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I usually take a trip around my birthday so we looked at all the places on my bucket list and everything was coming up expensive. My next “go to” method is to see where cheap flights are and we happened upon a flight to Budapest. Hungary? I knew nothing about Hungary. When planning a trip, I alway start with a Google Map and look for interesting things to see. My travel partner and I spent 24 hours looking and had a really healthy list going. It seemed to be a pretty cool country so we carried on to the next step which was looking for accommodations, car rentals, etc. This made the trip even more appealing since it was cheap for both. Hungary became a sneaky win and I had no idea that I even wanted to go there until 24 hours ago.
Day 1
We arrived at the airport 2.5 hours early. Edelweiss was the airline and the check-in process was fairly smooth the paying for the bags part was an ongoing process. I added my bags prior to the trip via the call center as their bag policy clearly states that the 1st bag is $75 and online was trying to charge me $90. It was further complicated by the fact that the departure was through Swiss/edelweiss and the return was Lufthansa. I was told I had to call each to add the bags. Swiss was easy enough but was also charged a $5 service fee so I paid $80 for the bag. I then called Lufthansa and it appeared to go smoothly until I saw my pending charge for $160. I even clearly remember stating that this is for Kelly’s bag. They added one to my travel partner whom was undecided about bringing a bag. I called and they tried the whole “well, you agreed to the nonrefundable and nonreturnable clause. I explained that I made it clear that I wanted one bag and the agent never told me the total prior to charging my credit card. I spent 3 days calling because then they had to “investigate”. I was told 2 different times that the agent made a mistake but they could not refund my money until after the trip and after the bag went unused. Lufthansa clearly doesn’t like to fix their mistakes. My travel friend was unable to add bags in advance because the the process and they charged $150 for the bag since it wasn’t pre-purchased. Lufthansa is MAYBE my least favorite airline at this point and I will probably actively avoid booking them. TIP: Add your bags in advance. Don’t necessarily add them online: read the bag policy. Make sure the agent tells you the amount they are charging BEFORE giving them the information.
We made our way through security and went to the Club LAS lounge to kill sometime. This club is one of my favorites because it has a lot of space. The food selection is small, the staff is nice and it’s a nice place to kill some time before a flight. It beats sitting at the gate, hands down.
We then flew to Zurich, the flight was long and mostly uneventful. The flight attendants literally disappeared between the dinner and breakfast services, it was nice to not be disturbed. I tend to have a hard time sleeping on planes as I’m a back sleeper, completely flat through and through but luckily I brought my inflatable pillow that allows me to rest my head in a slightly flexed position. The Zurich airport is super modern and even the likes of Burger King appear fancy. Customs was very efficient despite a long line, we made it through quickly. We headed up to the Aspire Lounge which is small but has some nice views of the terminal below, a self service bar for drinks and a wide variety of cold and hot food. Our flight to Budapest was delayed so this was a nice place to wait. We hopped onto our next flight and it was smooth sailing to Budapest.
Once we touched down, Budapest was efficient as well, no customs just a baggage claim with two options: one to declare goods and one for no declaration. That lead straight to the arrivals area with ground transportation and rental cars. Our rental car company of course was not in terminal: CarWhiz. They left instructions to call and welp, we couldn’t dial international. We luckily found a nice gentleman to call for us. They sent a shuttle for us and gave instructions on where to wait. We waited 10 mins and it arrived. After an 8 minute shuttle ride, we picked up the car and rented an $8/day Wi-Fi hot spot. This was the star of the trip. I HIGHLY recommend having one.
We were off to our hotel: Airport Jazmin Guesthouse. We arrived 45 minutes late into Budapest but we were in constant communication with the guesthouse via the booking app. When we arrived, someone was waiting and he was nice, efficient and was able to take payment via a phone app. He showed us to the room and instructed us to leave the key in the door at checkout. The room was large and very clean. The shower head was a bit tricky but the water was hot. The bed was a bit hard but at that point anything flat was a sight for sore eyes. It was also VERY conveniently located by the airport and I would recommend this place.
Day 2:
We woke up and got on the road around 6am to beat Budapest rush hour traffic. It was good timing and not too busy.
Our first stop was Zsámbéki Romtemplom which is an old historical sight of the remains of a 13th century church. Specifically built between 1220 and 1234 by the descendants of knight Aynard. In the 15th century it burned to the ground. Then in 1763 a 6.3 earthquake hit Hungary which caused it to collapse further. It was saved in 1889, restored and reinforced with the original stone building materials. It’s a bit crumbly but still stunning and we caught it in the perfect light with the sun rising. We arrived hours before it opened but you can still get fairly close to see inside. They officially open at 10am. There is also a fairly large cemetery across the street.
Stop 2: was heading South to the middle of nothing. The roads were a bit rough and the drive leading in was super narrow. A timid driver might not enjoy this one: Bokodi Floating Village. Again, nothing was open but we caught it at the right time of day for awesome views. It is basically floating fishing cabins with at least one cafe with rooftop seating. It’s worth a detour if you like more unique sights but there isn’t a lot of interaction at this one. A fun fact is that the water never freezes since a power plant uses it As a cooling pond.
