What to do in Budapest in winter. Winter holidays in Budapest: how to get to know the city in three days? To Budapest from Ukraine

This winter, I promised myself that I would definitely go somewhere, otherwise how long can you sit at home in old pajamas and just dream? My choice fell on Budapest - the capital of Hungary. Why? Firstly, because the city is very beautiful, but from a tourist point of view, much less promoted than Prague and Vienna, but no worse. Secondly, it's not far to go. Thirdly, it is much cheaper than the same Prague or Vienna, since prices in Budapest very acceptable (both for food, and for accommodation, and for entertainment).

But, since my husband is a busy man and we have not yet decided on the date of the trip, I decided for the time being to draw up an approximate travel plan for myself and at the same time calculate the total budget.

Hotel

Relatively inexpensive (in relation to more popular European neighbors). If you book a hotel in advance, you can find a double room for $15 per day. If spontaneously, then prices start at $26 per day and above. Sometimes, trying to save money, we book a hotel on the outskirts of the city, where prices are usually much cheaper, but if you are without a car, then this is not entirely profitable, since transport in Europe is not cheap. Speaking of Budapest, it is best to choose a hotel on the embankment of Pest or Buda, as there is a good transport interchange and it is easy to get to any place you choose on the map.

Who knows what Hungarian cuisine is, he can not worry about being hungry, because food in Budapest very tasty. Since my husband and I are going to Budapest to see the city, and not to gourmet in restaurants, it makes no sense to compile some tops of the best and incredibly expensive establishments, and even more so on the Internet there are a lot of them. Just a few facts: there is delicious street food, so you can always have a bite to eat somewhere while walking around the city; it is best to have lunch and dinner in restaurants of Hungarian cuisine, as it is cheap and very large portions, you can take one for two and eat until you drop for 10 euros.

What to do in Budapest?

Particularly interesting. If you are going there, before Catholic Christmas, then you should definitely visit the Christmas Market, this is something incredible, we have already written more about this. If you are traveling after the New Year, then you can go shopping perfectly, because sales in Europe at this time are a whole direction of tourism.

Well, now let's talk about. Personally, I don’t like to run around the city, buried in a map in search of something incredible and take pictures against everything that comes across along the way, so that later I have something to show off. I like to calmly walk the streets, enjoying the atmosphere and look at interesting places along the way. But, you also need to know where these interesting places meet.

In principle, visiting more than two or three places a day is unrealistic and uninteresting, because otherwise, the tour will turn into a forced march. Since we are going to go for three days, I made myself an approximate list of must see places for every day.

Day 1. History

Let's start with history and the first place to go is this. If we compare its building with all other parliaments of Europe, then it will turn out to be the most beautiful, and not only from the outside, but also inside, where for 10 years the attributes of royal power have been put on public display. In general, 2-3 hours of your life can be devoted entirely to this place.

From there, by tram along the Danube embankment, which is an excursion in itself, you can go to Buda Castle). If you are a history lover, then you can stay here for a very, very long time, as there is a whole range of attractions: this is the Royal Palace with many museums that tell about the life of monarchs, and Church of St. Matthias And fishermen's bastion, and a whole complex of caves with stalactites. In general, from there you can safely go to the hotel to sleep and recuperate.

Day 2. Getting to know the city

This day can be devoted to walking and getting to know the city better, and you can do this in a place like, which is boldly called the "Champs Elysees" of Budapest, since this is its main and oldest street.

You can also spend the whole day here, as the sights are at every step: the Hungarian State Opera House, the Postal Museum, the Terror Museum, the Palace of Arts, Heroes' Square, boutiques, shops, cafes and much, much more. And if you still have the strength, then you can spend it on shopping. And it’s best to go to the building built at the end of the 19th century and attracting tourists in itself, but inside there are thousands of shops that offer their visitors everything and even more: sausages, wines, foie gras, souvenirs and all sorts of cute knick-knacks. On the top floor there are small cafes, from where you can calmly watch the life raging below and sum up another wonderful day.

Day 3. Thermal pools

But on the last day you can arrange a rest for yourself, because it is not for nothing that Budapest is called the resort capital of the world. There are not so many thermal springs with healing properties in any capital of the world. In Budapest, there is a world-famous medical, which is also located near the city center. Entrance ticket for one adult - about $20. But, it should be noted that the thermal pools are open until 7 pm. After visiting the pools, it is best to go to some cozy Hungarian cafe and celebrate the end of a 3-day trip, because after the thermal pools there will hardly be strength for more.

