3 days in Budapest

Unfortunately, our train arrives a little late, around 12 noon. As rain is forecast for the whole day, we first head for the Gellert Baths, one of Budapest's famous theme baths. We drop our suitcases off at our accommodation on the way there, as we cannot move in until late afternoon. Here we relax in the pools, which are up to 40 degrees hot, after the night's train journey.

Relaxed and warmed up, we then move into our accommodation before heading to Heroes' Square with its 36-metre-high Millennium Monument. Slowly hunger makes itself felt, so we start walking home to choose a restaurant on the way. After a few restaurants that are already full, we finally eat a very tasty goulash at Ez Az Bisztró.

Before we go home we make our way to the Rumpus Tiki Bar. There is already a long queue at the entrance, according to the doorman about 20 minutes waiting time. But the bouncer had a talent for entertaining the whole queue, so the waiting time of almost 30 minutes flew by. The wait was definitely worth it, the cocktails are great and the presentation is probably unique.

After our cocktail, we make our way home, and happen to stumble into the Gozsdu Höfe, one of Budapest's party streets. Here we get stuck in one of the countless karaoke bars called Blue Bird Karaoke Rooms . After some amazingly well-sung songs by the audience, we finally make our way home to our accommodation.

After sleeping in, we start the day right in front of our accommodation with Váci Street. Váci utca is Budapest's oldest commercial street and is today considered the city's most famous promenade. Here we browse a bit through the shops and head towards the large market hall. Besides the architecture, you can also find various traders selling peppers, fresh fruit, vegetables and more. On the upper floor there are also some souvenir shops and snack bars.

After we have finished exploring the market hall, we make our way to a nearby langos restaurant, which we had seen earlier in Váci Street , to have lunch there.

After lunch, we stroll across the Freedom Bridge and enjoy the view over the Danube before heading to the City Park.

When we arrive at the City Park, we first head for the Széchenyi Spa, one of the largest spas in Hungary. Unfortunately, we didn't take our bathing suits with us, otherwise we probably would have stopped here. We then stroll through the town woods to Vajdahunyad Castle and marvel at the building complex with its pointed towers, gables and battlements.

A little exhausted from the walk, we get on the Metro 1 and ride to Vörösmarty tér. From there we walk to tram line 2, which runs directly along the banks of the Danube. It takes us to the parliament building. We stroll around the building and admire the neo-gothic style of the building.

It is slowly evening and we make our way to the Street Food Karavan, a collection of different food trucks. Here you can find the most diverse delicacies, from Hungarian to international dishes. Full, we make our way to the ruin bar Szimpla Kert, right next door. There are nine bars on the lower and two upper floors of the dilapidated building. The decoration and atmosphere are unique, you feel like you're in a film. We have a beer there (for about 1.50€) and then make our way home. We make a stop at the Blue Bird Karaoke Rooms, where the music selection is not as good as yesterday, but the atmosphere is still great.

As we are unfortunately leaving again this evening, we first make our way to Budapest Keleti railway station to deposit our luggage there. The lockers here cost 1500 HUF, about 3.96€ for 24 hours.

Then we make our way to the Buda side of Budapest. On the way we stop at the shoes on the Danube bank. These were erected in memory of the mass shootings of Hungarian Jews on the banks of the Danube.

Then we take the bus from there to the Fishermen's Bastion. Here we can enjoy a magnificent view over the Danube and the Pest side of Budapest. Most parts can be visited for free. For some of the higher towers there is a small entrance fee of 1000 HUF (about 3,40€). Tickets can be bought from a ticket machine or online.

After we have finished exploring the grounds, we make our way to the Castle Palace, the largest building in Hungary. Here, too, an extraordinary view awaits us. After exploring the grounds for a while, we start to feel hungry. As the castle district is rather touristy, we walk downstairs and eat something in the hummus bar.

Strengthened, we make our way to the Statue of Liberty. The 40m high statue was erected in 1947 in honour of the soldiers who liberated the country in World War II. After a 20-minute walk we reach the statue. Already on the way we have brilliant views of Budapest. Unfortunately, the surrounding railing of the statue was fenced off - probably due to construction work. But with a little effort we could still enjoy the view from the platform.

Slowly, the day draws to a close, so we make our way down. We walk back over the Freedom Bridge and stroll through Váci Street for an ice cream. Before heading home, we want to fortify ourselves with typical Hungarian cuisine. Therefore we go to the Drum Café. Here we eat excellent paprikash and langos.

As we still have some time left, we walk to the train station and say goodbye to Budapest.