Holiday in Budapest – extraordinary place to visit

Introduction

I decide to come to Budapest again after 10 years since my Erasmus stay there. I wanted to find out what has changed in such a long time and if Budapest still has the same vibe as it used to have.

I keep reading about Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, that he has established a dictatorship over there as well as that Hungary doesn’t like foreigners anymore. My media picture is that Hungary has become Saudi Arabia.

Let’s have a look at it in this blog post. What it is really like out there and which places it is good to visit. This is not a typical guide. It describes places and sights which we didn’t pay a visit as Erasmus students.

There is a Hungarian-English dictionary at the end of the article. Hungarian language is said to be difficult. However, each one of you with an average intelligence (My IQ is 106.) is capable of learning and using it.

Budapest and Hungarians

Budapest consists of three former cites which joined together. They are Buda, Pest and Óbuda. The first bridge (Széchenyi lánchíd) over the Danube River was opened in 1849 connecting Buda and Óbuda (on the west bank of the Danube) with Pest (the east bank of the Danube).

Afterwards the three former cities joined and Budapest was established. It is one of the most majestic cities, which I have visited, in Europe.

Contemporary Hungary was part of Habsburg monarchy. In 1867, Habsburg monarchy transitioned into Austria-Hungary. It was a state with two centres of power (Vienna and Budapest). It gave more autonomy and privileges to Hungarians. That’s the reason why Budapest was the centre of culture in the eastern part of the state.

The aforementioned transition is reflected in the architecture of the whole city. Wherever you go you walk through historic centre everywhere because all buildings are of historical origin.

Hungarians are perceived as Europeans. However, they migrated from the Ural Mountains in Asia at the end of 9^th century. They settled in contemporary Hungary. The Finish and the Estonians left the Ural with them. They are members of the same group of people. Hungarians are Asians originally. That explains why Hungarian men and women may give you an impression of being exotic.

How to get around

Budapest is walkable by foot. Distances are quite long. It takes around 1,5 to 3 hours to walk from Buda to Pest. However, it is worthwhile. You discover secluded places which you wouldn’t if you just followed a map and your GPS.

If you would like to use public transport, which is impeccable, use a BudapestGo app. It is possible to buy tickets and plan your journey in it. Just enter where you would like to go (an address, a historical sight) and the app offers you routes with public transport vehicles (trams, metro etc.) numbers.

The ticket must be validated before entering a vehicle. Click on the “Validate” in the bought-ticket menu and read a QR code which is stuck on doors of vehicles each time you enter / change the vehicle.

It also possible to validate it via NFC. It is done the same way as paying with a mobile phone in a shop. Just bring your phone nearer to the QR code sticker. When the phone beeps, it is validated. You also see a confirmation on your mobile phone screen.

The Great Market Hall (Nagycsarnok)

It is a covered market hall. It has 3 floors and 10 000 square metres of floor space. It is a great place for food enthusiasts. It’s the place where your wildest dreams come true. The dreams which wouldn’t even materialize in shrines of consumerism as Tesco or Walmart.

There is a great assortment of smoked meat products, sausages (csabai), meat, vegetable, fruit, bakery products, Hungarian specialty (deli), spices and sweet food. There is a stall which I found intriguing. It sells traditional Hungarian sausages (csabai). Each csabai has a sticker on it depicting an animal which it is produced from at this stall.

There are stalls with prepared meals (fast foods), souvenirs and a restaurant on the first floor. There are stalls with fish and pickles (csalamádé) in the basement floor.

The market was built and opened in 1897. The main reason to build it was a shortage of food supply for inhabitants of Budapest. The population grew heavily in the past.

Plenty of museums and galleries

The city has an abundance of museums and galleries. Some of them are very well known: Hungarian National Museum (Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum), House of Terror (Terror Háza) and Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria).

Some of them are less known. One of the less known is Hungarian Museum of Commerce and Hospitality (Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum). It’s worth visiting.

There are plenty of interesting exhibits and exhibitions going back up to 200 years at the museum. There are among them: various aspects of commerce and hospitality; packing of products; where and how people lived and ate when they went on holiday; how a standard household looked like and what duties each member had; how a housemaid lived and examples of advertisements, catalogues and posters with offered goods.

If you decide to walk back to the city centre, you pass by a Aquincum military amphitheatre. I believe that people who live in the block of flats next to it must have a really good view. Or at least that was my impression when I saw a man smoking a cigarette on his balcony overlooking the amphitheatre.

Authentic Hungarian restaurants

It might be difficult to find an authentic Hungarian restaurant for a tourist. Most of the restaurants are usually tourist-like places with exorbitant prices. I have two tips for two authentic Hungarian restaurants from a local. I have visited them both as well.