Well, or you can visit one of the huge department stores and buy yourself something on sale (the largest department stores are the West End and Arena Plaza), or take a walk along the Danube in the evening, or go to to admire the evening city. In general, no matter what you choose, this trip will still be unforgettable, because Budapest is a very beautiful city with centuries of history.

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In the winter, before Catholic Christmas, on our way to fabulous Prague, we also stopped by Budapest.
Budapest is the capital of Hungary, and, according to travelers, is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Let's check if this is the case 🙂

Flight to Budapest

We were lucky: we managed to find tickets to Budapest for our dates at really low prices. As always, we booked tickets on the Aviasales website - a convenient interface, you can subscribe to the mailing list about price changes. The most important thing is that you can immediately see what luggage is included in the price. If you are flying with a low-cost airline, this is important 🙂

We took off from Larnaca on an evening flight with Wizz Air. It is worth paying attention to Wizz Air's hand luggage requirements in advance. and print your boarding pass, as excess baggage and ticket printing at the airport cost a decent amount of money. There is no food on board.

Airport transfer to Budapest

How to get from Budapest airport to city center? From Franz Liszt International Airport (Ferihegy Airport) you can get to Budapest by bus, taxi or choose a group shuttle transfer

We arrived in Budapest closer to the night, and the booked hotel is located in the center of Budapest. So we pre-booked and paid group transfer from Budapest airport to the city center.

How to book an airport transfer to Budapest?
Transfer from Budapest Airport to the hotel is easy to book.

• On the MiniBud website, you need to select the date and flight, as well as your hotel in Budapest. For us, the cost for two was 4900 forints.
• Upon arrival, go to the MiniBud counter, show the printed confirmation, in return you will be given a boarding pass.
• Next, you are looking for a bus :)
  This is the fun part! Once every 5-10 minutes, a driver runs into the waiting room and collects customers according to the list. Each bus goes in a certain direction, that is, each driver goes to a specific area of ​​the city. We waited for almost half an hour: a driver approached us, who had our hotel on the list. The journey from Budapest Airport to the city center takes about 20 minutes.

How to find a hotel in Budapest

Budapest is a favorite of tourists of all ages and nationalities. There are a lot of hotels for every taste and budget in the city. We liked the Thai-style hotel 🙂 Why not?

Andrassy Thai Hotel located next to the Basilica of St. Stephen on Andrássy Avenue:

What is absolutely incredible - the Andrassy Thai Hotel occupies part of the building of the palace of the XIX century! The walls are filled with history. Some rooms are decorated in Thai style, some in Hungarian style. I can unequivocally say that we did not fail with the choice of a hotel in Budapest. Cool place!

On the first morning in Hungary, a free sightseeing tour of Budapest was scheduled.

Free winter tour of Budapest

Did you know that in many cities around the world you can book a free city tour?

Free tour format we fell in love with . Such excursions pay off with donations at the end of the excursion. When everyone leaves how much money they want, if they want at all. Guides are interested in the success of the business, so the tours are usually fun and interesting. Free tours are almost always walking tours.

For some reason, this format does not attract Russian-speaking tourists - for three excursions we have never seen compatriots. As a rule, British, Americans, Canadians, Asians sign up for free tours. Tours are in English.
Our tour was led by a cheerful Hungarian Angie 🙂

Angie took us through the sights of winter Budapest. We started from the waterfront.

Tram route number 2 goes through the most touristic places in Pest - from the Parliament and along the Danube embankment to the central market and beyond. They say that on Christmas the tram is somehow specially decorated, but we didn’t see anything like that. A tram is like a tram.

Bronze statue on the Danube embankment in Budapest. And no, this is not a clown boy, as you might think, but a princess girl (Kiskirálylány) 🙂

In general, the Hungarian language (or Magyar) is just tin. It is unlike anything else: continuous hissing abrupt sounds. Langosh, Goulash, Paprikash, Kyoosyonyoom, Indulaash, Shegichen and thousands more terrible and incomprehensible words...
The guide told us that there is a version about the Asian origin of the language and taught us a few words in Hungarian.

