Sometimes you really feel like taking a break from the daily routines, but you might not have a lot of spare holidays and money to spend. Don’t despair; there are always possibilities of exciting experiences within restricted time and financial limits.
Budapest with Donau seen from the Castle Hill
Last week I got a tip from one of my colleagues that Budapest is the right place to go for an extended weekend trip. So after a short surf on internet I had booked both very cheap air tickets and accommodation at a reasonable price.
I have to say that my colleague’s advice was a good one. Budapest is really a nice and interesting place. We had 3 days packed with culture, good food and spa.
I also tried to get opera tickets on internet, but unfortunately they were fully booked. However the first thing we did after having checked in at the hotel and bought a three days Metro ticket was to go to the opera house and ask if they had any uncollected tickets. We got very good tickets to Wagner’s Tannhaüser the same night. The next day we had a nice time walking around the city in sunny weather, and visiting one of Budapest’s famous spa baths. The third and last day we did some more sightseeing and visited another bath. A perfect autumn weekend!
Favourite spots:
Fisherman's bastion
Castle hill on the Buda side of Donau is on the UNESCO's world heritage list and the perfect place to get an overwiew over the city. Here you will also find a lot of interesting arcitecture and museums, including the National Gallery and the famous Matthias Church and the Fishermans's bastion.
The Andrassy avenue where you will find the national opera and lots of shops and good restaurants is also on the UNESCO world heritage list.
What's really great:
Gellert Bath
I really liked that it was so easy to find your way in the city. The Metro system was very efficient. I also apreciated that we felt very safe and the people seemed very friendly.
And of course it's great to visit the baths, with both thermal baths and indoor and outdoor swimming pool. It's really nice to swim outdoors in temperated pools even in winter time. We went to the Gellert Bath (only indoors in winter time) and Szechnyi bath with big outdoor pools which are open all year.
Accommodations:
Hotel City Inn
We stayed at hotel City Inn, only 5 minutes from the City Centre by Metro. The hotel was nice and so was the staff. Even if the neighbourhood seemed a little dubious, I would not hesitate to recommend the hotel (For contact details, se my travel tips)
Restaurants:
Cafe Gerbeaud
Wall Street restaurant at Andrassy Avenue was really nice with good food. Live Jazz every Wednesday and Friday.
The Cactus Juice at Jokai Ter, off Andrassy Avenue could also be recommended. Huge meals at a reasonable price!
The hungarian wine is much better than I remembered from my younger days (at least if you buy one of the best Egri Bikaver wines).
A visit to the famous (and hence crowded) Cafe Gerbaud is a must. Delicious confectionery!
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