The first one is Kisharang Étkezde (Canteen at the Small bell). You can order a tasty local goulash (gulyás), cucumber salad with cream or a dessert. The restaurant is located at Október utca 6, near a square Szabadság tér.

The second one is Matula bistro, which is located at Nagy Ignác utca 16 near Budapest-Nyugati Pályaudvar (Budapest – Western train station).

I ordered a goose liver as a starter. The main course was csirkepaprikás (a chicken with paprika spices and cream) and a dessert afterwards. The restaurant is a little bit more expensive than the former. However, the food is professionally arranged on a plate. In whole it was a tasty dinner.

If you like fast food (Not the McDonald’s golden arches – see the image below ↓), I also recommend Lángos.

It is a Hungarian specialty made of a dough which is deep fried. It is served with toppings laid on the top The topping are: cheese, cream, garlic, sausages (csabai), peppers, sliced onions and so on.  There are many stalls and fast-food restaurants which offer the Langos in Budapest. From the traditional one with garlic, cream and cheese up to a Magyar “fully loaded” with csabai, peppers and so on. The price may differ significantly from 2000 HUF to 5000 HUF (in Budapest).

Another fast-food specialty is Kürtős kalács (Chimney cake). It is a type of a spit cake. A yeast dough is transformed (rolled out) to a shape of a wide belt and rolled on to a metal rod (spit). Then the spit is spun above charcoal or in a special oven until the surface of the cake is baked to a golden-brown colour. Afterwards the chimney cake is sprinkled with a topping (mixture) of sugar and cinnamon / ground walnut etc.

The chimney cake originates from an area called Székely land in contemporary Romania. The area is inhabited by Székelys which are a subgroup of Hungarians.

There is a legend tied to the specialty. Székelys were attacked by Tatars which forced them to move to a cave.  The entrance to the cave was blocked by Tartars. Székelys crafted a big chimney cake out of straw. They pushed it out of the cave so that Tartars could see it. When the Tartars saw it, they came to conclusion that Székelys had enough food, and they wouldn’t starve them to death. Tartars left and Székelys survived.

Thermal spas wherever you look

Budapest has many hot mineral springs. That is the reason why there are 17 thermals spas in Budapest. Some of them are well-known (Rudas, Lukács Gyógyfürdő, Széchenyi, Gellért). Some of the are less-known (Paskál Gyógy és Strandfürdő, Palatinus Strandfürdő, Csillaghegyi Árpád Forrásfürdő).

I visited Lukács Gyógyfürdő, which are in a complex of historical buildings. The hot springs were exploited at this place since 12^th century. The current buildings, at least some of them were built as early as 1880.

The atmosphere of the spa is agreeable, because the old buildings were built to be nice and pleasant. It is not as nowadays when buildings are built to be just functional and useful without regards to beauty and delight. The place has a historical soul and really warms the cockles of your heart.

Lukács has three departments:

1. Thermal department with healing thermal spring pools with a temperature ranging from 32 to 40 °C and a finish and a steam sauna.
2. The swimming pools section with temperatures ranging from 22 to 26°C.
3. Wellness section with a whirlpool, a salt sauna, a finish sauna and so on.

The only drawback of the spa is the quality of the steam sauna. It is not sealed properly and the temperature inside is quite low for having a good sauna experience.

It is interesting from the historical point of view that when Turks started to occupy Hungarian lands in 1541 until 1686, they killed everybody, demolished everything and plundered everything. Then the only thing they built were the thermal spas.

Hike to nature

Budapest isn’t only urban areas. There is also nature and parks. There is a lot of nature in Buda. Walking in the street of Buda, you will also see the other side of this picturesque metropolis.

The suggested hike is 15 km in length. The terrain is quite flat in Hungary. It means the hike is easy. Here is a link to see the route. The hike starts at Merchawrt liget where an outdoor workout gym is located.

You walk through streets upwards. What you may find interesting is peace and silence which is here in comparison with Pest. There are embassies on this side. I also think that ambassadors live here as I saw lots of blue car plates. The blue car plate marks a diplomatic status of the driver of the car. Sometimes it is accompanied with CD, CC or D letters.

After 4,4 km from the start, you turn left to a small forest park. After walking up to the middle of it, you will see a rock structure Kőkapu. You will also see a cave which is barred so nobody could enter. However, the homeless unbarred it, so they could sleep inside. If nobody is at home, the cave is 6 metres in length. It is an ideal place to shelter yourself from rain. If you’re lucky and somebody’s at home, you may get acquainted with a new friend.

You will reach a sightseeing spot at the end of the small forest park. The name of the spot is Rudas vasasztal. It is possible to see a Special Service for National Security building from here. It is quite recognizable due to its dimensions and a historical look.

After this spot, you reach the end of the forest park and return to the built-up area. After a while you leave Budapest completely. You will find yourself surrounded by nature for the rest of the hike.

