After a week of recharging in Belgrade we could now re-enter the Schengen zone to enjoy the last 31 days on our Visa.
Our first stop was Budapest, Hungary, an eight hour train ride heading north. We had only heard good things about Budapest so our expectations were running high, which also carries a risk of disappointment, but luckily we had a great time in Budapest.
One of the first things we noticed was that it didn’t matter what street we wandered down, it always seemed to be buzzing with people with lots of shops and cafes and bars. Each street also seems to have it’s own personality – the street we stayed in was pretty much in the city centre, and filled with small art galleries and coffee shops. Our place, was another Air BnB flat on the second floor of an old apartment building with a central courtyard that felt like a little oasis after stepping off the busy street.
We had two full days to explore the city, and we think we almost fit all the must see sights in! We did A LOT of walking and got a really good `feel` for the city. On the first day we visited the huge City Park, walked down the famous tree lined Andrassy Avenue, visited the emotionally charged and beautifully designed House of Terror, walked alongside the river and past the very large and impressive Parliament Building and across Chain Bridge to the `Buda` side of Budapest, walked around the Royal Palace, Matthias Church and Fishermans Bastion and ended the day with cocktails in Vörösmarty Square.
The next day we took it a bit more easy, we visited the famous Great Market Hall, and spent a few hours there just ogling at the beautiful fresh fruit , vegetable, cheese, baked goods and meat stalls, it was really magical! I wish Sydney or Newcastle had a place like this! We also walked down the famous coffee shop and shopping street of Budapest Váci utca and then walked ALL the way back to City Park to take a peek at one of the famous baths of Hungary. It`s not regarded as the prettiest or most authentic of the baths on offer in Budapest, but the proper Turkish baths were shut for either male or female only days.
We think Budapest is another one of the cities we’d like to visit again, it has so much life and energy, we don’t think you could ever get bored there!
We Make Plans 