A Budapest Adventure
2016-07-30
We went on the 6th of June, which is the national day of Sweden. Little did we know that during the holiday none of the early busses or trams were running and our trip ended up having a little bit of a slow start. Nevertheless, the plane ride went smooth and upon arriving at the Budapest airport we booked an airport shuttle (a great decision) for $40 (back and forth) and enjoyed the comfort of not having to find our way by bus or train.
We had dinner at Pesti Disznó, a cosy restaurant that serve seasonal dishes with high quality ingredients, but by the time we had finished our meals we were so tired that we decided to head back to the apartment for a good night's sleep.
We began the next day with a luxurious breakfast at Zoska breakfast café, located close to the Hungarian National Museum (which we would later visit) and the Great Synagogue which is the largest in Europe.
As we returned to Zoska a couple of days later (and earlier than the last time), we came to understand why we had seen so many mixed reviews of the café. The place was crowded with costumers, and the staff had a hard time keeping track of the orders. Nevertheless, we left Zoska feeling full and happy as we headed to The Central Market Hall.
The Central Market Hall is popular among turists and locals, and it's easy to see why.
On the first floor you'll find vegetables, fruit, meat, pastries, liquor and more, all for a great price, on the second floor however you will find a slightly overcrowded, turisty area packed with souvenirs.
Me and Sarah bought cherries, strawberries, pastries and juice to bring on our picnic on Gellért Hill.
After crossing the bridge over to the Buda side of the river, we spontaniously stopped by The Cave Church located beneath Gellért Hill (next to the famous Gellért Bath). It's one of the most interesting churches I have ever seen and the staff were kind and helpful. Sadly my headset broke during the tour but I still really enjoyed it.
We felt like total bosses for conquering the hill.
Later that evening we decided to visit Mazel Tov, a restaurant located in the jewish quarter that became my favorite. If you ever go to Budapest and want to give it a try I would recommend that you make a reservation as the restaurant is really popular, (it's worth it).
The next morning we discovered Cirkusz, a restaurant that would turn out the be our favorite breakfast spot during the trip, as we returned many times. The staff really made our stay special, the food tasted wonderful and having mimosas in the morning is hard to beat.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath is one of the largest medicinal baths in Europe and was built in 1913.
Spending time at the bath recovering after long, intense walks really does wonders and I highly recommend it. A full day at the bath with a locker cost about 4.700ft, which is about $16.
Gelarto Rosa, located next to St. Stephen's Basilica, is were we got these amazing ice cream roses with fun flavors. Sarah purchased olive oil flavored ice cream and to my surprise it tasted amazing. Two scoops cost 500ft, which is about $2. Be prepared to stand in line for this tasty treat, as the shop is really popular.
Before going on our trip our weather apps had forcasted that it was going to rain the entire week, but we were happy that we only got a couple of hours of heavy rain in the heat as we walked up and down Andrássy út.
Our favorite bar was Fogasház ("House of Teeth"), named after the old sign advertising dental repair that was found during the first renovation of the building. The many rooms and Dj's had us dancing all night long and we got to meet people from many parts of the world. Even during the rain the place was crowded, despite most of Fogasház being outdoors.
Close to the Central Station we found a quirky shop called The Box Donut, which sell fun donuts in many different flavors, all shaped like squares. They also sell bottles of flavored water containing fresh fruit that was really good.
Unfortunately my camera gave up as we arrived at Margit Sziget, an island between Pest and Buda.
Spending an entire day there was amazing. We explored the ruins, rented a tiny car and drove around, watched the musical fountain and went to the zoo after taking a long walk around the island.
On our way back we took a break to watch soccer at Erzsébet Square, located in the center of the city.
The square is a very vibrant part of the city and a great place to meet people.
On our last night in Budapest we decided to treat ourselves at Dunacorso, a restaurant romantically located by the river Danube on the Pest side. Despite it being quite expensive, the restaurant was crowded with tourists because of it's fantastic location. And much like the other tourists, we couldn't help being mesmerized by the view of the river while eating comfort food in candle light.
It wasn't my first trip to the city and I'm certain that it won't be my last.
I hope you enjoyed this travel post!
If you have any questions about my trip or Budapest in general, leave a comment below. :)
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