Hippo x Budapest Hungary Travel Blog

Finally, it has come to the Budapest post of my Eastern Europe trip.
If you are new to my blog and would like to read more about my Eastern Europe trip, you can click on the label #EasternEurope on the right, and then it will redirect you to a page which contains all my posts regarding my trip in Eastern Europe. 
Well, before arriving to Budapest, I've heard so much about Budapest, can't believe that I finally made it to this beautiful place.
Budapest is the capital and also the most popular city of Hungary.
It is the largest city in the European Union, and that's why it is worth a paradise for explorers to visit.
Due to the limited amount of time during the trip, we only stayed in Budapest for one and a half days.
It's definitely not enough, so in this blogpost, I will be sharing the main highlights of my trip in Budapest.





When we first arrived in Budapest, the weather wasn't good.
The wind was so strong in the morning, and had lots of rain in the afternoon.
But overall, it was a nice stay in Budapest; I enjoy the beautiful scenery, and also love eating the delicious Hungarian food while pairing with wines. :)



If you are traveling to Budapest, you should change a bit of Hungarian money.
Euros are not accepted in Hungary, and that's why the Hungarian Forint (HUF) is important, especially to the places like small eateries and the local markets.
Only some big restaurants or major attraction places accept to use credit cards, otherwise only their local currency.





After having our lunch, we headed to the Millennium Monument, a world heritage site at the central of the city.
The monument is the landmark of Budapest, which features of the famous Heroes Square.
It's an interesting monument in a beautiful location, and was built to remember the country's heroes.



The Art Exhibition Hall located next to the Millennium Monument.




The Chain Bridge in Budapest, is a suspension bridge that spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest, the Western and Eastern sides of Budapest.
It's magnificent no matter if you see it at day time or night time.



My impression of the architectures in Budapest are diverse and everyone has their own characteristics.
It's nice to walk around the beautiful architecture to take street photographers. :)





In the late afternoon, we arrived at Budapest Castle (Buda Castle), the main attraction place to visit in Budapest.
Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kinds in Budapest.
It was completed in 1265 and was referred to as either the Royal Palace or the Royal Castle in the past.





It was really nice for a walk and very atmospheric when you are up at the hill top.
An amazing distance view over the city of Budapest is waiting for you up there, and it's an absolute must visit place if you come to here.





It was a bit gloomy when we were up there because of the rain.
But luckily, we still manage to make some amazing photos and able to see some important landmarks like the Hungarian Parliament which is the most spectacular buildings in Europe and also the world's third largest parliament building.
It's visible to view the Hungarian Parliament from there, but it's still a shame that we didn't manage to see this unique historic building in real.







Fishermen's Bastion, another important monument in Budapest which located next to the Buda Castle.
The reason that it is named as Fishermen's Bastion is because the fishermen were used to protect this area in the old times.
This is also the place where provides the panoramic views of the city, the Danube River, the Parliament Building and the Chain Bridge.



Another must visit when you are up at the hill top is the beautiful church, Matthias Church.
Since it is located at the same area, you can easily and conveniently make it as part of your visit to see the church.





Despite having a long history, the interior of the church is worth visiting as well.
It's big which consists of two floors.
The first floor is built with pews, for prayers and also ceremonies.
There is a a balcony overlooking the whole church at the second floor, and also you will also see the statue of the beautiful Queen Elizabeth of Hungary inside a small room too.





This is the place I love in Budapest!





We had a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant with a delicious three-course meal, wine was provided, and also followed by the authentic Hungarian folklore show.
The music and dance performance was lovely and enjoyable!
If you visit Hungary, I think you should take the chance to go for the unique experience of this Hungarian folk culture.
It's absolutely entertaining!



We ended the first night in Budapest by taking a romantic cruise on the Danube River.
It's quite expensive for the cruise as I remembered we paid EUR25 for each person.
I think you can get cheaper price if you purchase it online by yourself as we bought the ticket under our tour guide.
Anyway, I personally think the ride was not very worth to pay.



Night view of Hungarian Parliament.







The cruise also passed by the Chain Bridge and we got to see a clear night view of it.



Oh well, I had a glass of free campaign on the cruise while enjoying the night view.







On the second day in Budapest, we went to the Downtown of Szentendre, located in the Central Hungary Statistical Region
Szentendre is a Hungarian town on the Danube River, at the North of the Capital, Budapest.
The place is known for the baroque architectures, museums, churches, colourful houses, and narrow streets.







There are many unique shops and boutiques offering local products and souveniers such as paprika.
Everything from authentic accessories, handmade goods, and designer clothes to antiques.





It's such a pretty lovely little town to visit.
I believe you will love it whether you come here for a cup of coffee, visit museum, sightseeing, try local foods, or shop for the handicrafts.
 



Before we left Budapest, we visited Visegrád, which is a small castle town in Pest County in Hungary.
It is situated at the north of Budapest on the right bank of the Danube in the Danube Bend.
Visegrád has a total population of 1,654 and famous for the Early Renaissance summer palace of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and the medieval citadel.





We were welcomed with the sound of drums, and medieval instruments upon our visit.
And then, a 30 minutes Knight's tournament in the open air theater of the lower castle in Visegrád.
Free wines are available while listening to the Renaissance music and also watching the performance.
Also at the end of the show, we can have the opportunity to try some of the weapons with the help of the knights.





During lunch time, we had an ordinary dining experience at the Renaissance Étterem & Restaurant Visegrád.
I almost didn't expect the place can be themed so well; the staffs were dressed in special clothes, the middle-ages furniture and tableware, and the whole experience was like we were in the renaissance period.



We had a full course meal, from the starters till the dessert.
All portions were generous, and the service was attentive.
I'm glad we came here for lunch, and would highly recommend this restaurant to you to make it a memorable experience during your trip.
Super excellent!



That's all I want to share today!
I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and if any of you have been to Budapest before, share with me your experience and impressions of the city in the comments below!
I would love to know more about the city!
Once again, thank you Budapest for giving so many good memories during my trip.
If I have the chance in the future, I will come back to visit you!


Last but not least, don't forget to watch my Budapest vlog!
Hope you like it! :)

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