Budapest: Europe at a bargain price
Wide, leafy avenues, a thriving cafe culture, fine wine, great craft beers, soaking in thermal baths. Not quite what you think of when you conjure images of Eastern Europe. Budapest, Hungary’s capital, has all of this and more. We came expecting grim Soviet concrete (if that’s your thing, head to Bucharest), but instead we got Austro-Hungarian splendor and a city with a very European, cosmopolitan vibe. And, because Hungary has not adopted the Euro, you get all this European class at a fraction of the cost of a Western European destination.
Here are some of our Budapest favorite experiences and tips:
Renting a beautiful, spacious apartment from two sweet sisters
In Budapest, we realized it was less expensive to rent an apartment than hotels and even hostels would have been. We rented a beautiful two-bedroom apartment with a balcony facing a beautiful old cathedral from two incredibly kind sisters — Zsofi and Zsuzsanna. Before we arrived they sent us emails with off-the-beaten-path things to do, they greeted us at the apartment with breakfast and even stocked the fridge with local wines and sweets. Towards the end of our stay, they agreed to meet us at a local ruin pub for a chat and a beer before we left. Their hospitality and kindness really enhanced our experience.
Sitting in a box at the opulent State Opera House…
Listening to the outstanding Budapest Philharmonic play Wagner, Brahms, and Beethoven. At intermission, we chatted with our box-mates, an older Hungarian couple, both retired scientists who emigrated to the U.S. during the Communist era. They told us, “Now we get graduate students coming to Budapest from the U.S. that don’t want to go home!” At the end of the concert, the crowd cheered the conductor like a rock star, spurring him on to three encores of an ever-faster Hungarian Dance No. 5.
Soaking in the thermal baths
Budapest sits on a large reservoir of thermal water and a great place to “take the waters” is at the fancy, outdoor Szechenyi Baths. We watched the the old guys play chess and the babushkas do water aerobics, followed by a stroll around City Park.
Walking across the Chain Bridge and to the top of Castle Hill
Budapest was formerly two towns, Buda and Pest, which face each other across the Danube River. Buda contains Castle Hill, the “old city,” home to beautiful palaces, churches, and museums.
Feeling uncomfortable at the House of Terror
This museum chronicles the awful, brutal years of occupation by first the Nazis and then the Soviets. It’s a grim, but very well done museum, housed in the former headquarters of both regimes’ secret police forces. Awkwardly, we walked in on a couple making out in one of the old solitary confinement cells. After being in traditional, conservative countries for many months, we’re firmly back in the land of PDA.
Browsing Budapest’s Great Market Hall
This large food hall is full of local produce, wine and spirits, and (of course) paprika. The food stalls on the second floor serve solid Hungarian food. Better still, we found out that locals actually do their shopping here!
Riding the tram lines
Budapest has a great subway system (the world’s second oldest electric subway after London), but the trams also go most places in the city, and it’s more fun to watch life go past above ground. The multi-day transit passes cover both.
Walking down Andrassy Avenue
Andrassy Avenue is the most beautiful street in Budapest — wide, shady, perfect for strolling, shopping, or watching the world go by at a cafe. We enjoyed sitting outside at Mensa Cafe on Franz Liszt Square. On our last day the entire street was closed to traffic for a giant street fair!
Grabbing a drink at a ruin pub
Hungary has great wine and a surprisingly awesome craft beer scene. You can try both at “ruin pubs,” which, as their name suggests, are little pubs tucked into old buildings or courtyards. For good craft beer, try the Eleszto pub in the eastern part of the city or Szimpla, a popular ruin pub closer to the city center crowded with hipsters and knick knacks. It’s something straight out of Austin, Texas.
OK, but how was the food?
Hungarian food is solid, hearty Central European comfort food: goulash (actually more like a soup than the stew we think of), bread, meat, and potatoes. Nice, but not our favorite. Budapest has excellent pastry shops, called cukraszdas, on virtually every corner. Try the Auguszt Cukraszda near the Vaci Utca. We also really enjoyed Lumen Cafe, an excellent coffee shop / wine bar in town, where talkative Adam kept pouring Hungarian wines for us to try.
Figuring our funny Hungarian words
The Hungarian language is something of an orphan. It’s not related to any other language and we were constantly stymied and amused by it. What is an auto vigyazz? (it means “watch out for cars.”); to authorize a credit card purchase, we’d select the helyes! button; and would you like some vaj on your palacsinta? (Of course I want butter on my pancakes!).
In retrospect, we should have spent longer than a week in Budapest. It would have made a comfortable home base for side-trips in Hungary and throughout eastern and central Europe. For example, it’s a short train ride up to Prague. We’ve been told that you are either a Prague person or a Budapest person. We’ll have to get back to form our own opinion, but we know we definitely liked this city.
