Travel Guide: Budapest Best Attractions
Dear Alice,
Today I will continue our series concerning the places I recommend you to visit in 2016. Today my recommendation is Budapest! Have you ever wanted to explore a new city and to be surprised by the many facets this new experience has to offer you? Or maybe you just wanted to expand your cultural experience? Then you definitely have to visit Budapest.
Last year in the spring, the Hungarian capital surprised me in an unexpected way. In spite of the limited amount of time I had to explore the city, it welcomed me in a very friendly and warm way. I was pleasantly impressed by its historical background, by its magnificent architecture, by its local cuisine, and nonetheless by its inhabitants. I am very happy I had the chance to visit the city of Budapest. While visiting it, I always had the feeling there was still something remarkable for me to discover…And this for me is a wonderful feeling to experience when visiting a new city.
Here are my recommendations for your visit to Budapest:
- St. Stephen’s Basilica: This is the greatest church in Budapest, and it definitely is one of the greatest church buildings I ever saw, except maybe Notre Dame or Sacre Coeur in Paris. An insider tip maybe: if the time allows you to, you could visit the church’s observatory deck and enjoy the magnificent view of the city.
- Chain Bridge: This was the first bridge to connect Buda and Pest, the two parts of the city, which represent very different “characters”. Whereas Buda is the center of museums, Roman ruins and caves, Pest hosts the Hungarian Parliament Building, antique stores, bookstores, and coffee places. My advice to you: just take the time to visit both of the two city parts. The mixture of the two distinct “natures” will astonish you. Concerning the Chain Bridge, well the walk on it takes only a couple of minutes, but the view you get to enjoy really takes your breath away.
- Hungarian Parliament Building: As its name suggests it already, this is the Parliament Building, with an impressive architecture! Yes, it’s worth seeing it and admiring it on a sunny day from the Chain Bridge, as I had the chance to do it.
- Castle Hill: You can reach the Castle Hill directly from the Chain Bridge, either by foot or via the funicular. Along with the wonderful scenery you get to enjoy, you can visit historical places such as: Fishermen’s Bastion, Matthias Church or Trinity Square. Even though we did not have enough time to visit these impressive places, I especially liked the wonderful panoramic view of Budapest from the Castle Hill! I could have enjoyed it for hours…
- Best Gyros or Kebab in Town: Hungarian cuisine has a lot of tasty dishes, that you should definitely try. But I will not list them here, as I think you should discover them yourself 😉 . I guess the Roman, Turkish or Austrian influences remain not only in the architecture, or the mentality, but also in the very enjoyable dishes, which cover a wide range starting with soups and ending with pancakes and other specific desserts. Concerning food, what I personally liked in Budapest were the appetizing gyros or kebabs. There are several stands and restaurants in Budapest, where you can try the gyros or kebabs. I recommend you to try them at least once while in Budapest, they are delicious!
And that is about all at this point. There is nothing else left for me to say, except “Thank you Budapest for being such an unforgettable host for us!” I hope each one of you will enjoy the city of Budapest and will explore its beauties at least as much as I did.
Sincerely yours,
Madalina