Stop 3: we headed to Tata. The town itself is adorable. We headed straight to a cluster of several sights: Geológus Kert, Geológusok Kertje, Kálvária Szoborcsoport, Fellner Jakab lookout. There is also a museum near these sights. There is a cluster of rock formations in a circle at the base. You then walk around a cliff with rock climbing ropes which leads to a sketchy staircase with even sketchier railings. Take these with caution. At the top is a large (almost life sized) statues with a view of the city. Just across from the statue is a small church. It’s a fairly quick stop to walk to the top and back but worth the stop for sure.
Afterward, we headed across the lake to Angolkert. It’s a fairly hidden park which appears to be on residential streets. There are a few walkways through alleys to get to the park. It’s quaint and peaceful in the park. There are restrooms but they weren’t open when we arrived and at this point, we really need a restroom. Restrooms aren’t always found at gas stations in Hungary and a lot of the “public” restrooms require coins and/or payment. Coins are hard to come by in Hungary and no one really wants to exchange bills for them. The park was definitely cool but we didn’t stay.
Our next stop was Gyor. Parking here is tricky without speaking Hungarian. There are signs everywhere that indicate most spots are paid parking. They have very old technology to pay (I.e. you will need COINS). Luckily, we traded some USD to the local currency and had a few coins floating around to buy 1.75 hours. We wandered through town to Matróz Dunaparti Kisvendéglő. The food had large portions. It wasn’t anything amazing but we were able to sit outside with a view of a farmer’s market which was nice. The weather was perfect. This restaurant had English menus which made ordering a bit easier. After the meal, we made a short walk to Basilica of Győr. It was still open to the public and it was ornate with gold sculptures and very high painted ceilings. The condition is remarkable. Next we headed to Bécsi kapu tér to see the colorful buildings in the area and wandered into a few touristy shops to get our first taste of available souvenirs. No purchases yet. We made it back to the car and headed further east to Sopron.
Once again, we found metered parking all over the city. We were short on coins and between: ice cream shops, one bank, a museum and a broken credit card parking payment station: we were unable to acquire coins for the meter payment station. We rolled the dice and didn’t pay (we also did not see anyone else paying). We headed to the Fire Tower and up the stairs for a nice Ariel view. In terms of lookout towers 200 stairs was easy. This is a 13th century fire tower and admission was $7.00USD. It was a quick detour and maybe not completely worth the $7 but it was only $7 soooo… We took a quick peek at Blessed Mary Benedictine Church. Then, we made it back to the car and found it without a parking ticket. Phew. We did acquire coins from a currency exchange by changing $50usd to Hungarian currency and then asking for extra coins. The lady was not pleasant, not even a little bit.
We headed out of town to our guesthouse for the night: Székelyudvar Fogadó és Étterem. The owner was by far the friendliest Hungarian we have met and the place was amazing. We had a 2 story with 4 beds. It was beautifully decorated and the beds were comfy with large fluffy pillows. It had a mini fridge, hair dryer, heated towel rack and most amenities to make it a great stay. The exterior is beautifully cared for with a stream and mini walking bridges. The stream/pond even have fish. I was very happy to stay here. After the checkin process we jetted off to: Szent Korona bunker. Unfortunately, it’s gated off but there are walking paths and a flight of stairs with a flag mag of Hungary on top of the bunker. There are a few other remains to seee. Then, on to the big adventure of the day: Hétforrás. It is located on a very windy, narrow and at times poorly maintained road. It is also poorly marked on google maps which caused us to miss it. Due to our stubbornness we did eventually find it. We found a pull out off the main road and hiked downhill to it (only to find out there was a big parking lot available at the bottom). It was unique to see so many springs come to one location. We did not drink the water but it was very cold. We made the hike back up the hill (barely). It was dinner time so we headed into town and after initially attempting a high rated, over priced restaurant that the staff didn’t seem to want to work at. We located Garabonciás Pizzéria és Étterem, which was good. We sat outside and had a nice server. He was attentive and nice. They had a HUGE menu in both Hungarian and English. We order pizza because that seemed to be their thing. It was good and the price was in the 2,400 Hungarian franz so pretty affordable. Service and the food was quick. It suited our needs well. We then drove back to the hotel and settled in for the night.
Day 2.
We had a leisure AM and left the guesthouse around 7am. We headed to our first National Park. The visitor center location for Orseg was in a cute little town called Oriszentpeter. The town had all kinds of fall decorations including these cute hay ball and pumpkins people. I loved them. Fall is my thing. The visitor center didn’t open until 9am and we arrived just after 8 am. Luckily, someone let us in and gave us some pamphlets and run down of things to see. We headed to Szalafői jégverem which is a former ice stack used for cold storage. At that same location there was a unique wood sculpture: Szalafői Életfa. https://szalafo.kornyeke.hu/eletfa#:~:text=A%20szalafői%20életfa%20nem%20azonos%20a%20régi%20korok,mának%20és%20jövőnek%2C%20a%20további%20generációknak%20közvetít%20üzenetet. Provides information about this landmark: The tree of life in Salafő is not the same as the cult trees of old times. This work is a special motif sculpture, which is still called a tree of life because the signs and figures engraved on it all symbolize life and growth. The motifs are nourished by the past, but at the same time convey a message to the present and future, to future generations. The wavy line running around the bottom of the Tree of Life and the stylized fish figures symbolize the Szala stream. Above it, the tulip symbolizes femininity, the palm bouquet symbolizes masculinity, and the flower that blooms from them represents the child, life. The decorative plant elements running around the Tree of Life, pumpkins, grapes, and acorns, represent the region’s most typical flora. The specialty of the Sun appearing on the Tree of Life is the 8-point division typical of this area. The coat of arms of Szalafő is a symbol of local power. Various local symbols such as horns, tulips (fertility), pearls, pickaxes and boletus mushrooms appear on the ends of the branches that characterize the remedies. Two animal figures also appear on the tree – the long-eared owl, symbolizing wisdom, and the butterfly, referring to the butterfly fauna of European importance. The Guard is represented by the guardian-protector pair of eyes. Basically, this work symbolizes LIFE, the belief in survival, as well as the preservation and promotion of the Hungarian model treasure.
