2 Days in Budapest
This path is on the Pest side and runs right along the Danube heading towards the Liberty Bridge. Part pathway, part park, part meeting spot, it was a wonderful spot to hang out on a gorgeous fall day in Budapest.
Bisected by the Danube, Budapest has a hilly side (Buda) and a flatter side (Pest), connected by a series of architecturally significant, delightful bridges. Both sides have much to offer the visitor, from historic buildings, famous baths, fun markets, historic plazas, monuments, and fabulous architecture. There are also spectacular views across the river, especially at night when the lights on the bridges and the Parliament building shine.
Looking across the Danube from the Buda side towards Pest and the Parliament building. Thanks to friends Lynn and Dale for this photo.
In October, I arrived in Budapest two days before embarking on a Viking Danube River Cruise. My plan was to spend two days exploring the city (mostly the Pest side) and then to do some guided excursions, including the Buda side, arranged by Viking on the first day of the cruise. But, as I wrote in a previous post, sometimes plans change. As it turned out, I had a wonderful two days on the Pest side, but then, due to a brief health issue, missed the day of the Viking excursions to the Buda side altogether. Perhaps I should have titled this post ‘Half of Budapest”?
Lively Fővám Square sits at one end of Váci Uta, a long pedestrian shopping street, just in front of the Great Market Hall, and steps from the Pest side of the Liberty Bridge.
My time in the Pest side of the city was wonderful and I was able to do one of my favorite things in any European city - simply wander around and appreciate the architecture, plazas, and green spaces. When it comes to architecture, Budapest does not disappoint. A walk round the city reveals graceful buildings, stone embellishments on balconies, ornate doors, towers and turrets, tree filled plazas, and huge historic buildings including the Parliament building and the Great Market Hall.
There are also monuments, large and small, to appreciate. They reflect Budapest’s history, the glorious and the tragic. The most moving is the Shoes on the Danube, a Holocaust memorial of made up of 60 pairs of iron shoes. They represent the Jewish persons, adults and children, who were taken to the bank of the Danube, made to remove their shoes before being shot and falling into the river. In Jewish tradition, many small stones are left in and around the shoes. Ribbons, candles, and other remembrances are also left near the empty shoes. A powerful place and an important remembrance of how brutal were some periods in not so distant memory.
On a lighter note, the smallest monuments are a series of miniature sculptures hidden throughout the city. The sculptor, Mihály Kolodko, is known as the “guerilla sculptor”. Some of his tiny works of art have historic or political significance and some are just plain fun. I wished that I had time to discover them all or to take the organized tour to see them. But I found one on the Liberty Bridge, a tiny Franz Joseph, the former Hungarian King, swinging in a hammock as he overlooks the bridge which once bore his name. Another is very near the New York Cafe. I looked for the little diver there who is said to hold the key to the cafe which ws thrown into the river to make sure the cafe could never close. Unfortunately, I never found it so the photo here is from the internet). To read more about these sculptures go to https://www.budapestflow.com
Another highlight was the bridges. The two most well-known are the Liberty Bridge and the Chain bridge. The Liberty bridge is made of giant steel trusses in an Art Nouveau style. It crosses the Danube from the square near the Great Market Hall on the Pest side to the Gellert Hill on the Buda side. It has a pedestrian path, lined with ornate green iron panels and with viewpoint outcroppings that offer long views up and down the Danube.
The Chain Bridge crosses the river between Széchenyi Square on the Pest Side and Adam Clark Square on the Buda side. Mostly constructed of stone, there are huge stone lions at either end. This is the place for views of the Parliment Building and Buda Castle. Both bridges are gorgeous at night.
These are just a few of Budapest’s highlights. I will definitely need another trip to do some more exploring.
One more note. If you are planning a stay in Budapest, I can happily recommend the Hotel Vision. It has a prime location near the Danube River, the Liberty Bridge, and the Great Market Hall. It was within walking distance of several interesting neighborhoods, and lively streets. The hotel also has a fabulous restaurant, Tapas Fino. The selection of tapas and the wine list are top notch. It is always a bonus to find great dining in a hotel restaurant; I recommend it for anyone visiting Budapest. One other dining experience – the ornate New York Café is an old-world fantasy with musical accompaniment at dinner. The food was good (not exceptional) but you go for the atmosphere. It was a perfect place to celebrate my friend’s birthday. Reservations are a must - otherwise be prepared for long waits (think hours not minutes) or no availability at all.
