Our experience in Hungary, exploring the city of Budapest, the famous baths, the ruined bars and walking along the beautiful river looking at the majestic parliament
About the weather...
We visited Hungary in October and we really enjoyed it, it was cold but not freezing, the city of Budapest is beautiful in Winter as in Summer.
But if you are looking for a more wild experience, then you should hit the capital in Summer, where a lot of parties are held inside the baths. Split in two by the Danube, is good to know that you can find two different cities within the Hungarian capital, Buda on the left side of the river, and Pest on the right side.
Budapest is most famous for the baths, originally created by the Romans and still fully used today by a lot of local too. We had the chance to visit only the Szechenyi, probably the most known one, and I must say, it's really stunning and beautiful.
We enjoyed our time there, even if it was a little overcrowded but an experience that i totally recommend.
The bath is located inside the city park, the Városliget a huge green area located northeast of the city. Here you will find the famous Heroes' Square a beautiful lake, and the Vajdahunyad Castle.
In winter the park showcase an appealing ice skating ring, unfortunately, I am not able to stand still for more than 3 seconds, so we had to discard the idea of skating.
Another attraction of the city is the Parlament a stunning building who has been constructed with a similar style to the parliament of London, and it is pretty charming to see, during the day, but moreover during the night.
Directly opposite the parliament, you will find the Fisherman's bastion, an impressive viewing terrace situated on the Buda side of the Danube. We had a really nice walk all along with this bastion, sightseeing a particular Hungarian architecture.
We personally loved the view of the city, which was our companion during all our stroll.
Budapest is a pretty easy city for people who love to walk, so I suggest to do not take any transportation, as tube or bus, and just get lost and find your way back easily.
Few KM away from the bastions you can find the famous Széchenyi Chain Bridge right underneath the Budapest Castle the Historical Palace for the Hungarian Kings, and here I definitely advise you to take the funicular (Budavári Sikló) who link the Chain Bridge to the Castle.
Budapest is a city rich in history, with an eye towards the future and the modern, you will easily find historical places close to stylish bars and restaurants, this capital is among our favourites, and we definitely recommend visiting it.
Did anyone say Food or Drinks?!
Here our favourite places
Hungarian Cuisine is tasty and rich, with many elements similar to the other eastern Europe cuisine, quite heavy in dairy and meat products, you will find the paprika almost in every dishes.
We recommend to have a dinner or a drink at Spoon the Boat, a floating restaurant right in front of the Castle and the Chain Bridge.
Fancy to spend a bit more, head to Kacsa Kft. , serving some really tasty dishes, and offering a huge wine list, all accompanied by live music, we spent Irene's Birthday there and it was a lovely evening.
Regarding the restaurants, we recommend Tüköry Étterem and Regős Vendéglő for typical Hungarian dishes, in the last one try out the Pálinka, a strong spirit produced mainly in Hungary and Romania, not for the faint of heart.
Paprika Vendéglő is a more touristic restaurant close to the main park, but still offering tasty Hungarian dishes, all in a beautifully decorated place.
If you are looking to try some Hungarian wine, head straight to DOBLO Wine Bar and Shop and do not forget to try out the famous Tokaji sweet wine. 360 Bar and St. Andrea Wine & Skybar are the rooftop bar that we advise you to visit, the first one is definitely more relaxed, while the second one has a more refined and international style.
Another must see during the evening are the Ruined Bars, who are located inside a pre war and dilapidated buildings, with a "ruined" appearance, but be aware that are mainly visited by tourist, and even if some are really beautiful, you can definitely feel a more international vibe in it. We visited the most famous, the Szimpla Kert.
If you are a foodie like us you must visit the Central Market (Nagy Vásárcsarnok) not far from the Chain Bridge is a gorgeous building, where you can find fruit and vegetables mainly, but as well a lot of Food Stall where you can be sure to eat authentic Hungarian Food, like the Langosh, a deep fried bread topped up with different sauces, Irene was pretty happy to try it out :)
A40 desszert and Fittnass Gluténmentes are two pastry shop who serves regular and gluten-free cakes too, a must if you have a sweet tooth.
Both of them are open during breakfast too, so that was for us a good way to start our day.
Last but not least... this is the right place if you are looking for an economic trip! The hotels are relatively cheap for the quality, the food is nice and tasty everywhere and one thing that we loved is that you'll easily find traditional restaurants with the most delicious Hungarian dishes!
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