We make our way through the Christmas market at the Basilica of St. Stephen:

From everywhere comes the smell of fried sausages and mulled wine, Christmas songs. Outside on December 23rd. So many Christmas songs, as in Budapest and Prague these days, we have not heard anywhere else.

Hungarians are very fond of unusual sculptures - they can be found all over Budapest.

As in many countries of Eastern Europe, in the 20th century, communists left a legacy in Hungary. In addition to various things that led to hostility to this regime today, the communists gave the Hungarians a dish of langos - a flatbread with garlic and sour cream sauce. True, Wikipedia says that langos came to Hungarian cuisine from the Turks 🙂

And here is another example of Hungarian street food with an unpronounceable name. Among neighboring Czechs, such a tube is called a trdelnik.

Going chain bridge, we find ourselves on the side of Buda, at zero kilometer and funicular.
Funicular queue:

Climbing the mountain to the Royal Palace of Budapest will take about two minutes, but the line to the funicular takes about 10 minutes.
View from the Royal Palace to the Danube, Sechensky (Chain) bridge and Pest:

On the left is the building of the Hungarian Parliament, lost in the fog on this winter day.

In fact, this kind of weather is quite typical for Budapest in winter. Above zero, but dank and humid, cloudy, no sun. In December-January in Budapest, almost all days are like this. Bright sunny days in Budapest in winter are rare.

From here we moved on to our next point in Budapest, Fishermen's Bastion. From the hill along the road you can see one of the fashionable quarters of Budapest. Angie said that ordinary people in Budapest call the rich residents of this area lucky bastards 🙂

Church of St. Matthias, located on the Buda Hill next to the Fisherman's Bastion:

The white church was built in the Gothic style.

Fisherman's bastion and seven conical towers, which symbolize the seven tribes that founded the Hungarian state:

And again the Hungarian parliament, floating in the winter fog:

🔥 So, link to a free tour of Budapest! 🔥
You can book a free tour of the city on this website.

From the Széchenyi bridge, you can walk to the main market of Budapest in 20 minutes. It's simple: pass two bridges to the south and you are there. On the way, it is worth taking a walk along the Vaci pedestrian street.

It is located in a building that looks like a train station. There was no authentic or Christmas atmosphere, just a noisy indoor market.
On the ground floor, shopping malls with products:

A lot of rows with fresh meat. The sight is not for the faint of heart. Either a dead pig will be dumped on the counter, or a flayed goat's head with dark glasses pulled on to attract attention. A couple of photos:

In one of the guides, preparing for a trip to Budapest, I read that “in the central market of Budapest, you can eat just walking from stall to stall” and tasting all sorts of goodies. So, this is not true 🙂 You won’t be given anything to try in the Budapest market, and there’s really nothing to try. In addition to stalls with frozen meat, the market has fruit stalls, paprika products (all in packages), a couple of bakery stalls (buns and pies). There are also sausage counters, here you can try a slice of sausage, but they are unlikely to get enough to eat.
On the second floor of the market in Budapest - souvenirs and a food court.

Tip: there is no point in going to the Budapest market. Eat somewhere else. Prices in the Budapest market are high, but there is nowhere to sit down: you have to eat while standing in front of people scurrying back and forth. We bought two goulash, a small bottle of water and a fried sausage with paprika, and it cost us about 25 euros. For this money in Budapest, you could have a tasty and tolerable lunch even on the tourist Vaci Street, in a warm cafe with Wi-Fi and comfortable chairs, and not in a cold market 🙂
All in all, Budapest's central market was a waste of time.

It is better to have a bite somewhere on the streets of Budapest. Fortunately, there are many interesting establishments in the city 🙂 I wanted to go to the Icebar, but we were too cold to sit on ice chairs.

From the market we head to the Hungarian Parliament. Both of these places are located on the Pest embankment, which means that you can get there by tram number 2.
Buying a ticket:

Hungarian parliament building(in Hungarian Országház) is the hallmark of Budapest. This is the same huge white neo-Gothic building with a crimson roof that looks at you from all the postcards.

Near the parliament building in Budapest there is another monument, unusual and sad.

