Again, I’d like to let you know that this vacation happened in the winter and it’s really a superbly delayed post. That’s the reason why you’re seeing me in jackets and sweaters in most of my Eastern Europe holiday pictures. Previously I’ve shown you Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz, Prague, Vienna and now Budapest. This was our last destination before we flew back to Paris.
When we first got to Budapest, I wasn’t too comfortable with it. It was pretty messy at the train station and the taxis haggle too. Just like Kuala Lumpur! =D We didn’t know about the so called “trusted taxi company” so we paid like 3 times more than the normal rate on our ride from the train station to our hotel. Although, by the end of our stay, I had so much fun and I must say I totally had a different perspective towards Budapest. Well, they say a picture speak a thousand words. So, let me show you 8 things you must-do (in my opinion) and some of the beauties Budapest has to offer.
1. Visit The Great Market Hall
From the outside, it actually looked like a train station or a museum. Many locals still shop here for fresh food. There’s tonnes of fresh paprikas, meat, fish, vegetables and even wine for sale here. Upstairs, we saw many locally made handicrafts and souvenirs. We stopped by for breakfast.
Oh, you must, MUST try this sweet pancake thingy called Langos. It’s very unhealthy but it’s the best shit I had for breakfast in Budapest! I ordered Caramel & Coconut Sprinkles. Till today, I still couldn’t forget this breakfast I had.
2. Take A Bath At Szechenyi
This is probably one thing which I regret not doing. Budapest is famous for their bath.I know the bath was hot and soaking in it would be nice after a long day, but the weather was so cold and I thought “what about after the bath?”. Yes, I’m afraid of the cold but I’m sure during Summer, this place would be packed!
3. Visit St. Stephen Bazilika
This building was started by two Hungarian architects, Jozcef Hild and Miklos Ybi who both died during the prolonged 54 year construction. After a year of Hild’s death, the dome collapse in 1868. Jozcef Kauser took over this project and finally accomplished in 1905. A massive restoration was completed in 2003 and now, we are very fortunate to be able to enjoy the view of this beautiful and magnificent building.
 |
| View of Budapest from the top of St. Stephen Bazilika |
Oh, and another interesting thing is that the oldest item displayed in this church is a 1000 year old hand of St Stephen, Hungary’s first king!! It’s pretty scary huh? Well, it is placed in a glass box and since I wanted to see it clearly, I put in some coins and the box lit up.
 |
| The Holy Right Hand: King Stephan died on 15th August 1038. His right hand was found in tact even though he was canonized. His hand has been highly esteemed ever since. (Source: from the church) |
4. Take A Tour At The Parliament
It was the biggest parliament in the world when it opened in 1896 and even today, the building still look very grand with the red-carpeted staircases and gold plated details. The tour will only take you to one part of the Parliament. That itself would take a good hour tour.
 |
| In the olden days when meetings were held in the parliament, men took their cigar breaks and picked their numbers to place unfinished cigars so that they can continue smoking it the next cigar breaks. |
5. Walk Along The Danube or Take A River Cruise
This is one of the great idea suggested by our hotel’s concierge. I think it’s the best idea to see what’s alongside River Danube and the night scene of both Buda and Pest. Not only we get to see the night scenery, it also feel toasty and warm inside the glass covered boat and we get champagne too! =) The ride’s about 2 hours and if you would like to have a more interesting river ride,check out www.riverride.com
 |
| Night scene of The Parliament |
 |
| Royal Palace of Buda |
 |
| Margeret Bridge on the far right and the hill of Buda |
 |
| Gelert is a hotel which was destroyed in WWII and restored. Though, the bath house escaped the bomb in WWII and it still remains to its original Art Nouveau architecture. Gelert’s Bath is very popular in Budapest too. |
After the boat ride, take a stroll by River Danube. It’s beautiful but it’s very cold during winter. If you can take the cold, you will not regret the walk. I took a beautiful pictures of The Chain Bridge and how can one miss out the picturesque Gresham Palace along the way? =)
6. View Pest from Buda’s Royal Palace
Pest is the main city with hustle and bustle daily lives, while Buda is relatively tranquil. They’re quite the opposite. They say it’s best to visit in the morning as you can see the city rolls into work. Although, we went there around late afternoon and I think the view is still as magnificent.
 |
| Royal Palace of Buda |
 |
| Equestrian Statue of King Istvan |
 |
| St. Matthias Church |
 |
| Fairytale Towers of Fisherman’s Bostian |
 |
| A stunning view of the Parliament from The Fairytale Towers |
 |
| Standing at the Fairytale Towers and feeling like I’m living in a fairy tale just looking at the magnificent view |
7. Take In The Tranquility of Pest from Buda Hill
Even if it is very cold out there, one must really make a point to go up to Buda Hill. I wish I could stay longer up there but it’s really cold so we took some pictures and headed back to Pest. I wouldn’t need to say more as looking through the pictures, you can see how breathtaking the view is from this hill =)
 |
| Freedom Statue was built in 1947 as a tribute to the Soviet foces that liberated the city from the Nazis. |
8. Explore The Jewish Quarter
Budapest has one of the largest Jewish community in Central and Eastern Europe. We wanted to visit The Great Synagogue but it was a Saturday and unfortunately for us, it was closed. We totally forgot the Jews Sabbath day falls on a Saturday. We were told that in Summer, do try to go earlier than 10am to avoid the crowd. This synagogue is the world’s second largest after New York’s. I don’t know about the interior but the exterior itself were amazing.
Well, that’s the end of my trip in Budapest and I hope you guys had enjoyed the pictures as much as I do. Sorry to bombard you with so many pictures in this post. I really love all the pictures and would like to show you almost everything =) Last but not least, here’s the panoramic one from our room in Four Seasons Hotel.
