Our flight to Budapest was easy and quick. We used the WizzAir shuttle to drop us off in the city centre and just a 5 minute walk from our Airbnb. We found our Airbnb easily, but our host was not waiting for us. We were 15 minutes late due to our WizzAir shuttle and she had just left! We finally called and she rushed over to let us into the apartment. After that, it was smooth sailing!
We ventured out toward the water and found a little festival along the way. We indulged in some local treats and continued walking toward the Danube. We passed beautiful bridges, the shoe memorial on the Danube, and saw the lovely Parliament building. We moved more toward the city center and found a lovely place to eat dinner. We were even serenaded by a small quartet orchestra! The owner was knowledgable in Hungarian wine and kept it flowing for us throughout the entire dinner! We arranged for a 9 pm drink cruise on the Danube river. It was only 14 Euro per person and we each got 2 drinks. It was beautiful to see the city and river lit up at night! I really recommend doing that one evening in Budapest!
The next day, we started out by crossing the bridge toward the castle on the other side of the river. We explored that area, St. Stephens Church, and had some amazing views of Parliament and the Pest side. From there we, attempted to tour Parliament, however the next English tour was later in the day and we felt that it was better to move along and continue seeing more of the city. From what we have heard, the outside is grander than the inside. We enjoyed some Costa coffee and snacks, toured a church, and walked by the Opera House.
Fisherman's Bastion
View from the Castle
St, Matthias Church- look at that ROOF!
View of Parliament
It was Cocktail time, so we found our first Ruin Pub - Ankert. Ruin Pubs are all over Budapest an random places where bars have been created with crazy decor, themes, and fun atmospheres. Here we enjoyed amazing Burgers and mango cocktails! From there we explored more of the Jewish Quarter and found the next Ruin Pub: Szimpla. This is probably the most exotic and interesting of them all.
We passed the Synagogue and went home to freshen up for Aida at the Opera. This was our big fail of the trip. The website made it seem like Aida was playing in the main Opera House. We were pumped because then we were going to get to see the inside of the Opera House! As we went to be seated the Usher told us we were at the wrong Theater. Talk about freaking out!!!! We tried to get tickets for the current Opera, but they were sold out, so we rushed outside and found a cab. It was a short 5 minute ride, but we were able to make it to Aida after all. FYI Opera is cheap in Budapest and quite good! We enjoyed the show and set out for some cocktails at a few more ruin pubs including: Fogashaz, Szimpla, Grandido, Ellato Kert, and more.
Opera Time!
Margaritas and Tacos!
The last day of our trip we wanted to do a Food Tour. When it's a girls trip, we get to fun things that boys aren't always up for! But I have a feeling Ryan would totally be down to eat all day. We went through the company called Taste Hungary. We met at the Central Market and LOVED our guide. She was super fun and knowledgable about Hungarian wine and cuisine. We walked all over the city, popping into chocolate shops, cafe's, restaurants, and tasted such a variety of meats, cheeses, cakes, coffee, and other traditional dishes. The end of the tour was a small wine tasting that was very nice and relaxing after a long day. It was a great way to end our trip and I would highly recommend spending the 80 Euro to taste all the local cuisine!
Lodging: Airbnb Apartment
Transportation: WizzAir flight from Hahn to Budapest
Guidebooks: Rick Steves' Top things to see in Budapest
Food Tour: Taste Hungary
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