This shoes on the Danube- Monument to the victims of the Holocaust. Budapest had one of the largest Jewish communities, which suffered greatly during the Nazi occupation in 1944-1945. At this place, on the banks of the Danube, the Nazis shot the unfortunate. They put several dozen people in a row, forced them to take off their shoes (a scarce product, the shoes were then sold or for the needs of the Nazis themselves), fettered people with one chain and shot a bullet at one of them. A man fell into the water, dragging the others with him ...

From the embankment we went to the hotel, as we were pretty cold. On the way, we again looked at the fair at the Basilica of St. Stephen. Evening lights are already lit here:

In general, our itinerary in Budapest that day looked like this:

By the way, on the streets of Budapest, especially in the central part, there are a lot of homeless people and beggars. At night they sleep right on the sidewalks. They can come up and pull on clothes.

After walking around the winter Budapest, it's time to go to the baths for which this city is famous. Let's go to the famous Széchenyi baths.

The Széchenyi Baths in Budapest are beautiful and old, open until 22 and have outdoor pools with hot water. You must have seen them in photos when you were planning a trip to Budapest.

We came to the baths at 7 pm (it was Friday) and bought an evening ticket with a separate booth, one for two. The cost of visiting the Széchenyi baths in total was about 10,000 forints for two.
The schedule of the Széchenyi baths and the cost of visiting can be checked on the official website of the baths.

The Szechenyi Baths in Budapest are located at the Hősök tere metro station next to the zoo. When approaching the baths, you notice billowing clouds of steam from behind the building:

Having changed, the first thing we did was to explore the outdoor pools of the Széchenyi baths.
There are three of them: with warm water and centrifugal flow, a pool with hot water (38 degrees) and a swimming pool.

Széchenyi baths in winter- it's extraordinary! Take the time to visit them if you find yourself in Budapest.

You sit in hot water, and steam swirls around you. In the fog, silhouettes of people around 🙂 It seems to be warm, but the top of the head is cold. After serving the prescribed number of minutes (each pool has a sign with recommendations for visiting), you need to get out into the cold, put your feet in icy wet slippers and quickly run to the next pool or inside the bath.
The stones around the pool are icy and slippery, you have to be careful. If you want to visit the outdoor pools of Széchenyi in winter, try not to catch a cold.

💙 To visit the Sechensky baths in Budapest you will need: swimsuit, slippers and towel. Can be bought or rented. We took towels from the hotel and disposable hotel slippers. Of course, plastic slippers are more convenient. The cap is only needed for the swimming pool. At the swimming pool in the booth, an employee looks after the vacationers.

💙 Which cabin to take? When visiting the Széchenyi baths, you can take a private cabin. We paid for one private cabin for two and changed there in turn. They did not take valuable things (camera, etc.). The cabin closes with an electronic bracelet like in a water park. We left towels in the cabin. Some took towels and a bathrobe with them and wrapped themselves in them when running from one pool to another. But keep in mind that terry things get wet quickly and become icy in winter, so the towel in this case will be disposable 🙂 They won’t be able to wipe themselves off.

💙 Money and payment. You pay for the changing cabin along with the ticket. With the help of a bracelet in the Széchenyi baths, you cannot pay, as, for example, in water parks. It serves only to close the cabin. The outdoor pools have a buffet, and you will have to go back to the locker room for money.

In the interior of the Széchenyi baths, we liked a large sauna, a pool with ice water to plunge after the sauna, as if into an ice hole, and also slides of snow inside for rubbing. Very good!
Sauna worked after 7 pm.
The water in the Széchenyi baths comes from thermal springs over 1200 meters deep!

The next morning we were scheduled to leave for Prague.

Report on a trip to Prague in winter:

If you have any questions about a free free tour in Budapest or about visiting the Széchenyi baths, ask them in the comments below.

Budapest in winter is just a magical city. Remember the illustrations for the fairy tale "The Snow Queen"? Narrow streets covered with snow, ancient Gothic buildings, a real cobblestone road… yes, you found yourself in a winter fairy tale called Budapest.

Sometimes travelers wonder what to do in the Hungarian capital in winter? But if you know the places, then you can spend the most unforgettable vacation week of your life, because Budapest is one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe.

Just keep in mind that for a full acquaintance with Budapest, you need at least 7 days, because the beauty of this city is truly immense.

