Budapest, cold and cool in winter. We went there only for a weekend, but we explored the main important things from the city, although the temperature did not allow us to do as much as we wanted. We decided to visit this city to because we heard very nice things about it. This magic city in Hungary is divided in two, Buda and Pest, with total different personalities. Buda is the historic capital of Hungary, calm and surrounded by nature, where you can find the amazing castle of Buda. On the other hand, Pest is vibrant, popular among young people, full of trendy bars.
They were connected in 1849 by the Chain Bridge. Nowadays, there are many available connections to cross the Danube. This separation makes it easy for tourism: we spend one day in Buda, one day in Pest, and the third day we only had one morning so we went to the thermal baths.
The first day we started our tour with an amazing brunch in Pest. Szimply – Breakfast & brunch: Best brunch I’ve ever had! This small cosy place with only six tables was definitely a magic spot in Budapest. It’s a little
difficult to find it since it’s located in a very small pedestrian street. When we arrived there was a long cue outside the place, it gets very crowded! But they are very well organized: basically there is a coffee place just right in front where you can wait until it’s your turn. They give you an alarm that vibrates when your table is free!! The menu changes every month.
Then we walked around the streets of Vaci Ucta and Andrassy Avenue. You will find plenty of design shops, parks, restaurants and coffees…We visited the Hungarian National Parliament, the Dohány Synagogue, and we walked next to the Danube until the “Shoes on the Danube” a very moving memorial created by Gyula Pauer and Can Togay in 2005 in memory of Holocaust victims. Jewish were brought until that point of the city, obliged to remove their shoes before throwing them to the river.
The second day we visited the nice streets of Buda castle, home of the National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum and the Fisherman’s Bastion. The Buda Castle district is open all day and night, but the museums and attractions close. We crossed trough the Chain Bridge and we went up by feed, but you can also take the cable car that gets you directly to the Royal Palace.
The third day we went to Szechenyi Baths. To be honest, we didn’t like it much. The feeling of being inside warm water surrounded by snow was nice, but the parts inside the baths are nothing special.
We found a lot of magic spots in this city:
- Budapest’s Soho Apartment: this is one of the most amazing apartments I’ve ever been. I felt in love with the decoration, the spacious ceilings… And I can still remember the bed was very comfortable. The location was very convenient, 10 min. walking distance from the city center and a metro station very close. On the same street there were many restaurants, bars and coffee places.We arrived and the key was inside a box that we opened with a code we received by email. To return the key, we just left it in the same box and we closed it.
- Puder Barszinhaz restaurant: Hungarian typical food but with a modern touch, this restaurant had a very authentic atmosphere. Food was simply delicious, so was the wine and the cocktails. We took entrances, main dishes and deserts, and we loved everything. And the service was very nice and efficient. We liked it so much that we repeated (also because it’s located literally 1min. from the appartment we were staying).
We will be coming back there in summer, and I am looking forward to visit this city with good weather.
Magics Spots 