Budapest, Hungary
Monday, September 18 – Explore Budapest
First full day, so, of course time for a morning jog through the city (I am nothing if not predictable). Slept in until after 7AM so this morning’s run was post-sunrise. Still, nice to be out and about as the city woke up and started the workweek.
After breakfast, we headed farther afield to Margaret Island, a lovely green oasis in the middle of the Danube. Fountains, flowers, birds and the remnants of an old monastery and convent. Blissfully uncrowded, mostly just us and some parents with toddlers. Guidebook said to take a tram, but 5K? Quitter talk, we hoofed it!
Crossed into Buda where we had a lovely lunch under an awning. Waiter was taken a bit aback when we ordered 2 large bottles of water but we took care of them in short order.
After lunch we ventured up to the Hospital in the Rock Museum, a fascinating (and not crowded) throwback to Budapest during WWII and the Cold War.
Meandered back down Buda hill past St Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion (found all the tourists that weren’t at our other stops) and along/across the river for a well deserved rest at our hotel.
This evening we wandered a bit and settled on a lovely Italian restaurant. Had a fabulous meal, aided by a cute young waiter who assisted with the wine list and introduced Dan to the local fruit brandy–palinka! Delicious, but I can see how it could be dangerous. After a 2 hour + meal, headed home along the beautifully lit buildings beside the Danube. A fine day!
35,297 steps, 16.2 miles!
Hotel:
- Bohem Art Hotel: https://bohemarthotel.hu/
- Margaret Island: https://www.budapest.org/en/things-to-do-budapest/margaret-island/
- Open to public, free
- Hospital in the Rock: https://www.sziklakorhaz.eu/
- Must be part of a guided tour
- Timed tickets can be bought in advance online, we just bought when we arrived
- No photos inside
Margaret Island was lovely to stroll around. A healthy walk from our hotel, we could have taken tram, but it was a beautiful day to be out and about.
The Hospital in the Rock is very interesting, I highly recommend. It completely different from any other WWII museum I have visited, and gives insight on both the WWII and Cold War experiences from a unique perspective. It is in a cave, so tight quarters and low ceilings — perhaps not great for the claustrophobic.
St Matthias Church/Fisherman’s Bastion are part of the more standard tourist track — near Buda Castle. It is a nice area to walk around, but it does get a lot of tourist traffic.
Breakfast:
The hotel has an extensive breakfast (which we remembered from our earlier visit). Lots of options, fresh squeezed OJ (which has an available bottle of sparkling wine if you want to add some kick), more than enough to start your day.
Lunch:
Horgasztanya Vendeglo:
https//horgasztanyavendeglo.hu/en
Rustic interior with hearty Hungarian food — we sat at a nice outdoor table and rehydrated after our long walk to/through the park.
Dinner:
Ottimo:
Italian Business at the Palace Ottimo
Elegant, expensive, affiliated with a luxury hotel. We sat outside along a plaza, wonderful food and service, but you do pay for it.
Hospital in the Rock
Dinner
Really enjoyed spending so much time wandering outside on a beautiful day — having visited before, there isn’t the impetus to try and “see everything” as we had already done some of the “big ticket items” Margaret Park was a wonderful place to see locals enjoying nature and the Hospital in the Rock was small, but well worth a visit. And…it never hurts to have a wonderful meal after a long day of sightseeing!