Photo: view of the Danube and the Hungarian Parliament

No wonder Budapest is called a resort city. In winter, we will definitely visit the baths, of which there are as many as 27 in the city, 13 of them are therapeutic. The most beautiful healing bath in the city is Gellert. This is a truly amazing complex, and although visiting it is a bit pricey, the pleasure is worth it! Imagine, in the bath there are 13 pools, all kinds of spa treatments, massages, baths and saunas, and on the roof there is even a terrace for those who like to sunbathe naked.

The locals are not looking for the exotic and prefer to visit the less expensive Széchenyi bath, which is the largest healing bath in Europe. And its water is provided by the hottest source of thermal water - the source of St. Stephen. This water at a temperature of 70C has healing properties in relation to the spine and joints, neuralgia, and also strengthens the skeletal system. Bought? And now let's drink this magical water, which is good for diseases of the digestive tract, gallbladder, respiratory tract, and also normalizes metabolism.

Ideally, devote a whole day to taking care of yourself in the bath, and even this time will seem to be not enough for you.

Well, do you want to eat after swimming? Did you know that Hungarian cuisine is considered one of the best in the world? Moreover, even the most modest bars and cafes are distinguished by the high quality of the dishes served. And the prices - the prices will please you very, very much, because Budapest ranks 10th in the world as the most attractive city for tourist shopping. At the same time, it was noted that not only the prices of branded goods are good in the capital, but also the cost and quality of food.

So as soon as we got cold during the walk, we quickly run into any warm, cozy cafe, of which there are a great many in the city. And what will we eat, you know? Well, of course, first of all we will try hot spicy Hungarian goulash - the main national dish. And let's drink this case with the world-famous Tokay ace. This is really an unusual wine in taste and aroma, which simply has no equal. By the way, Tokay asu, as well as Unicum (medical bitter herbal tincture) are considered must-have gastronomic “souvenirs”. We will also take home the most tender goose liver and marzipans - the famous sweets of Hungary. And don't forget to indulge in chic Sacher or Esterhazy cakes for dessert....or both!

In good weather, which is not uncommon in winter Budapest, be sure to set aside one day for a walk around the city center. See what beautiful bridges connect the two parts of the city: Buda and Pest. Historically, Buda is a quieter sleeping area, and Pest is the business center of the city, which we are now walking around. Here is the famous Chain Bridge, through which you can go to Buda, and then take the funicular to the Royal Palace - a stunningly beautiful architectural monument. In general, the buildings of Budapest amaze with their archaic beauty .... it feels like each of them is a monument and keeps historical secrets.

By the way, a 5-minute walk from the Royal Palace is the stunning beauty of the Manyash Church, and then the Fisherman's Bastion. Just look at the amazing view from here to the whole of Pest! If there is snow - so generally a fairy tale.

Great if you got to Budapest before Christmas. The city at night is colored with billions of multi-colored lanterns, filled with noise and din, and this festive turmoil seems to return us to a happy childhood. New Year's Budapest is simply fantastically beautiful!!! On December 31, Hungarians gather in unison at the Heroes' Square (which we will also definitely visit), where music plays, artists perform, fireworks thunder, everyone starts blowing special pipes, drinking champagne and shouting “Buek!”, “Happy New Year!” that is.

In winter, when you don’t really walk up, it’s worth admiring the masterpieces of architecture not only from the outside, but also from the inside. Therefore, we go to the Opera House. By the way, although the Budapest opera is not as famous as the Vienna one, it is no less good.

Further, the cultural program of winter Budapest includes visits to such attractions as the Hungarian National Gallery, the Museum of Applied Arts. The older generation will be extremely interested in visiting Memento Park. There are monuments from 1950-1990 - the socialist period.

And, finally, we will certainly visit the outdoor skating rink in the Varoshliget park, where both old and young skate to classical music every day until late in the evening.

Target: spend a vacation in Europe, but not expensive (no euro); see Parliament.

Travel time: February 1-13, 2015. We did not regret that we went in winter - the weather was good, the grass was green, there were many sunny days.

Flight cost : very cheap if you take it in advance (16,738 rubles for two round-trip) with wizz air - a cheap airline where you have to pay extra for everything (luggage, large hand luggage, etc.).