Next we ventured a bit further on the road to Őrségi Népi Műemlékegyüttes. Again, it wasn’t open but it also wasn’t closed. So we wandered the open air exhibits and left it how we found it. This is a site of preserved buildings of The Őrségi people. It’s described as “perfectly preserving time”. There are both commercial and residential buildings on the site. It was a pretty cool stop and the buildings are in excellent shape and well maintained.
Next we headed to Keszthely to get our first glimpse of Lake Balaton. Parking again was paid and we found a lot that gave you a ticket and you paid for the time you used, also it accept cards. We were greeted by Erzsébet királyné-szobor which is a full length statue of Empress Elizabeth and Queen of Hungary (1837-1898). We headed toward the pier and took a photo with the Keszthely sign and sought out food. This area is scarce for food during the day. There is a food court area but we wanted something more. Be prepared to pay for bathrooms here and honestly, it just wasn’t impressive. They do have a Ferris wheel but it was operational during our visit. I suspect this place picks up more in the evening hours.
We ended up at Halászcsárda, which was a short drive down the shore. It has its own parking lot and lake views from the outdoor patio. It’s touristy with some traditional Hungarian dishes. It had laid back vibes and free bathrooms (for customers). We set our sights on Tihany for the lavender fields which were likely out of season because we drove by them the first time. It was underwhelming which was disappointing. We continued to our final stop of the evening: Balatonfuredi. We drove toward the shore and found a cute little area with shops, restaurants and tourist souvenirs. We found a parking garage here and once again paid for parking. It was very convenient though. We stopped at Füredi fagyizó for some heavenly ice cream that hit the spot. I went with basic vanilla but it was delicious, almost gelato with rich flavor. We took in some shops annd stop for a drink at The Captain’s Bar which had a plethora of drinks and focused heavily on rum. The had cushy outdoor chairs and loveseats and was the perfect spot to have a cocktail while people watching. Then, we headed to our accommodation for the night: an apartment. Jakócs szállása apartman. It was spacious with private bedroom, pullout bed in the living room, kitchenette and outdoor balcony. It was very basic but met our needs. The best part is that the location is in the heart of the city. We ended the night with dinner at Halászkert Restaurant. It was located near the lake with its own parking and a focus on Hungarian dishes. It was the best meal we’ve had since arriving (and most expensive). We had salmon with spinach pesto pasta, feta stuffed chicken with puréed potatos, potato cakes with sour cream and chive dip and Hungarian pasta. For dessert, we had chocolate soufflé and pancakes stuffed with cheese and covered with vanilla sauce. It was all delicious. The restaurant had a large outdoor patio with adjustable ceiling to allow in light (or in our case keep out the rain). The staff was nice and accommodating. We then left for the hotel and were exhausted.
Day 3: we had another leisure morning and left around 7:30 am. We headed toward Veszprem which is a medieval town. The buildings were amazing but we hit around rush hour so it was hard to just stop to take pictures, instead we enjoyed the buildings while sitting in some traffic. We did stop at Margit romok which is the ruins of the Szent Katalin Domonkos Abácakolostor. It was built in 1240 as a monastery and church. Saint Margaret, IV Resided there from 1246 to 1252. The peaked arches in the ruins are from the gothic style rebuild in the turn of the 15th and 16th century. It’s believed to have been destroyed in 1552 during the first occupation of the Turks. It was a quick detour but interesting to see such an old historical landmark. Next stop was
- Szentkirályszabadja, which is a Soviet ghost town with rich history dating back to the Neolithic age. Certificates have documentation of it being in exsistence in 1269. It has been called Szabadi, Urszabadi and Szentkirályszabadi. From 1970, the MH 87th Bakony combat helicopter regiment was stationed but they left in the summer of 2004. There stands a looted and destroyed Soviet barracks building which was left by the Russian and Ukrainian units during the 1990 withdrawal following the regime change. Apparently it also has the nickname Hungarian Chernobyl. While there, we went to Szent István Király Templom which dates to Árpád era, and its patron saint is King Saint István. The earliest mention of the church was 1291 and was re-built several times. Per Forum Hungaricum: After the fall of Veszprém (1552), the church was ransacked by the Turks. With the rapid rise of the Reformation, the people of Szentkirályszabadja converted to the new religion and continued to use the Árpád-era church as their church. It was recovered by the Catholics between 1721 and 1730. The church was built in 1730 and again in 1755. In 1789, Pál Rosos, archdeacon of the Veszprém cathedral and local landowner – later bishop of Veszprém – rebuilt the church. At that time, the sacristy and the crypt could be built. In 1813, the church was rebuilt. After 1908, the baroque onion helmet of the tower was changed to a gable-shaped one. In 1914, the church was renovated in neo-Romanesque style. It was then that it acquired its external architecture similar to the episcopal cathedral in Veszprém at the time. The sacristy-crypt part, which was originally built of stone, was raised with bricks to the main cornice of the church. (https://3dorszagjaro.hu/epuletek/szent-istvan-kiralytemplom-szentkiralyszabadja/#:~:text=A%20falunak%20ma%20is%20áll%20kisebb%20dombra%20épült%2C,stílusban%2C%20de%20a%20későbbi%20esztendőkben%20gótikus%20jegyekkel%20bővítették.
