Postcard from Budapest

Budapest was somewhere I’d wanted to visit since… well for a very long time. When my friend and I first discussed options for our interrailing trip through central/eastern Europe, Budapest (along with Slovenia) was right at the top of my ‘must-visit’ list. Hopefully this postcard from Budapest will give you some idea why.

Hungarian Parliament Building

The Hungarian Parliament building in Budapest is the prettiest Parliament building I’ve ever seen. It hosts daily tours in various languages but sadly, due to time restrictions I never managed to fit in a tour.

Buda Castle

And as for Buda Castle. It’s quite simply stunning.

Castle District

I spent a full day exploring Budapest’s Castle District. There’s just so much to do up there.

I started by exploring the Castle Grounds before watching the impressive Changing of the Guards in front of the Hungarian Presidential Palace.

The Labyrinth of Buda Castle

I then ventured underground into the Labyrinth of Buda Castle.

I mentioned in my recent postcard from Prague that I love exploring underground nooks and crannies. Although I did enjoy exploring the Labyrinth, it wasn’t a particularly authentic experience – it has definitely been commercialised for tourist purposes. That said, the Dracula section was good fun, a little bit spooky and I learned the difference between Dracula fact and Dracula myth.

Hospital in the Rock

In keeping with the underground theme, I spent a fantastically interesting hour or so exploring Hospital in the Rock.

The hospital was built in the caverns under Buda Castle in the 1930’s in preparation for the Second World War. As a hospital it was mostly used during a siege on Budapest between 1944 and 1945 when it provided care for the wounded and processed the dead. It was used again in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution and thereafter was re-purposed as a nuclear bunker for doctors and nurses. Thankfully it was never used as a nuclear bunker though.

The hospital has since been developed into a museum with access limited to guided tours (which is good because it’d be so easy to get lost down there).

House of Terror

The House of Terror is a museum dedicated to the victims of the Nazi and the Soviet-backed Communist regimes. Located in the former headquarters of the Communist Secret Police, it tells a comprehensive story of fascism and communism.

Visiting the museum was a gut-wrenching experience but also an inspiring one as it taught me about the resilience of the Hungarian people.

The story ends in the cellar of the building, where many Hungarians were interrogated, tortured and killed. To reach the cellar, you have to take a very slow and sombre elevator ride down beneath street level. During the elevator ride, a video of a Communist Official is played. He describes, in sickening detail, how prisoners were prepared for the gallows.

The House of Terror is a museum that is explicit and thought provoking. I’d say it’s not for the faint-hearted, but it’s definitely worth visiting. It provides an interesting and emotional history lesson that asks us to think about, and learn, from the mistakes of the past.

Shoes on the Danube

The Shoes on the Danube is an incredibly moving memorial to the Jews who were killed on the banks of the Danube during World War 2. The victims were forced to remove their shoes before being shot, their bodies falling into the river. The memorial represents the shoes that were left behind.

Budapest’s Bridges

The Danube River is approximately 1777 miles long, and runs right through Budapest, separating the cities of Buda and Pest. It’s no surprise then, that there are plenty of bridges in Hungary’s capital city. These are a couple of the most well known.

Chain Bridge

The Chain Bridge is an impressive suspension bridge designed by an English engineer, William Tierney Clark, and built by a Scottish Engineer, Adam Clark. It’s anchored near the Gresham Palace and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on the Pest side of the Danube. On the Buda side it’s anchored next to the aptly named Clark Adam Square where you’ll find the Zero Kilometre Stone at the bottom of the Castle Hill Funicular.

Liberty Bridge

The Liberty Bridge is the shortest bridge in Budapest. It was blown up in January 1945 during the Second World War (as was every other bridge in Budapest) but was the first bridge to be reconstructed, opening again in August 1946. It starts at Budapest’s Market Hall on the Pest side and ends at the bottom of Gellert Hill (next to Gellert Baths) on the Buda side.

Gellert Hill

The climb up Gellert Hill to The Citadel and Liberty Monument took around 30 minutes. I stopped around half way up at the Saint Bishop Monument before continuing to the lookout to see beautiful Budapest from above. From there (after stopping to catch my breath, and sampling a Hungarian Chimney Cone) I sauntered up to The Citadel before finally getting up close and personal with the Liberty Monument.

Chimney Cones

Chimney Cones are delicious! Just don’t wear light coloured jeans if you eat a Chimney Cone filled with chocolate ice cream. I was wearing pink jeans, and lets just say my jeans didn’t survive.

Gellert Baths

Is a visit to Budapest really a visit to Budapest without a visit to a thermal bath? I think not. Even a thunderstorm and torrential rain didn’t deter us from relaxing nervously sitting in an outside bath at Gellert Spa and Baths.

I read somewhere that bathing in Gellert Baths is like bathing in a Cathedral. I would agree! From the outside and the inside the building is magnificent.

As well as 10 pools (indoor and outdoor) of varying sizes and temperatures, Gellert Spa and Baths offers guests a variety of massages and other treatments. There’s a sauna, a steam room and a (freezing) cold water barrel for those who are brave enough (I dipped a toe in).

Oh, and I loved the fact that one of the outdoor baths has a wave machine. A wave pool is probably not traditional, but definitely is a whole lot of fun.

I Love Budapest

As predicted, I absolutely adored Budapest and I’ll definitely return.

But, after 3 amazing days, it was time to move on… to Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital city.

For more, check out my interrailing adventure video highlights.