Budapest

Notes

• Public transportation is great: Underground trains, surface trains, trams, buses. Nov 2017: NO Uber or Lyft is available. Taxis are available, but expensive.
• Most tourist attractions are in a compact area, easily walkable. Stay in the Inner City, close to the Danube River. The Budapest Marriott is an above-average hotel in a great location
• On mass transit: There are no turnstiles / barriers to using mass transit. But there ARE human ticket checkers. It is best to buy tickets – they are cheap.
• Most restaurants already add a tip / service charge (10% – 15%) – so you don’t need to.
• Lot of people smoke in Budapest – even in some restaurants. Some restaurants have a non-smoking section
• Lot of business establishments will accept Euros, if you are out of Hungarian Forints

Must See / Do

• Travel on the Millennium Underground (underground line M1) 10/10
• Citadel 10/10
• Buda Castle 10/10
• Fisherman’s Bastion 8/10
• Matthias Church 8/10
• Eat in Gundel Restaurant 8/10
• Dohany Street Great Synagogue 7/10
• St. Stephen’s Basilica 7/10
• Walk on Andrassy Avenue 7/10
• House of Terror 6/10

Itinerary

1. Castle District (10/10 MUST SEE). The Castle District includes –
   • Buda Castle (Great views from the top of the funicular)
   • Hungarian National Gallery (8/10)
   • Matthias Church (7/10). Go inside if you have the time
   • Fisherman’s Bastion
   • Mary Magdalene Tower (7/10) – Climb to the top. This tower has opened recently – so not many people know about it. It has good views from the top
   • Lunch: Arany Hordó Restaurant – try beef goulash / Chicken Paprikash
   • House of Parliament
   • Ethnographic Museum
2. Day 2
   • Citadel. Climb up to the Citadel from the end of Elizabeth Bridge. The trail is not marked well, but just keep going up and left, and you will end up at the Citadel. The views are excellent, and keep getting better with every turn.
   • Gellért Hill Cave (6/10 DO IT) This is a church carved into a cave. The church might be hard to find – it is almost at street level right across from the Gellert hotel (right under the big cross) at the Buda end of Liberty Bridge (Szabadság híd)
   • Lunch: Central Market Hall (Great Indoor Market Hall)
   • Walk on Vaci Utca – Vaci Utca is a pedestrian street full of retail establishments – think Third Street promenade in Los Angeles or Las Ramblas in Barcelona. It is touristy, but do it anyway
   • Dohany Street Great Synagogue
   • Drinks: Doblo Wine Bar. Try brandy variation Palinka – geographical indication protected – like burgundy
   • Old Turkish Bath – Rudas Thermal Baths – Gender-segregated hot baths with lot of almost-naked men. The place gives you a small waist apron like loin cloth which, only barely, covers the front. Most people prefer this to speedos or swim trunks. So you have men walking around the hot baths with their bare behinds showing, making for a distinctly uncomfortable experience.
   • Dinner: Nobu Budapest
3. Day 3
   • St. Stephen’s Basilica – take the elevator to the cupola for nice views. See The mummified hand of St. Stephen adorned with golden leaves and ruby-pearl bracelets
   • Travel on the Millennium Underground (underground line M1) – it’s old, loud, creaky and classic
   • Vajdahunyad Castle (houses the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture)
   • Heroes’ Square
   • Lunch: Gundel Restaurant – try the reasonably priced, 3-course lunch special. Try somloi galuska (sponge cake) dessert
   • Walk on Andrassy Avenue (World Heritage Site)
   • House of Terror
   • Drinks: Csendes Vintage Bar
   • Dinner: Szazeves Restaurant – try stuffed cabbage

To Do for Next Time

• Museum of Applied Arts
• Museum of Fine Arts
• Danube River Cruise

Photos taken with an iPhone 6