We attempted to see Gorsium in Tác but it was unfortunately closed for another 45 minutes and we decided to move on. It’s supposedly the ruins of a Roman town. Probably worth a visit but they didn’t have hours posted. It’s open 1000-1800 for anyone considering a visit. It did have a large FREE parking lot.
We headed to Bory Castle next in Székesfehérvár. This is unique because it was a self built castle. Jeno Bory built the castle between 1923-1956 using the help of students. It incorporates Scottish, Romanesque and Gothic styles. It has 7 towers, 30 rooms, and hundreds of sculptures and paintings. It was such a unique castle and hands down worth a stop. You are able to explore some of the interiors, climb 2 towers and get Ariel views of the city. Paks was our next stop with a quick drive by the Holy Spirit Catholic Church with its wild architecture. It’s modern: built in 1988-1990 so not much history here but it looks bitchin’. It was the brain child of architecture
Imre Makovecz and melds Hungarian and Christian architecture together. “The two symbols, while related to one another, are representing the dynamic balance of opposites as found in light/dark, male/female, Sun/Moon, in other words, the yin and yang. This is why the tower displays the Moon and the Sun, and also why the angel of lightness and the angel of darkness stand on either side. The Christian idea of the Androgynous Being, Jesus Christ, must be born out of these pairs of opposites. His statue therefore stands in the centre, above the altar.” (from: János Gerle: Makovecz Imre, Serdián Bp. , 2002 160. o.) per: http://hazai.kozep.bme.hu/en/szentlelek-templom-paks/
We stopped for lunch in Paks as well: Trattoria da Matteo Paks. It’s an Italian place with a nice little patio outside and a fairly friendly waiter. We had penne with tomato sauce and the seafood appetizer. Both were really good and came with a hearty portion of bread. It was definitely the fuel we needed to carry on.
We drove our hotel next: Farkas Villa Mórahalom. The host was very nice and the apartment was clean, the beds were comfortable and they have super fluffy pillows which was a welcome change. We had a well equipped kitchenette and secured parking. I’d stay here again. We dropped our luggage and heading on to Szeged Vadaspark gazdasági bejárat. We have a thing of checking out zoos in different countries. This one was located in a forest. The animals were more active than most zoos and they had a fairly large array of them. The animals seemed happy and healthy mostly. We did feel bad for the sole elephant. They had a lot of set feeding times to observe but we of course missed them. It was a nice long walk throughout with a lot of tree coverage and shade. I was rather impressed and the admission was 4800 forint which by American standards isn’t to pricy. It took us about 2 hours to see everything and leave. We headed to downtown Szeged. We peeped at the Musical Clock Which was designed by
Ferenc Csúry In 1936. At every hour it plays “ Szeged hírös város” and it’s used in graduation ceremonies at the college. We also took in the Gate of Hero’s which is conveniently located across a courtyard. It honors Miklós Horthy’s White Guards whom after the Republic of counsels in 1919. Other sources state is a World War I monument honoring 12,000 soldiers from Hungary. We ended the trip to Sezged with dinner at:
Maláta kézműves sör- és grill kert. The weather has been beautiful so outdoor patios were a must have and this one was surrounded with fun lights and under trees. We had chicken finger, steakfries and a pulled chicken burger. Everything was good and the vibe was even better. If you are looking for a casual meal or watering hole, this is the place. There is no table service but you place your order at the bar, give a table number and the food is delivered directly to you. It was quick and easy. As an American, it did take the guesswork out of proper etiquette for getting a bill. Exhausted and ready for a shower, we head back to the hotel.
Day 4:
We had yet another leisure morning and headed out around 7am. We had very little planned between Mórahalom and Eger. We attempted to stop at Ópusztaszer Heritage Park but it didn’t open till 10am. It’s an open air park of Hungarian history. We did sneak a peek of the exterior of The Rotunda house, the famous Feszty Panorama. They had an interesting statue outside, an area across the street with brick walls and plaques (I assume donors). There was copious amounts of parking and it was free (shocking for Hungary). Toward the beginning of the road there was another circular structure that leads to a labrinyth. It was also closed but an extra bonus of things to do in the area.
We attempted another lavender field: Csongrádi Levendula Farm north of us and it was more of the same. I’m guessing it’s out of season.
