This post is better late than never! To celebrate Thanksgiving, Andrew and I took two days of holiday and decided to spend them in Budapest. Budapest is perfect for those with limited time and money (us). We bought 72-hour travel cards that gave us free access to public transport, walking tours, and most of the major museums. After booking Ryan Air flights and a hotel at an unbelievably low rate, we were all set for 2 ½ days of adventuring.
We stayed at the Medosz Hotel in Pest –an easy distance from the city centre and Christmas markets. The view wasn’t bad either.
Day 1
After walking across Chain Bridge, we spent our first full day exploring the Buda side of the city. Stop #1 was Buda Castle nestled on top of a hill that overlooks the Danube and much of the city. Castle Hill is an excursion by itself, but the palace also houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum. We could have easily spent all day at Buda Castle, but we were limited on time so we only went inside the History Museum (free with our travel card).
After Buda Castle, we got a bite to eat at Cafe Ruszwurm, one of the oldest traditional cafes in Budapest, and fell in love with Ruszwurm Cream Cake. Then we walked over to Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion.
Day 2
On the second day, we braved freezing weather to go on a walking tour of Buda. Our guide was a local, who shared her perspective of Budapest and its history. On our tour we saw the Hungarian Parliament Building, the State Opera House, St Stephen’s Basilica, and Roman Ruins.
After our tour, we ventured out on our own to see Shoes on the Danube, a memorial to the Jews who were killed by the Arrow Cross during World War II.
We left Budapest with a new fascination with its prosperous and troubled history, and we’ll definitely be back!
C l a r i M i c h e l e 
3 thoughts on “Discovering Budapest”