from across the river, as it was built facing the river. At night all lit up is also very pretty.
Thermal baths
Budapest is known for its baths and there are plenty to choose from. Most are a fairly ‘normal’ set up for both males and females and swimming costumes are required. There are a couple of bath houses around the city that have female only or male only days where togs are optional. Take your pick, whatever you fancy. We went to the Széchenyi Baths, the largest and most popular in the city. There were over 18 baths with various temperatures and moods. There was even a lazy river in one of the outdoor pools, I’ve never been in such an outrageous lazy river, it was full of people, fun, warm but rather stressful.
We pool hopped our way around the entire place, with intermittent sauna-ing and cooling off in the cold pool. As we went around the sauna grew in temperature, and the last one we came across was 70’C. I didn’t even attempt this, the boys managed to open the door but the heat was too great to actually go inside. I think that’s one you have to build up to and acclimatise yourself to.
Széchenyi Chain Bridge
I mentioned this bridge earlier as being the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Budapest and helping the merging of the two sides of the city. It’s very close to the central city and is worth a walk across.
Traditional food and beer
Naturally, in a new country, the local cuisine needs to be tested and Hungary was no exception. After exploring the Jewish Quarter we found a great wee place down a funky alleyway that did a three-course traditional Hungarian meal. Some may say tourist trap, some not, but we felt it was reasonably priced and had a great night.
Cafe Vian was the spot. We started with goulash soup, then our main was paprika chicken. Now, this was a real achievement since earlier in the weekend I’d ordered paprika chicken but was misunderstood and got crispy chicken, so to finally try this delicious meal was exciting. Then we finished with a sweet coffee treat and dessert wine. Although the wine was a little sweet for my taste the meal was delicious, cooked well, with good service.
St Stephen’s Basilica
This Roman Catholic basilica is named in honour our Hungary’s first king. Stephen was the King of Hungary from about 1000-1038. This height of the Basilica with equal to the height of the Parliament building to symbolise the equal importance of worldly and spiritual thinking.
Jewish Quarter
The Jewish Quarter, once a large ghetto area, was left in ruins after the war. Around the turn of the millennium, there was a rise in alternative bars and boutiques in the Jewish area and parts of it becoming what’ called Ruin bars. Now it’s an area famous for it’s nightlife; any day of the week, good for a wander day or night and there’s always a spot along the way to keep your fluids up 😉
Christmas market
Given it’s December now, but November when we went to Budapest, it’s definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Lucky for us, the weekend we went was the first weekend the Budapest Christmas Market was open, making it our first Christmas market of the season. It was wonderful to be in amongst a European Christmas market once again. They are really something to behold, sparkly lights all around, smells of mulled wine, sausages, cinnamon and sweet treats tickle your nose, gorgeous wooden huts lining the square with endless Christmas decorations and gifts. Majority of my time was spent skipping around with a grin on my face.
Budapest is a top rated city for tourism and there’s no doubt why. Our weekend there was a goodie, with great beer, loads of walking, relaxing in the baths and many laughs were had. Thanks once again Emma and Matt for being great travel buddies, here’s to many more trips together.
Answer: The largest parliament building in Europe is in Bucharest, Romania.
References
History of Fisherman’s Bastion
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