We continued on a long drive to Eger. We arrived at lunch time, just as the rain came. We attempted a restaurant but received looks that indicated that we grew 4 extra heads from some young girls playing on the floor of the dining area and turned face to leave. We are used to Hungarians being cold but this was uncomfortable. We found another restaurant up the steeet: Egri Halsütöde. The girls here were friendly and they menu offered fish and only fish. I got a fish soup and sourdough bread which was really good. My travel partner had the catfish nuggets. It wasn’t the meal we would have necessarily picked but it was good. From there we wandered up to Eger castle. It had stopped raining so it was enjoyable to wander the grounds. “ Eger soon became one of the most prestigious episcopal centres in the Kingdom of Hungary. At the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, work began to construct a Romanesque cathedral, a bishop’s chapel and a palace next to the royal mansion. The cathedral and the adjacent cloisters of the Chapter and the Bishop’s Palace were completed in the following century. King Imre, who died in Eger in 1204, was buried in the church. At the beginning of the 13th century, a square-shaped bishop’s castle with ashlar walls was built west of the cathedral and cloister. During the Tatar invasion, the Eger episcopal centre suffered extensive damage. Bishop Lambert began rebuilding the cathedral and the bishop’s castle in the second half of the 13th century. His successors completed this work by the early 14th century. A bishop’s residential tower was constructed in the northwestern corner of the castle. In the middle of the 14th century, new towers were added to the western end of the cathedral along with a Gothic apse with radiating chapels. As well as new palaces in the castle and surrounded the whole hill with a long stone wall, which protected the settlement located around the bishop’s residence. In the first half of the 15th century, Bishop Peter Rozgonyi rebuilt the cathedral chapels, which had been destroyed or damaged during the Tartar invasion. Civil war once again impacted on the cathedral and castle in the middle of the 15th century. Repairs were made during the reign of King Matthias. Bishop János Beckensloer completely rebuilt the episcopal palace. At the same time, Bishops Orban of Nagylucse, Tamás Bakócz and Hippolito d’Este had a new late-Gothic choir hall added on to the cathedral. Meanwhile, the fortifications of the castle were also modernised and extended. A civil war followed the tragic Battle of Mohács. The fortifications were strengthened, particularly on the eastern side. After the fall of Buda in 1541, Péter Perényi and his troops of the crown guard raided and occupied the castle. While taking the stronghold, a fire broke out, incinerating the roofs of the cathedral and palaces and most of the houses within its walls. After the fire, Tamás Varkoch, the castle’s lieutenant, began to modernise the castle’s fortifications with master builder Alessandro Vedani. In 1548, Peter Perényi returned the stronghold to Bishop Nicolaus Olahus and King Ferdinand, who appointed István Dobó to lead the defence. Dobó repaired the damage caused by the fire of 1541 and continued to strengthen the fortifications. Thanks to these works, the defenders were able to confront the overwhelming Turkish force in 1552 successfully. Sebestyén Tinódi (Lantos), a famous singer of the time, wrote a poem about the events only a few months after the siege, and the reputation of this heroic stand spread throughout Europe.
After the siege, the castle was rebuilt and fortified, new bastions and interior buildings were constructed. In 1569, Ottavio Baldigara took over construction work and started converting the stronghold into a modern fortress. This work, however, was only partially completed.
In 1596, the Turkish Sultan’s army took Eger Castle. During the siege, the bastions suffered severe damage, which the Turks only repaired decades later. In possession of Eger Castle, the
conquerors organised a new vilayet, which became one of the most important of the conquered provinces.
Christian forces drove out the Turks in 1687. By then, the fortifications were considered obsolete beyond repair. In 1702 the outer castle was demolished. The remaining inner castle was of military importance for the last time during the Rákóczi War of Independence, which broke out the following year. The fortress changed hands twice, first in 1705, when the castle was occupied by the anti-Habsburg (Kuruc) insurgents, and again when Habsburg true forces retook it in 1710.
The church authorities started demolishing the castle walls, bastions and buildings, including the palaces and the cathedral, after 1783 when the military left. Archbishop János László Pyrker stopped the destruction, for he was fully aware of the site’s significance. The first archaeological excavations did not take place until the 1860s, but work stalled after the castle was returned to the military by the Church.
Today, the medieval bishop’s castle remains, and the early modern fortress are mostly known only from 20th-century archaeological digs. Excavations carried out in the 1920s and 1930s were interrupted between the 1950s and the 1980s, with only small-scale sporadic excavations in recent decades. The latest comprehensive investigations for the planned reconstruction of the castle started in 2016-2017” provided by https://www.egrivar.hu/en/c/history
It was reasonably priced and you could wander the remains at your leisure without a time limit. You could also climb to the top of some of the walls to get Ariel views of the city.
