Funnily enough, it was my 4th time arriving in Budapest yet my first time affording the opportunity to explore the city where this journey of mine began. I arrived back at Keleti and this time, purchased a 24 hour transport card- necessity. I decided to splurge on my first private room of the trip for this last night abroad as I'd need to depart at 2 AM to make my first, of many, flights back home. Luckily, Budapest is very affordable, as was my night in a prime location at Hotel Benczur. I took public transport (and got off way too early) then walked to drop off my luggage before setting out.
My first stop was Heroes' Square, conveniently down the street.
Right around the corner was Vajdahunyad Castle where I stopped for some mulled wine and grounds exploration.
Across the street was the largest medicinal European bathhouse, Szechenyi.
After exploring much for the "Pest" side (pronounced "Pescht") I walked back to my hotel and cleaned up for "Buda" across the Danube river. Budapest used to be two smaller towns before being joined as one.
I took the tram to the riverside for beautiful views of Buda and the infamous Shoes Along the Danube <--- Read the history here.
Then I crossed the famous river myself and arrived in the higher ground of Buda.
Matthias Church |
Fisherman's Bastion |
Parliament |
Dinner was inside here! |
Stunning views of Chain Bridge. |
Didn't have time to make it to Gelert Hill, as seen here. |
My local friend picked me up and we went out for a night on the town in the Jewish Quarter. Here, former, decrepid, WWII housing ghettos were repurposed into eclectic bars, the most famous (as noted in Dan Brown's latest "Origin") being Szimpla Kert.
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