We are back to public transportation and hop on hop off buses! Budapest is a beautiful city with a lot to see and do. We stayed in an older neighbourhood a few blocks from the Danube and walkable to most of the popular sights.
Our first day we found a local company that works in various cities, call Big B Bus tours and we booked a 48hr ticket that included both the walking and boat tour. Headphones in hand we hopped on...and explored both sides of Budapest. Both have their attributes, with Buda being more hilly and residential and Pest more flat, and business/commercial based. While Frank didn’t have a preference, I preferred the Pest side. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed exploring Castle Hill on the Buda side with its views of the Danube, and Parliament building. When walking through the Pest side, the various parks and public squares with the bakery smells, and little shops all while looking at the Castle District, Gellért Hill and the Liberty Statue seemed more all encompassing of Budapest as a city.
A few of the highlights of our time in Budapest are the boat tour on the Danube, the Grand Market, Castle Hill and exploring the various monuments of its history. The Danube is an interesting and busy waterway that stretches from the Black Forest in Germany through Romania to the Black Sea. There is constant boat traffic of cruisers, barges and locals. There are 7 bridges that cross the Danube each given a moment in history it’s recognition. The most famous being the Chain Bridge as it was the first to connect both sides. One of the most impressive buildings along the tour was the Parliament, sitting just on the other side of the Chain Bridge from the palace. The stone work and architecture are amazing with all of their detail. Just up from the Freedom Bridge is the Grand Market which was originally designed to have boat access from the river for barges to deliver their goods. The market carries everything you could ever need, and then some! The castle district, or hill, is where we spent a good portion of our second day, starting at the base of the steps that reach the palace and walking the grounds from there. The palace currently houses two museums and has never housed royalty, which is interesting when you look at the size of the building. Properties that fill the hill are the president and prime minister’s residences, a church and several others.
Lastly, walking through both sides there are many monuments and memorials representing Budapest’s history. Each coming with varying stories about their influences at the time or lives lost. The shoes on the Danube is a memorial that I learned about when I taught my intermediates, it is more powerful in person. Budapest is a place to visit again, as there is still so much to explore!