After we left, we rounded the corner to Marjan Confectionery for a sweet treat. I tried the Dobos torta which is a Hungarian cake. It was pretty good but not overalls sweet. The restaurant was really nice and had tons of cakes, cookies and ice cream to choose from. The prices were 700-1200 foint. We wandered from there to Dobo Istvan U. Which was a pedestrian street with a lot of shops and restaurants. It lead to a courtyard with a Dobó István tér statue, the Church of Anthony of Padua, and cool ornate yellow building. The Church was started in 1767 and consecrated on April 18, 1773 by Bishop Ignác Batthyány. It was expanded upon until 1792. The churches ceilings were painted, a large statue was carved, pews carved, a red marble alter was made, etc all this lavishness was controversial due to the surrounding poverty. it is the only Baroque church with a curved facade in Hungary. The church was damaged in an 1827 fire. We head d back toward our car and headed toward Miskolctapolca Cave Bath. The first spa was built in 1743 and later renovated in 1837. The first caves were built in 1959 and extended until 2005. It features multiple pools connected by streams and some outdoor options in the summer which were closed during our visit. It was cool aesthetically but overcrowded and failed a bit short. It wasn’t overly relaxing due to the crowds and the hotter pools were completely full. The water was luke warm in the other pools. They did have lights to add a nice aesthetic. Some reviews complained about it being dirty which we did not experience and that lockers were mostly now functioning. We were given bracelets that opened our lockers. It was easy and we didn’t have a problem finding an open locker. They don’t provide towels so bring your own. Alternatively, they sell some for absorbent prices in the first shop (1,990 for a large hand towel, 2,990 for a medium size towel and 7,000 for a Disney large towel). The parking was at the neighboring hotel and costs $2800 foint. There was a parking attendant so change could be provided. The facility offers massages, mud, etc for additional fees and also had a sauna for an additional cost. They have a discounted rate after 3pm. It’s a typical tourist money making operation but unique enough to be worth a trip.
We left and made our way to our next stay: Tiszafüred Jánosi Vendégház. Our host was hands down the nicest Hungarian we have encountered and she brought joy to our day. The room is in an upper level with 2 twin beds, bathroom and a shared common area with fridge and extra seating. It’s basic but nice. She made a recommendation for dinner: Park Étterem. It was 400m from the hotel but we drove due to the threat of rain. I had a version of a chicken Kiev with potato croquettes, Greek salad and solmlóu Gali ska which is by far the best dessert I’ve had in Hungary. It was combo of cake, whipped cream, rum, chocolate syrup and raisins (I know but you couldn’t taste them). The waiter didn’t speak English but the menu has translated and we were able to have a smooth meal despite the language barrier. The staff here was also some of the friendliest we’ve had.
Day 5. We left the guesthouse around 7am and were warmly sent off by our adorable host Agnes. We set out for Budapest and our final city. We had about 2.5 hours drive and the rain started halfway into it. Our first stop was Hospital in the Rock. We arrived at 10:08 but had to wait till 11am. Despite the rain, neither of us are patient people so we set out to site see and kill roughly an hour. We found Fisherman’s Bastion nearby. It has significant historical value and 7 stone towers to represent the seven chieftains of the Hungarians who founded Hungary in 895. It’s widely believed that in the Middle Ages, the walls of the castle were protected by a guild of fishermen. The building that is present was built between 1895-1902. It’s now one of the world Heritage sites. It was pretty massive and had unique Ariel views of the city. There are several stairs and this lead us on a scavenger hunt for the Mansfeld Peter Memorial. It is located down the stairs on the back half of the Bastion towards a lower street. It’s a very interesting statue/memorial of a falling man on the wall. It memorializes a teenage martyr of the Hungarian Revolution. Mansfeld and other youths were freedom fighters attempting to dismantle the Soviets. He and others were stealing hidden weapons from the soviets and stockpiling them in cause the rebels needing them. In 1958, they stole a car and kidnapped a police officer. The youngest of the group became frightened and confessed to their parents whom were devote communists. They were turned in and within a day Mansfeld was found despite an escape attempt where he jumped from a 13’ window, breaking his hand. He was only 17 at the time and was imprisoned and tortured until his 18th birthday. He was hung but it was botched and it took 13 minutes from him to die.
We headed back to Hosptial in the Rock. Photographs aren’t allowed. The entrance fee is absorbent for Hungary at approx $25USD (the most we paid anywhere), the tour group is too small and you are really unable to see most of the items inside. It was fairly disappointing because it had so much interesting history and potential. They offer the tour in English and Hungarian (the later having a much smaller group). The guide also does not tell people to move into the room so if you are in back, you may or may not hear a thing. On to the history: the Buda Castle has caverns and the mayor ordered these to be turned into an emergency hospital in 1939 and completed in 1944. The original capacity was 60 and was used for air raid attack victims. Later is was expanded to 200 capacity. It was staffed by nurses from the Red Cross and supplied by the neighboring hospital. During the Siege of Budapest, capacity reached upwards of 600 wounded and supplies dwindled forcing the staff to reuse and sterilize items for the wounded or deceased. They were also forced to kill horses for food. The hospital had generators, an operating room, an x-ray machine, and various medical equipment (some of which hasn’t changed much in modern times). Between 1946-1957 the hospital was made into a nuclear bunker meant to house nurses and doctors if an attack ever happened. It was never used and a caretaker and his family lived there taking care of the place. Between 1958-1962 it was upgraded to protect further again nuclear and chemical warfare with an air filtration system (that they still use) and they added water tanks, chemical filtration systems. Between 1962-2004 if became a “top secret” defense infrastructure. It became a museum in 2007.
Afterward, we headed further north to eat lunch. It was a convenient place, rated high and turns out it was delicious and had a friendly owner that used to reside in the city with live in: Las Vegas. He is hands down the nicest person we’ve encountered in any restaurant. Where? American Burger & Steak House. It had a very American theme with burgers and steak as mentioned in the name. The steak was just meh, good for Hungary though. I got the Damn Good Burger and it was fire. Basically it was a PB & J burger. They had deliciously seasoned fries and the Mac n cheese bites were better than most back in the states. The Hungarians sure know how to bread and lightly fry things to the point where it’s crispy but not greasy at all. This place was not different. The decor had Americana theme and it felt like the 4th of July. I would hands down recommend this place.