Accommodation: for 12 days 17100 rub. (1175 rubles per day plus site fee). The apartment is booked on airbnb - the site has been checked more than once, the apartment has reviews. Choosing, we noticed that it is fashionable for them to have a bed on the second level - under the ceiling. We decided to see what it's like. We also looked at the presence of wireless Internet (to communicate with the house, plan routes for the next day) and seating in addition to the bed. We took an apartment closer to the center, but it turned out that the terrain was also important. The city is located on the river and one of the banks (Buda) is high - we took an apartment there, and it turned out that we often went uphill, which could have been avoided if we had taken an apartment in the lower part of the city (Pest).

Honey. insurance: 1321 r. for two in Tinkoff. They took it online and just printed out the papers - it came up for a visa.

Visa: 35 euros per person plus 2600 rubles. for the visa service fee. I had to go to Moscow. All documents can be given by one relative, but the original (and a copy) of the document of kinship (marriage certificate) is required.
Pre-purchased a three-day card Budapest map (Budapest card, 4074 r. for two) [hereinafter referred to as “card"] - when buying online, there was a discount on it. Unfortunately, there are few places with free access to it, mostly small discounts, but for the sake of free travel it’s very good to take it (although there is a travel card and separately).

Car rental: 8500 r. for 4 days plus 35.56 euros for driving on motorways (toll roads). 900 euros were blocked for the duration of the lease, but returned on time. The car was booked in Enterprise. There are also local car rental companies there, but they have very negative reviews (eg they take extra money for minor scratches). Gasoline cost at that time 85 rubles. liter and 1200 km. we spent about 7000 r.
Business lunches - about 300 rubles. The average check per person when ordering local cuisine and alcohol is 1000 - 1500 rubles.
In the end, it didn't come cheap. Tickets to museums and excursions - from 500 rubles.
But we were very pleased, because Budapest is a beautiful European city, with good weather, helpful people who speak English. And plus a great bonus - THERMAL SPRINGS.

There is a free tour in Budapest however, in English. More:http://www.triptobudapest.hu/v2/tours/the-original-tour/ . Recommended to go! We learned a lot about the history of the city and the country, and also got our bearings in the city. At the end of the tour, the guide asks if we would like to give some money. The tour guides are excellent, so you can give. There are two separate free tours on the map - in Buda and Pest.

Public transport website - set the addresses of the place of departure and arrival and the route is drawn on the map indicating the transport, final and intermediate stops:http://www.bkk.hu/en/timetables/ . The cost of 1 journey is 80 rubles. But all the main attractions are within walking distance - we recommend walking. For trips, it is better to take travel cards for a day or a couple of days.

Briefly about the sights and our impressions about them:

1. Fisherman's Bastion - very beautiful building and SUPER view of the city day and night!


2. Historical Museum - free with a map, nothing special, but the palace in Buda, in which this museum is located, is worth a stroll.


3. Hungarian National Gallery A must for art lovers! Located in the same palace as the Historical Museum in Buda.


4. Matthias Cathedral - the outside is very beautiful, inside were not.


5. labyrinth - it's worth going, but take a flashlight!


6. Funicular - expensive and no discount card.


7. Parliament - there are 2 daily excursions in Russian - worth going, although expensive - 1000 rubles. from a person.


8. St. Stephen's Basilica - Worth a visit, a walk, a look. We also went to an organ concert - nothing special.


9. Opera theatre - you can go inside and see how beautiful it is for free.


10. Great synagogue - we entered the territory for free, looked in, but did not go inside - there is a fee.


11. Adrasi street - You can take a walk.


12. Miniversum (model mini railway and towns "from Hungary to Austria") - we really liked it, it is interesting for both adults and children


13. House of Terror - we were not touched, and without an audio guide (for an additional fee) there is nothing to do there - there are very few worthwhile exhibits.


14. Heroes Square - it is interesting, if with a history and explanation (on a map tour they take them there, they tell).


15. Varoshliget - beauty! Inside the Museum of Agriculture - the entrance is expensive.


16. Grave of Gul Baba - a kind of building, and around very picturesque residential quarters. You can look there on the way to the St. Lucas bath, which is free with a card.


17. margarita island Nothing special, not worth your time.


18. Mount Gellert - stunning views, but you should not go to the Citadel on it. It is worth climbing the mountain only if you have extra time.


19. Cave Church in Mount Gellert - funny, but expensive.


20. statue park - few statues, not very picturesque and far to get.


