Budapest: A Colorful History & Fairytale Architecture

We are officially starting to work our way north in Europe. Our first stop in Eastern Europe is Budapest. We had no idea what to expect from this city but we absolutely LOVED it! The fairytale architecture, cheap food and drinks, a colorful history, and MUCH less crowded streets was a great change of pace.

Here are some of our favorite things about Budapest.

The Hungarian Parliament Building is an impressive structure sitting right on the river. It was finished being built in 1904, so is somewhat of a newer building by Europe’s standards.

This building is the symbol of the Hungarian capital and is an impressive 18,000 square meters (194,000 square feet). It is 270 meters long and 120 meters wide making it the largest building in Hungary.

It is also beautiful to walk by at nighttime. All of those bright looking stars are actually birds eating the bugs all the lights attract.

I want to step WAY back and tell you about a “mind blown” moment I had while walking around this beautiful city. Forgive me if you are well versed on this topic but I suddenly put together that the HUNS WERE IN HUNGARY! You know, like the ones fighting against China in Mulan (I know, a very historically correct movie). But we found a statue of Attila the Hun.

There really isn’t much to see regarding the Huns in Budapest. All we know about the Huns has been passed on orally and is mostly told though legends and stories. Attila was the ruler of the Huns from 434-453 so we are talking a really long time ago.

Fast forward to more recent history, Buda and Pest were actually two completely separate cities until 1873. The name “Pestbuda” was seriously thrown around during that time. Buda is the royal, much hillier side of the city. Pest is flat with many restaurants, shops, and apartments.

There were not any bridges connecting these two cities until 1849.

Now there are many beautiful bridges to walk or drive to either side.

If you cross the bridge to the Buda side of the city, it is worth it to hike up the hill to the Castle District. You have some great views into the Pest side of the city and can see some magnificent buildings.

The Buda Castle is impossible to miss on your hike up the hill. This is the palace complex for the kings in Budapest beginning in 1265.

Right down the road is the Fisherman’s Bastion which is a panoramic terrace with fairytale looking structures.

Right across the road is the Matthias Church. The first church constructed here was in 1051, which was later destroyed by the Mongols.

It was destroyed and rebuilt several times over the years, most recently badly damaged during WW2. This church was used as a camp by the Germans and Soviets in 1944-45. It was renovated from the damages in 1950.

If you walk back over to the Pest side of the city there is plenty to explore as well. One of our favorite sites on this side is the Jewish Quarter.

Jewish people began settling here in late 17th century. By 1867 Jewish people had essentially the same rights as the Christian Hungarians which caused the Jewish population to soar. By 1910 more than 23% of Budapest’s population was Jewish.

During WW2 the Jewish Quarter had a wall put around it and was turned into a ghetto where thousands died of starvation.

Today this area is a maze of hip bars, restaurants, and shops.

Chad and I walked through the Quarter and found a small bar to watch the final World Cup game.

There is a beautiful church only a few blocks away called St. Stephen’s Basilica.

The street leading up to this church has tons of outdoor restaurants and gelato shops. A great place to hang out for the evening.

The last area I need to tell you about was Chads favorite. Which means, of course, it involves swimming. Budapest is known for their Thermal Baths!

We went to Széchenyi Bath which is one of the biggest natural hot spring baths in Europe. There are 18 pools here that are open everyday throughout the year. The outside was just as beautiful as the inside.

One of my favorite things to find in cities is parks. This bath was located in an amazing park with a castle from the late 1800’s called Vajdahunyad Castle. It was built to celebrate 1,000 years since the Hungarian Conquest.

Chad and I thought it looked a little bit like Hogwarts from Harry Potter.

The last thing to mention about Budapest is none other than THE FOOD! Hungarians love to cook with paprika and their specialty is Goulash. Chad had already eaten half of it by the time I took a picture. And this wonderful puff pastry chicken pie! Of course flavored with paprika. Yum!

We had a great time in Budapest and are thoroughly enjoying a change of pace. Now time to translate our Hungarian Forint currency in for some Euros in Austria!

Let us know if you have any tips in Prague, Berlin, or Scandinavia!