Budapest city break (and wedding anniversary)
The trip got off to a flying start with an upgrade to ‘Club Europe’ on our outbound British Airways flight, for my father at least. He sat in the comfort of the upgraded cabin for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Budapest itself is an interesting city and the plethora of river cruise vessels on the Danube shows how popular it is for a different type of holiday too as you can visit other European capitals such as Prague and Vienna amongst others in a relaxed and stylish manner (note to self to try this one day).
We started our first full day planning to do something indoors as the weather forecast was for a rainy day to start with followed by some sunny days. We decided to visit the Royal Palace which sits on Castle hill overlooking the Danube. Budapest was once two cities; Buda and Pest, separated by the mighty Danube. Today they are one city and the aforementioned Royal Palace sits on Castle hill on the on Buda side of the River. The Royal Palace now houses the Hungarian National Gallery which covers a range of styles and era’s in a grand setting.
We decided to walk there as the rain hadn’t quite arrived yet and there was a lot to see on the way and we could acclimatise to our surroundings. Visually Budapest hadn’t changed too much, St Stephen’s Basilica still dominates the Pest side near the Szechenyi bridge (Chain bridge) and the views from either side of the river are still as if from a brochure both daytime and night-time with the huge Parliament building and its mixture of styles being perhaps the highlight of the scene. As you come off the Chain bridge on the Buda side of the river you notice the hill is steep, so a trip on the funicular railway that goes up and down the hill regularly is both a leg saver and a tourist sight. Either way if you test your legs and walk up or take the funicular, with the Royal Palace, Mattias church with its colourful tiled roof and the neo-gothic Fishermen’s Bastion this is an area most visitors will wish to visit.
The following day the weather improved as forecast and we climbed to the top of St Stephen’s Basilica for a dramatic 360-degree view and rediscovered the delights of the Great Market Hall which is crowded but fun and the Langos - Hungarian deep fried bread with various toppings (both sweet and savoury) sold there are tasty.
The following day I had to come home but it was a late flight so I had some time to take a leisurely visit to Heroes square and the adjoining park which is home to Vajdahunyad Castle which in turn is home to an eerie Anonymous statue (a historical Hungarian figure). The park is also home to the famous Szechenyi Baths. Budapest is famed for its thermal springs and there are a number throughout the city, and if ‘taking the waters’ is one of your favoured leisure pursuits you’ll find something in this city to suit your taste. A quick visit to Margaret Island and the dancing fountains and a further photo stop to the magnificent Parliament building and my time was up, Budapest had been a delight to visit again.