A trip to Budapest is on our bucket list as a city with great sights, a distinctly aristocratic air, endless romantic walks along the Danube, and of course a very family-friendly destination.
Trip to Budapest – The sights we visited
But because I have so much to write about Budapest, including useful information about our trip and our personal experiences with Budapest’s cuisine, I decided to split my articles, starting with the sights and what we managed to see in 72 hours.
If you are interested in learning more about Hungarian cuisine, read our article “What food to eat in Budapest: 6 traditional dishes”.
Heroes’ Square Budapest
I will start from the Pest side and Heroes’ Square, which is one of the most impressive squares in Europe. In the center of the monument stands the Millennium Column with a height of 36 m. At the top of the column stands the statue of the Archangel Gabriel. The base of the monument is decorated with the statues of the 7 Magyar warlords.
Around the perimeter of the square there are more statues. They are statues of some of the most famous personalities of Hungarian history. To the left of the square there is the Museum of Fine Arts and to the right the impressive Palace of Arts.
City Park – Városliget
I don’t know what to write about the city park “Városliget”, because it was our favorite part of everything we saw in Budapest. It is a park that stretches through the center of Budapest with a lot of attractions inside. Inside the park you will find many walking paths, a hot air balloon, wonderful playgrounds, a fantastic castle and the famous Schezneny Baths, which is one of the top attractions in the city.
You can issue a Revolut card by clicking this link here.
Entering the park from Heroes’ Square, the first thing you see is Vajdahunyad Castle with its beautiful artificial lakes, one of which is transformed into a giant skating rink during the Christmas season, earning it the title of the most festive place in Budapest.
To be honest, of all the sights in Budapest, we spent most of our time at this castle, spending hours walking inside and around the castle and relaxing at various spots around the lake.
The Vajdahunyad Castle was completed in 1896 A.D. to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarian state. The castle combines elements of Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The most impressive detail of Vajdahunyad Castle is the medieval tower next to the entrance of the building. You can’t help but love it!
Book a guided tour in Boudapest in this link
Vajdahunyad Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in Hungary and one of the 10 best castles in Europe!
Parliament of Hungary – Hungarian Parliament
Built on the banks of the Danube on the Pest side of Budapest, the Parliament of Budapest stands out as the largest building and landmark of the city. Whether you are walking or boating on the Danube, or standing on the hill of the Buda Castle and the Fishermen’s Bastion, you can’t help but notice the grandeur of this building. The interior, of course, has nothing special to show, as they say, so it’s not in the highest visitor positions on a trip to Budapest.
The Budapest Parliament was built in a neo-Gothic style, inspired by London’s Houses of Parliament.
Don’t miss the opportunity to admire it in the evening hours, though, as its architectural lighting is something to behold and will leave you with your mouth hanging open.
Central Market Hall
In general, we are always positive about any market experience where you can try and buy local products. Although we can’t judge the crowds at the markets, we can say that the Central Market Hall in Budapest did not have the crowds we feared.
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In the central market of Budapest there are more than 1200 shops where you can buy different souvenirs and food. We both tried and bought paprika and some souvenirs.
Of course, if you want, you can try some local dishes in the small restaurant or in one of the street food stalls upstairs.
Vaci utca – Vaci street
Vaci street is one of the main attractions of Pest. Although we didn’t know it, we discovered it by chance on our way to the Central Market Hall. Beautiful 19th century buildings with cute shops on the ground floors and many cafes & restaurants that you should probably avoid because they look like a tourist trap and the price might not match the quality.
Anyway, we enjoyed our short walk along Vazzi Street, where the main attraction is probably the Catholic Church of St. Michael, built in 1700 in Baroque style.
You can see most of the sights of Budapest on a tour on wheels. Click on this link and book a different tour now
Cathedral of St. Stephen
The largest cathedral in the city is St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and it is located in a central part of Pest, so if you move near it, you will surely come across it several times. The cathedral was completed in 1908 and was named after King Stephen, the first king of Hungary. Entering the interior of the cathedral wasn’t on our itinerary from the beginning, but it is beautiful from the outside.
Buda Castle
The Buda Castle is a symbol of the city. It is said that Budapest was founded on this spot. A place worth visiting for many reasons, except of course the unique view of the hill towards Pest.
There are many ways to get to the castle. Either on foot, by tourist train or by cable car. We chose the cable car, although we found it expensive, paying 2800 HUF (6.5€) per person, as we would not use it for the return trip, as we would continue from the castle on foot. We preferred it as a special experience for Dimitri and we didn’t miss it because he was excited.
Use this link to book a guided tour of Budapest’s history and culture
The castle was first built in the 13th century, and over the centuries it took on its present form as a royal palace. The castle houses exhibitions and museums, the most important of which are the National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum.
The gardens within the walls of Budapest Castle are perfect for a stroll and relaxation, with impressive sculptures and statues to keep us company, while the fountain depicting a hunting scene of King Matthias stands out.
Extra tip: It is worth walking from the Buda Castle to the Fishermen’s Bastion along Tárnok Street. The route is very picturesque with colorful low buildings, images somewhat different from the aristocratic center.
The Fishermen’s Bastion
The Fishermen’s Bastion is one of (if not) the most photographed places in Budapest. Many people waited patiently for a photo overlooking Pest. But I really panicked and didn’t have the patience to enjoy this beautiful view as much as I would have liked.
The Fishermen’s Bastion got its name from the old fish market that used to be there in the Middle Ages. This bastion was built in 1905 and the 7 towers of the bastion symbolize the 7 tribes of the Magyars who came to Hungary in 1896.
Several people have said that it reminds me of a tower from a Disney movie, and I totally agree. It really looks like something out of a fairy tale. Next to the castle of Psarades is the church of St. Matthew, which amazed us with its beautifully painted roof made of Zolnay tiles. The impressive church was built in the 13th century and for more than 100 years, during the Turkish conquest of the city, it was converted into a mosque.
The Baths of Budapest
It was a bit difficult for us to visit the baths of Budapest because the age of our little traveler does not allow it, especially when the weather is rainy and the temperature is a bit low.
But I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t go, so I left Dimitri and Kostas at home when we returned from our afternoon walk and checked out the two baths near our apartment. Gelert Baths, which was a little farther away, closed at 7:00 p.m., so I chose Rudas Baths, which was only 350 meters from the apartment and closed at 8:00 p.m.
The Rudas baths were very clean and not very crowded even though it was a Sunday. I paid 9200 HUF (almost 22€) for the entrance, which seemed expensive to me to be honest. With the watch they gave me as a pass I was able to enter all areas of the bath. Rudas has saunas, steam rooms and of course a spa where there are pools with different temperatures in which I relaxed for quite some time.
The trip to Budapest is over. And we think that we have seen the most important sights as well as some that I have not mentioned in this article. However, we didn’t manage to visit many other places on this trip to Budapest, such as Margaret Island, Gellert Hill and the New York Cafe, which is a bit difficult to visit with a toddler. So next time.
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