21. Museum of retro cars - Yes Yes Yes! A huge number of chic American cars! You can take pictures. Far from the center.


22. Oceanarium and tripikarium - small and nothing special. Far from the center.


23. Samlekhedi and Palveldi caves - very picturesque caves, worth a visit! If you buy a ticket to visit both at once, it will turn out cheaper, and between them - 20 minutes on foot.


24. Cafe with cats (Budapest, Damjanich utca 38, 1071) - you can drop in after visiting the Széchenyi baths. The cafe is like an anti-cafe - pay to be there and get tea and a piece of cake. Only four lazy but responsive cats.

Trip around Hungary
We rented a car and traveled in 4 directions. In the morning we left in the evening and returned to Budapest. You can leave the car near the house for free from 18:00 to 8:00 (this is not everywhere, check with the locals), there were also free places on the river embankment.
Having a navigator, drive in the address "tourinform” of the corresponding city, you come there. You pay for parking - all parking lots are paid and the fine for violation is large! Come inTurinformpoint, ask for any information in Russian/English (maps, brochures), ask what to visit in the city and after 10 minutes you have a clear plan where to go!
We highly recommend visiting the following cities:

North of Budapest:

1. Szentendre (tourinform address: 2000 Szentendre, Dumtsa Jenő u. 22) - a pretty town with the most famous Marzipan Museum, perhaps worth a visit!


2. Visegrad (tourinform address: 2025 Visegrád, Fő Street 81) - a picturesque but small castle high on a mountain. Very beautiful view of the Danube River and the surrounding area from the walls of the castle.


3. Esztergom (Address of the Basilica: 2500, Esztergom, Szent István tér 1) - a giant cathedral, an excellent view of the beautiful city and the river, on the bridge-border with Slovakia. And also to the Slovak city. The border is open and you can cross.

1. Eger (addresstourinform: 3300, Eger, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Endre 9) - a beautiful fortress on a hill in the city center, walked along the walls. On the outskirts of the city, the Valley of Beautiful Women (Kulacs Csárda Panzió,) - a place where representatives of wineries come to sell products - we tried and bought Hungarian wine (sold on tap).


2. Miskolc (addresstourinform: 3525 Miskolc, Városház tér 13) - the city itself is not very interesting, but the Barlangfürdő bath in the suburbs of MISKOLTS-TAPOLC (http://www.thermal.hu/miskolc-tapolca/ ) is well worth a visit! It's a bath in a cave!

To the west from Budapest (in the direction of Lake Balaton):

1. Tapolca (addresstourinform: 8300, Tapolca, Fő tér 17) - a city with a lake underground - you can ride a boat (http://www.tavasbarlang.hu/index.php/en ) - an unforgettable experience! Before that, though, you will have to walk around the museum (a la local history) - a good museum, and the film is shown in 3D, but the visit time in total increases to an hour (of which 20 minutes by boat). In the same city there is also a beautiful lake with an old water mill.


2. Keszthely (addresstourinform: 8360, Keszthely, Kossuth Lajos u. 30) - a city on the shore of Lake Balaton, where it is most convenient to approach the shore and touch the water, admire the lake and ducks.


3. Heviz (addresstourinform: 8380, Hévíz, Rákóczi utca 2) - town and bathing lake! A small thermal lake, where the water temperature is 24C in winter. An indoor swimming pool was built on the shore of the lake and a park spread out - very beautiful!

1. Gyor (addresstourinform: 9021, Győr, Baross Gábor út 21) is just a city where you can get around all the sights in 1 hour.


2. Sopron (addresstourinform: 9400, Sopron, Liszt Ferenc utca 1) - you can climb the old fire lookout tower and admire the charming old town. You can walk along the old fortress walls. Nice, but nothing special.

1. goulash soup ( Gulyas leves- they read "gouyash") - delicious meat soup, a lot of meat, large portions


2. Goulash


3. Fish soup ( Halasz leves) - they usually bring it in a bowler hat and with a ladle, you put it on yourself, very tasty


4. Fried goose liver ( Rantott libamajszeletek, Libamaj) - a la foie gras, delicious, but expensive


5. Pancakes ( Palacsinta) - they are pancakes in Africa pancakes


6. Lecho ( Lesco) - no meat, often a lot of cards in this dish, and very tasty


7. Langos - their "fast food" is a dough fried in oil with a diameter of 20 cm and a thickness of 1.5 cm, on which they put the filling as desired - we recommend just sprinkle with cheese!


