Leaving Vienna at 12:42pm we arrived at Budapest-Keleti station at 3:25pm (booked via Trainline).

As we were spending 4 nights and 5 full days, the 72 hour ticket wasn’t quite enough but you can get the 15 day pass for only an extra 400ft. For a total of 5950ft pp (around 15 euros) that was already cheaper than Vienna and because my dad was now 65, all his transport was free.

Using Google, we were directed to a trolley bus from the train station straight to our hotel the Radisson Blu Beke Hotel located just down the road from Nyugati train station. It is a beautiful hotel and turned out to be in the perfect location again. We were a 10 minute walk from Westend Mall and the 4-6 line with connections to the Parliament building in one direction. In the other direction, we were a 5/6 minute walk from Oktogon station where there was an abundance of restaurants and bars in addition to the House of Terror museum.

The tourist area of Budapest is much bigger than that of Vienna so it was nice to have an extra day to explore. Over the four days we visited Fisherman’s Bastion with stunning views over the city.

We walked across Margaret Bridge with views down the river.

We headed down to the Parliament Building which is such an iconic building in Budapest. The architecture is so intricate, with Fisherman’s Bastion as a backdrop and simply a lovely place to explore with plenty of cafes.

From the Parliament building, you can walk along the river to the Shoes on the Danube River, a memorial erected to remember the Jewish people who were massacred during the second world war. It is a moving tribute for such a tragic event made even more poignant with the yellow ribbons for Palestine wrapped around them.

Further down the river we reached Chain Bridge, staying on the Pest side, where we had a chimney cake at Punto Gelato Basilica before heading up to St. Stephen’s Basilica.

As the sun goes down, the most important landmarks of Budapest become engulfed in light creating a magical view down the river- definitely something that cannot be missed.

On the last full day we visited the House of Terror, which is a museum that covers the two darkest periods of Hungary’s modern history under the Nazi and Communist rulings. Similar to Vietnam, which also found itself under multiple occupations, it was both shocking and humbling to learn what the Hungarian people endured during both World Wars and the aftermath until 1991 when they finally gained their independence. From this museum I not only learned that the Hungarian people are resilient but also forgiving. It would be so easy to be bitter and hostile about the wrongs they have endured and yet there is no sense of that, the past is the past.

I have been to a number of museums during my time and I have to say that this is amongst the best. All four of us easily spent two hours moving our way through this museum and it sparked some great discussion once we regrouped at the end. This is definitely a museum you do not want to miss on a trip to Budapest.

We had heard great things about Budapest and I was pleased to see that it lived up to the hype. It is Vienna’s slightly less polished sibling but with a much bigger personality and a lot more charm. Your money goes a lot further here, there is more to see and do and the vibe is much more relaxed and fun than Vienna’s reserved, elegant atmosphere.

There is something to see on every corner including this memorial for those killed during WWI and even their very own Walk of Fame:

After 4 nights it was time to head home and we did not cover everything Budapest has to offer. We never made it around the the Buda Palace complex and there were plenty museums left to explore but we’re not sad about it. There is no denying that the August heat can be intense and it leaves us with an excuse to come back some day.

For now we are preparing to go back to work but it has been a magical summer starting with Wales and Greece in June. A lot of fun in Sweden with friends including watching P!NK in concert and finishing with our trip to Vienna and Budapest. We feel very fortunate.

Until the next adventure…

SP x