Budapest 2023

On our second day in Budapest we decided to explore the Buda side of the city. This was across the river from where we were staying, so we got to cross one of the several bridges across the Danube River. We listened to an audio tour on our phones that guided us around Buda Castle and the surrounding area. Most of the castle is now broken up into different museums, so we didn’t really go inside, but we could walk around, discover little corridors, and see the beautiful architecture and courtyards (along with a good amount of construction).

One part of Buda Castle that I had read about and wanted to explore was called the Labrinth. This was a series of underground cellars that had been connected and created a sort of maze. You could go down and pay a small fee to explore, which ended up being a bit spookier than I had thought. It was very dark and even foggy in some areas, and the faint opera music they had playing with wax statues did not help! There were plaques along the way telling stories and urban legends about Count Dracula as well because it has been said that he was held in prison there, but it turns out that was not true.

After we finally found our way out we made our way to St. Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion. This was one of my favorite stops on the trip because the architecture was so pretty and unique. There were lots of tourists but we were able to go inside the church and look around, and the views over the Danube River were amazing!

Later in the afternoon we decided to go check out one of the famous Hungarian Baths. We ended up going to the biggest and most famous one, Szechenyi Thermal Baths. Budapest is home to a lot of geothermal hot springs, and for hundreds of years people have gone to thermal bath houses like this one. I didn’t know what to expect but it was a huge complex with many smaller indoor pools surrounding a larger outdoor pool, all at various warm temperatures. We ended up going from pool to pool, and even in a sauna or two, and then braved the cold outside to get into the famous outdoor pools. Overall it was a very relaxing and unique to Budapest experience.

After a relaxing evening, we got dinner and Chimney Cakes (a fantastic discovery of dough baked into a cylindrical shape and covered in cinnamon sugar) and then decided to take the bus back over to the Buda side. I had read that going over to where we were earlier in the day but at night would be a fun thing to do and it did not disappoint. We went up on Fisherman’s Bastion, which was no longer crowded with tourists, and were able to sit and look out at the city lights over the river. What a fun way to end our second day in Budapest!

Our trip to Budapest started off with a bang- it was Hungarian National Day, which is the Memorial Day of the 1848 Revolution. We had no idea when we planned our trip, but it ended up working out so well that we got to be there on a national holiday. While some museums and restaurants were closed, there were a few places open for free and we also got to see a bit of a ceremony and parade in front of the Parliament building.

After waking up early to go to this ceremony, we got in line to go inside the Parliament building, which was open to the public for the holiday. We ended up waiting over two hours, but the line was even longer when we left. The building was huge and incredibly beautiful inside and out. Inside we were able to see the crown jewels in one of the main halls.

After leaving the Parliament building, we got lunch and then headed to the House of Terror, which is actually a museum about the fascist and communist regimes that used the building throughout the 20th century, as well as a memorial to victims who were tortured and killed there. The museum was open for free that day, so it was very crowded but it was very well done and had a lot of information both in the exhibits and on the audio guide.

That night we walked down by the Danube and then went by the National Museum which was lit up in honor of the holiday.