Budapest
Like many of the other established cities in central Europe, the current capital of Hungary was originally settled by the Celts, and then by the Romans. The Huns followed the Romans, followed by the Bulgarians, who established a pair of fortresses on either side of the Danube River, called Buda on the west side, and Pest on the east. The fortresses grew into cities, becoming part of Austria-Hungary, and unifying into one city (along with a third city, Óbuda) in 1873.
This is the place I almost always want to be, and it is worth a thorough visit. A week is not enough to take in all the amazing sights, attractions, and food of this spectacular city. The itineraries I’ve put together for Budapest will provide you with a variety of experiences to give you at least a high-quality introduction.
Day 5 - Introduction to Budapest
We’ll arrive from Vienna at Keleti Station, which is one of my most favourite things to do in life because of where I know I am when I get there! Here we can buy transit tickets or passes to use during our stay here, if we haven't bought them ahead online. Depending on what time we arrive and what time we're allowed to check in, we may need to lock up our luggage for a while as we did in Vienna. We'll buy our transit passes here, and then we’ll take the metro to the area of our accommodations, which will be a short walk from the station.
To get a taste of Budapest - maybe literally! - we'll start by making our way to the Central Market Hall. Depending on the weather, our time, or how we're feeling, we may decide to take transit there or back, but we should walk the length of Váci utca one way or the other. This is a pedestrian street lined with shops and cafés. Even if you don’t stop to shop or eat, there is lots to look at. (If you feel like you need a new tattoo for a souvenir, book at Celtic Moon Tattoo!)
The ground floor of the market is loaded with food stalls. If you plan to buy paprika to bring home, do it here, but find a shop in one of the back corners, rather than in the centre. We'll be able to pop in here again on our last day, so you don't necessarily need to make your selections immediately. If you want fresh fruit or Hungarian sausage, this is also a good place to find it.
One stall not to miss is a bakery stall at the end of the second block on your left. Get a strudel or two, and a few cheese puffs (pogácsa) to nibble as you explore the rest of the market. You may want to do some souvenir shopping here, too, from some of the many shops upstairs, where you will also find prepared hot food and cold beer, if it’s time for that already.
If we need to return to the train station to pick up our luggage, we'll do that next, and then we should have a bit of time to relax before our dinner reservation. In the evening, we can wander some more, and maybe find a nice place for a drink.