We continued north to the Aquincumi Múzeum. This place was amazing. It was $6ish USD and you get to wander around freely. It is the largest collection of Roman relics from their era in Hungary. The first finds of the Roman period were in 1778. Over the years more items were excavated and protected but sadly 40% was destroyed in the Second World War as well as the museum buildings. The Aquincumi reopened in 1948. During the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s for reconstructions and research were continuously performed. “ The ruin park, one of the largest Roman archaeological parks in Hungary, dates back to the i. s. It presents about a quarter of the burgher city of Aquincum from the 2nd to 3rd centuries, including the most typical public buildings of the city center as well as many private houses.
Following the stone-paved streets and the excavated and preserved foundation walls of the buildings, the visitor can form an image of the characteristics of Roman urban architecture, the structure of the former Roman civil city, the dimensions and location of its most important public buildings – such as the forum, the basilica (house of legislation), the public bath or some sanctuaries . The i are clearly visible. s. floor heating, which was considered modern in the first centuries, the remains of the water pipes and the sewer system. In a separate small protective building, the reconstructed bath of a town house can be visited. Until now, the city has approx. a third of it has surfaced, some parts of it have already been excavated, but are not yet open to the public.” per https://hu.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquincumi_Múzeum
Next stop was the apartment we rented. This was a headache as we located the place and found that only one of the 2 bedrooms had sheets. They assumed we wanted to share a bed. I contacted the host and they said they’d take care of it… 3.5 hours later, they hadn’t. We paid extra to have separate rooms. Luckily we found a spare fitted sheet and made our own bed. The apartment is spacious and nice but smells bad and the Wi-Fi wasn’t working. I’m not happy to pay 100 euros a night to have as many problems as we do but oh well, not letting it ruin the vacation either. I’m not going to include the name as I don’t recommend it.
We made a short walk to Heroes’ Square. Which is an empressive sculptural display. It has the Seven chieftains, Hungarian National leaders and memorial stone for hero’s. Two museums are located on both ends. It’s also another world heritage site. It also lead to our next stop: Vajdahunyad vára and It is located on the Széchenyi Island of Lake Városligeti with bridges leading to it. The lake these days is pretty low. It was built in 1902 and completed in 1908 as the Agricultural museum. It’s free to walk through the exterior and I recommend it. It’s quite stunning and more stunning up close.
We booked it to the last officially planned site of the day. House of Terror: a museum which has exhibits related to the fascist and communist regimes in 20th-century Hungary and is also a memorial to the victims of these regimes, including those detained, interrogated, tortured or killed in the building. It opened in 2002. (Per: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Terror). It was interesting but most the displays are in Hungarian. They have audio tours available but we got there an hour before closing and it wasn’t an option. They did have laminated cards with information about the rooms available near the entrance of most rooms. It does have some graphic imagery and footage so be advised and the Soviet tactics is horrendously similar to what you probably already know. I’d leave the recommended hour for this, if you want to dive deep into the available information and watch all the videos.
Our final stop for the night was The MAGIC Budapest. It’s a whimsical Harry Potter themed restaurant. We didn’t have a reservation but luckily got in. I’d make reservations to guarantee a table. We were actually just going to sit outside but they snuck us in. The decor is themed, the food is themed and the drinks are themed. I’d recommend the bubbling cauldrons just because they are fun. I had black pasta with prawns. It was advertised as spicy but tasted rather sweet but let’s be real, no one comes here for the food. It was a fun experience. The service is slow but again, it’s fun.
Day 6: we planned a bougey breakfast at the New York Cafe. It was gold and ornate everywhere in the restaurant. It is definitely pricier and has menu items like 24K gold coffee, tea party style snack trays and breakfast before noon and lunch after noon. The hot chocolate was phenomenal and maybe the best I’ve ever had but it’s thick and sweet with real whipped cream. I got the eggs Benedict and it was just meh. All breaks fast appears to be served with a salad. Service was okay, but they kinda let you wander around and take photos which makes up for it. It appears to be a well oiled machine though despite getting there at opening time. From there, we drove toward Vacu U which is a pedestrian walking street and found a parking garage for the day. Our apartment we rented doesn’t include parking and paid parking around the area had a 3 hour limit. The garages seem to allow for multiple days or at least 24 hours. Weekend parking is free in Budapest. You need coins for most machines too, just FYI and no one wants to make change for you. So if you plan to drive DO NOT spend your change. Once we parked, we headed to the Central Market Place. This is a Mecca for tourist gifts and supposedly the best prices. It’s a 2 story building with market stalls, you will find the same things in most of the booths but some places have more unique things, some sellers are more likely to give you deals and overall it was a fun experience. It is busy and many tourists have no self awareness so at times you are stuck because someone decided to block the path. The upstairs is more of the tangible kitschy gifts, magnets, purses, dolls, etc. the downstairs is good, snacks, alcohol and candy. We spent some time here and made a few purchases. I did prefer another store for gifts: memories from Hungary but I’ll get to that later.
