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In the middle of my month-long stay in Germany, I decided I wanted to see as many countries as I could before I left Europe. This led to me planning (which basically involved booking hostels the night before my trips and having a vague idea of the main attractions in the cities I was visiting) a five day trip, during which I visited a different country each day. I purchased a Eurail Global Pass and chose the “5 days within 1 month” option, which cost around 200 euros. Eurail overnight trains require a reservation, and certain daytime trains do too, so I ended up paying an extra 20-30 euros to reserve sleeping accommodations on night trains and 3-4 euros to make a reservation at all. As such, I would definitely look into the prices of booking individual train tickets in comparison to using Eurail for future travels.
Where to Stay
The first stop on my five-countries-in-five-days trip was Budapest. After taking the night train from Munich the night before, I arrived in Budapest at 11 AM to begin my 24 hours in Budapest. I met up with my friend who was backpacking Europe, and we headed to the Adagio Hostel 2.0 Basilica. The hostel offered free tea and coffee all day, had a relaxed vibe, and was clean, but there was a weak sense of community. Thus, I would not recommend it for solo travellers looking to meet new people. However, it was in a relatively central location of the city, and we were located right next to our first attraction, St. Stephen’s Basilica.
St. Stephen’s Basilica
St. Stephen’s Basilica was built in a neoclassical architectural style in 1905 and is a majestic sight with its marble columns, gold elements, and colourful interior. Visitors have the option of taking the elevator or climbing the stairs up to the dome of the church, but we chose to stay at ground level because of the large crowds waiting to go up to the dome.
Chain Bridge
Next, we walked toward the castle district and crossed the Chain Bridge, an iconic bridge separating the former cities of Buda and Pest (the two cities joined to form Budapest in 1873). From the Chain Bridge we were able to get a beautiful view of the Pest side of the city, which holds the Budapest parliament, among many other landmarks.
Castle District
Continuing into Buda, we crossed into the Castle District, which includes the sites of the Royal Palace (or Buda Castle), Matthias Church, and Fisherman’s Bastion. Here, visitors have the option of either taking the Castle Hill Funicular to the castles or taking a 5-10 minute walk up the hill. We decided to walk up the hill as it gave us the opportunity to stop at various lookout points and see the city from different angles. As we were coming down from the hill, we stopped at a food stand and tried the popular Hungarian snack Lángos. It is essentially a piece of fried dough with various toppings – we ordered one with sour cream and cheese. I would highly recommend trying one as it is a fairly cheap, delicious, and filling meal option. The Castle District embodies both the Baroque and Gothic styles in its homes and landmark buildings, and walking around there gave me the feeling of having travelled hundreds of years back in time.
The Baths
After leaving the Castle District, we crossed back into the Pest side and took a stroll along the River Danube. We walked along the path of Budapest’s tram no.2, ranked one of the top 10 most scenic tram rides in the world. On a side note, we happened to be in Budapest on one of the most exciting days – Hungary was playing in the UEFA Championship for the first time since 1972. There was also a game between Germany (my #1 team) and Slovakia that day, which we watched on a big screen at the Széchenyi Turkish Bath (Germany won!). We purchased the general admission ticket for 4300 HUF (roughly 15 USD), which gave us access to the pool and lockers through a wristband. There was also an optional towel rental for 1000 HUF with a 2000 HUF deposit (10 USD altogether). The bath was one of my favourite parts of Budapest (partially due to the game), and I would highly recommend checking it out.
We ended our day by attending a public viewing of the soccer game between Hungary and Belgium. Every restaurant, cafe, bar, and anywhere else with a TV had hoards of people gathered around watching the game. We tried to watch the game in a park with a large screen, but the sheer amount of people there made it impossible to see anything. I’m fairly certain that nearly the entire population of Budapest was outside that night, cheering on their team. I have never been surrounded by the unbelievable amount of excitement and energy shown by the Hungarian people than during that game. Even after Hungary lost to Belgium 0-4, the Hungarian people were in the streets cheering and parading well past 2 AM (the game ended before 11 PM).
Overall, I highly enjoyed the city of Budapest. The people there seemed noticeably more guarded and less inclined to start casual conversation than people in some Western European countries that I’d visited, but this is also a city of people who have overcome many obstacles and defeats in the history of their country. My 24 hours in Budapest gave me the urge to return to this city and spend more time getting to understand the city and locals on a deeper level.
Great read, the area sounds amazing! Lovely photos too ?
Thank you so much! It was a wonderful city 🙂
Budapest looks amazing – I would really like to visit there some day. And thank you for giving your thoughts on the hostel. A sense of community is important when researching where to stay. Hostels are all about meeting people and if it’s lacking, that’s not good!
I definitely agree. It was a little better for me because I was travelling with a friend but if I was travelling alone, community in my hostel would be a top priority. Thanks for your comment!
That basilica is devine! The money spent on religion astounds me but boy are these places nice to look at!
It certainly is astounding! This basilica took 54 years to complete. Given the technology available to the workers when they were building it in the late 1800’s, it’s even more impressive how intricately crafted the church is.
Those photos are breath-taking, I must add this to my bucket list!
Thank you! We’d love to hear about your travels if you end up going!
That turkish bath looks like a great place to watch a game- better than a smoky bar
It was hands down my favorite place that I watched a game all summer. Guests are technically only supposed to stay in the pool in 20 minute increments but our 2 hours worked out alright!
Great photos – the city looks so regal! I can’t wait to visit.
Thanks! I hope you have an absolutely amazing time – let us know how it goes!
You took some wonderful pictures and really captured the essence of Budapest 🙂
Thank you so much! That means a lot 🙂
Budapest looks like an incredible place. I love the patriotism and enthusiasm that surrounds soccer in Europe. The energy is insane! I love it!
I completely agree – I’ve never seen anything like it and I find it fascinating!
I have never been and didn’t know much about Budapest, so thanks for sharing your experiences and tips! Looks like a lovely place with some really interesting history to take in!
Budapest definitely has a very rich history! I’m glad you enjoyed the post, thanks for the comment 🙂
Great photos! I have heard amazing things about Budapest, and this blog post definitely entices me to visit. Great history there too.
Thank you! Glad I was able to shed some light on why Budapest is a must-see
Love Budapest, if you go back you must try some goulash.
I was so sad I didn’t get to but I’ll be back one day to try it!
My favourite city in the world 🙂
So interesting to get in on your ramble through Budapest– we were there and did not go to the Baths– and now wish we had… But also loved the the luscious indoor market stalls, the Art museum (almost exclusively Hungarian art) and sitting in coffee houses over beautiful cakes and tea. Thanks for your fascinating post!!
I haven’t been to Budapest yet but it’s certainly somewhere I would really like to visit. Those baths keep calling my name!
I really want to visit Budapest! The architecture is stunning! Those Turkish baths look very inviting.