8. splash a drink is a must


9. Tokay ( Tokaji) - buy in any stores, try it, very tasty wine.

Review of Budapest |

After traveling to Budapest, my friends asked me the question: "How many days does it take to see Budapest?" It is possible to see, I think, in 3 days. But to see and enjoy, perhaps, it will take at least a week.

Views of Budapest

If you are in doubt whether to go to Budapest, then you are doing it in vain! It is a must to go!

In addition to the fact that Budapest is a stunning and romantic city, shining with the lights of bridges, famous for its thermal springs and sights for every taste, the city is also inexpensive for a tourist. And, I'm not afraid to say that for me Budapest is much more spectacular and more beautiful than Paris itself.

For those who are afraid to go on their own, travel agencies offer organized tours, but, IMHO, this is terrible. A crowd of "holops in Europe" for big money. Yes, it’s for crazy ones, because for the same amount you can organize a tour yourself, living in the very center, traveling by comfortable trains, having lunch in good restaurants, etc., etc.

We collect things and go

For a trip to winter Budapest, divide your suitcase into 2 parts. We fill one half with jeans, warm pants and sweaters, and in the second we throw skirts and dresses, trousers and shirts. And all because the weather in winter is so unpredictable that you can go through the whole trip in ski pants, or maybe you are lucky and you can walk in a skirt and boots along the embankment and bridges (of course, if you are a girl.

We were lucky, the weather was warm and sunny almost all days, even on New Year's Eve there was not even a hint of frost on the street.

Choosing a hotel

I met

I bought tickets for the high season back in August, though with a transfer in Kyiv.

And with the choice of the hotel had to tinker. Budapest is divided into two parts by the Danube, and the sights are scattered throughout the city, so you first had to study the map of Budapest, and then decide where to live.

First of all, I recommend understanding the administrative structure of the city. It consists of 23 districts, which are marked with Roman numerals on the map. The center can be considered district I on the western bank of the Danube, in which the Royal Palace is located, and districts V, VI, VII, VIII and IX on the opposite side of the river. In general, it is not so important which of these areas to live in, because the sights are scattered throughout the city center.

For myself, I chose the City Mateas 3 * hotel, which is located almost on the embankment, near the Erzhebet bridge on the Pest side. And I didn't guess.

Night Budapest

The place where our hotel was located

Only after leaving the hotel, we could admire the oldest church in Budapest, the chic illumination of the Erzhebet bridge and the neighboring bridges and the embankment. And on the opposite side of the Danube rises Mount Gellert, the Royal Palace and the Matthias Church. Also within walking distance are the Parliament, the Jewish Quarter, Stephen's Basilica, the Gellert Baths and the famous Váci pedestrian street right behind the hotel.

Night Budapest

Night Budapest

All in all, City Mateas' location is just perfect.

I recommend choosing a hotel in Budapest on the waterfront from Pest or Buda. Along both sides of the Danube there is a public transport line, there are metro stations. For example, the tram is very convenient to ride along the embankment and move to the other side across the bridge.

Transport in Budapest

By the way, if you have at least 5 days, I do not recommend taking bus tours at all. Why would you pay money, be tied to a schedule, etc.? Budapest has an excellent public transport network, and a good guide will tell you a lot more than a boring audio guide.

Weather in Budapest for the New Year

I will say right away that we were very lucky with the weather - there was no snow and frost all the days, although on the Internet I met reports of tourists with "snowy" photographs. Already after a trip to Budapest, I understand that no matter how snowy or frosty, this city won me over forever.

Several days of our trip were rather cloudy, once we even got caught in the rain, but then the weather decided to improve. Either we got an impeccably sunny day, or the clouds frightened us, frightened us, but still did not dare to spoil the walk.

On New Year's Eve, the weather was clear, it was very warm, which made it possible to comfortably walk and have fun.

Visa online with home delivery

Budapest is a fabulous city, but for some reason unfairly underestimated by our tourists. On the one hand, it is a pity that many "worship" Vienna and do not know at all that there is a city nearby that is 1000 times more beautiful than its well-known neighbors. On the other hand, this ignorance does not create crowds of tourists in Budapest, for which I love him even more.

Hotels in Budapest: prices, photos, reviews