We headed across the bridge to Gellért Hill Cave which is also known as St Ivan’s Cave. Ivan was known as a hermit that used the thermal muddy water nearby to heal the sick. In the 19th century the cave was the home to a poor family, later it was used as a peasant courtyard. The current entrance was made in the 1920’s by Pauline Monks. It was consecrated in 1926 and used as a chapel and monastery until the 1950’s. During WWII it was used as a hospital for the Nazi Germans. In 1951 the state protection authority raided the church, the door was sealed and the monastery’s superior, Ferenc Vezér, was condemned to death. The other members were imprisoned for 10 years. It didn’t reopen until 1989 and was fully restored to the Pauline order in 1992. Today it is still a functioning monastery. It’s a nominal fee to enter the church and it includes an audio tour in your language. It was one of the cooler things we saw so I wouldn’t miss it, if you visit. The gift shop also has wood carvings and other gift items that are made locally which also support the church After that, we hiked and I mean hiked uphill to see Citadella. It’s located on the top of Gallert Hill and was known for strategic importance for the Budapest military. It was built by the commander of the Austrian Empire in 1851. It originally had 60 cannons. It was completed on 1854 by forced labour of the Hungarians. In 1867 a treaty was established and many Hungarians wanted it destroyed alas it wasn’t and the city eventually gained control of it in 1899 and in 1900 then demolished the walls. The hike up was intense and through a park but the views made it worth it. However the Citedella wasn’t open and fenced off. Double check before making the trek there are still other lower views that are stunning: Mirador de la libertad, Kilátóterasz, Citadella-kilátópont and Citadel Lookout. The first two we saw and they had benches to rest and enjoy the view. It is a very inclined path with multiple steps required. BEWARE! We winded our way down the other side and stopped at St. Gerard Sagredo Statue with waterfall below it. We actually were at eye level with to platform and columns while hiking but at the bottom there is quite a display of this statue with steps leading to the fall. Saint Gerard was a Saint in the Roman Catholic Church and is the city patron of Budapest.
After the hike, we were thirsty and hungry so we ventured back to Vacu U and ate at Il Pastaio. It was Ian Italian place with seating outside and lots of people watching. We tried the ravioli and spaghetti balongense. Bother were good. Beware: in the centrum of the city, there are service fees added to all bills and it’s roughly 14% so beware. The service was good at the restaurant and we are American so it’s basically like tipping.
We wandered a bit down toward the river and got some pretty sweet views of the Buda Castle. Having already seen 2 other castles, we passed this one up but did hear good things. I also think you can tour the underground “dungeons”. We stopped at Stephen Széchenyi Square which is a grassy square with multiple large statues. It’s along the river and an easy stop. Next on the trek along the river was Shoes on the Danube Bank. This is a memorial to the Jews whom were killed by the Arrow Cross in 1944 and 1945. It’s 60 pairs of iron shoes that are similar in style to those from the 1940’s. These victims were lined up on the river, ordered to remove their shoes and shot so their bodies fell into the river. It was a killing site to see but I’m glad this act of barbarism isn’t forgotten like so many other horrendous acts across history. Országház-Pont – Parliament-Point is a short walk from here and it gives a nice view of the building. In 1873 Budapest United 3 cities and they planned for a new Parliament building near the river and a competition was held for the building plan. The winner was selected due to its resemblance to the Palace of Westminster, to help strengthen their commitment to Western Europe. Construction started in 1885 and completed in 1904: About 100,000 people were involved in its construction,[citation needed] during which 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones and 40 kg (88 lb) of gold were used. Provided by https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Parliament_Building.
We headed to Freedom/Liberty Square where Adria Palace is which garnered its name from the days of the Austro-Hungarian empire, when it once bordered the Adriatic. It was built in 1918, and later abandoned and still sits abandoned. It’s massive and has a lot of intricacies that the more I looked at it, the more I discovered. It supposedly has marble walls, columns and a courtyard inside. The last rumor is that it’s being renovated. In that same square there is also a large park with shaded benches, playgrounds and a few other points of interest. The first is a statue Szovjet hősi emlékmű. This is a monument representing the red Soviet troops that lost their lives in World War II. On another end of the park there is a memorial for victims of the German occupation in 1944. It has a large statue and has multiple photo copies of articles and stories attached to a fence on the outside of the sculpture. It has some controversy with the Jewish community groups because they feel it undermines the Hungarian state’s collaboration with Nazi Germany and their complicity in the holocaust.
We sat in the park to rest for a bit and enjoy the quiet atmosphere then walked to the 3D art museum. It was small but besides one other family, we had the place to ourselves. The staff would actually take some photos for you so we were able to get a few together. It’s not the most amazing 3D museum I’ve seen but it was a fun little detour.
We headed out to try and find the Jewish Ghetto Wall Fragment. However, after we arrived, we found out it’s in a private courtyard and you can’t access it unless you want to try to sneak in behind someone. That’s not really my jam. The upside was that the “alley” was super cool with an enclosed area with a lot of cute and cool restaurants: that location is Dob U. 16 and worth checking out at a meal time or for some night life.
Right around the corner from there is Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park and the Dohány Street Synagogue. To see the memorial up close, you have to pay to enter the Synagogue. However, there is a fence and the memorial is visible from there. The Synagogue is huge and is the largest in Europe. The Hungarian Jewish museum is housed inside. It was consecrated in 1859.