The rest of the hike leads through a very small mountain range and you pass two sightseeing spots on the way.

The first one is Károly Káan observation tower at Nagy-Hárs Hegy (454 m). After walking down around 100 m of altitude, you see remains of Monastery of St Lawrence on the left side.

The second sightseeing spot is at János Hegy (János hill) which is at 527 m. It is the highest point in Budapest. There is an observation tower called Elizabeth lookout at the top of the hill. It is named after Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi). She visited the place in 1882. Her husband was Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.

There is a refreshment stall right after the observation tower. The whole natural area surrounding the lookout and further on the way is used by locals for picknicks, having a barbecue, meeting up but also for riding a bicycle.

Personally, I didn’t eat anything at the stall. I used a different one (Normafa) a little bit further on the route. You will pass it at 13,6 km of the hike. It is possible to have a Lángos and a bottle of natural bio juice over here.

The part of the hike goes along a narrow-gauge railway (760 mm). It is part of Budapest Children’s Railway (Gyermekvasút). It is 11,7 km in length. The whole railway, apart from train drivers is operated by children. It is for educational purposes. The railway is in operation every day. The timetable is here.

It is for children who are interested in the railway transport. Only the brightest children can serve for the railway. They can try what it is like to work at the railway. It is the longest narrow-gauge railway operated by children in the world. It is even recorded in the Guiness World Records book. Why is it so long? It is because Hungarian leaders wanted to show off in Moscow in front of Stalin at the onset of communism in Europe. So, they built it the biggest and the longest.

The end of the hike (14,9 km) is at the train station Széchenyihegy of the narrow-gauge railway. If you turn left there, you get to a departure station of a tram 60 (Fogaskerekű vasút). It is a part of the standard public transport network of Budapest. It is a cogwheel / rack railway. There is a toothed rack rail between the rails. There is a cogwheel on tram which rolls on the toothed rack rail. The terrain of the tram is very steep (10 % ascent and descent). If there wasn’t the cogwheel mechanism, the tram wouldn’t start moving and would probably slide down.

It is an extraordinary ride because it is rare. However, it is not for a daily commute because it shakes and bumps and there is a lot of vibrations. However, if you would like to lose weight or you like vibrations, it is for you.

Orban and his dictatorship

If we created levels of dictatorship, it would be something like this:

The first level: You can say anything about the ruling class. Nobody warns you it is inappropriate (European countries).

The second level: You say bad things about the ruling class. Somebody warns you that if you carry on doing it, you can get into troubles in case somebody heard you. At the same time the ruling class builds statues of themselves and names streets after themselves. It occurs together with needs of citizens not being financed.

The third level: You just talk about the ruling class in any way. People warn you that you should keep it to yourself. If you don’t, you get into big troubles.

The fourth level: After you have talked badly about the ruling class, you end up in a jail. Sometimes your beloved neighbour helps you by snitching on you (communism).

The fifth level: After you have talked badly about the ruling class, you fall off 10^th floor through a barred window of a block of flats and the ruling class calls it a suicide. Ordinary people can still talk about it. They can still think about it critically that it is oppression and a dictatorship.

The sixth level: After you have talked badly about the ruling class, you fall off 10th floor through a barred window of a block of flats. Nobody talks about it.

The seventh level (the highest): Citizens of such a country have been indoctrinated for decades. They don’t realize it is a dictatorship. They are not capable of thinking about it. People can’t critically think.

Where Mr Viktor Orban is on the aforementioned scale? Is he a dictator, as Jean-Claude Juncker (former president of the European Commission) says?

During my stay, Hungarians spoke about the negative rules and the centralization of Orban openly. I saw them again (They didn’t fall off 10^th floor.) I also asked about Orban and wasn’t warned I shouldn’t talk about it and that something could happen to me.

There are new buildings (I would say castles.) being built next to the Buda castle. They are built in 18^th/19^th century style. Orban is planning to move ministries there. It looks like delusions of grandeur. I guess they would like to feel like medieval kings again.

In total, I think that the media picture of Orban’s Hungary is a little bit inflated.

What has worsened and improved in last 10 years

The public transport has improved considerably. Especially due to the BudapestGo app. The same goes for the amount of information available to tourists. Predominantly I came across good and helpful behaviour of Hungarians. However, I must say that the attitude of salesmen in shops and restaurants has worsened in comparison with 10 years back. On the other hand, I think this is a modern phenomenon in the whole world. It may also be a change in my own perception of my surroundings.

Summary

Budapest is worth visiting. You can enjoy sights on historical buildings, food and a slower pace of a life in comparison with other European capitals.

Here is a link with a map with all touristic point I have mentioned in the text including the hike.

What’s your experiences from Budapest? What would you recommend visiting?

Hungarian-English dictionary

Use Google Translate for pronunciation.