Hello Lovelies,
Let’s get real here. Has Budapest ever taken a spot on your bucket list as a MUST-SEE place? Before travelling to Hungary, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy Budapest. I mean, I had just been to London, Paris, Switzerland, and Spain…. You know, the hot spots for North American trips over in Europe. And to be honest, I had never heard of what Budapest had to offer, so I was skeptical. Nevertheless, I decided to visit anyways. And I am sure glad I did. Let me take you through what I saw and experienced in this magnificent city!
Budapest is a city in a stunning natural setting, encompassing rich architectural and historical heritage. This beautiful place offers an unmatched combination of culture, fine cuisine, and thermal baths. Yes, thermal baths. Amazing. The thermal baths were by far my favorite part.
Let’s talk about these thermal baths, shall we? There are many baths to choose from, and depending on the one you decide to try is a matter of taste, and knowing exactly what you are looking for.
The layout of most of the baths are quite similar: a series of indoor pools, where temperatures range from warm to hot, and from ice-cold to room temperature. However, sometimes these baths are outdoors as you will see in the pictures I have attached below. There are steam rooms, and saunas, and one can easily spend the day hopping from one extreme to the next. Some baths have indoor fountains, sprays and whirlpools. Being that they are thermal, many baths are open year-round.
Depending on the time and the day of the week, baths can be open for men or women only. However, there are usually mixed days as well – the Széchenyi Baths in City Park, for example, are always open for men and women together. I have heard that when a bath is for men or women only, it is then that you can go butt-naked into the thermals. I did not do this when I was there, but if that is something you want to try once in your life, at least you know Budapest has it! TIP: Definitely take your flip-flops to these pools, instead of walking around bare-foot. The pool areas are clean for the most part, but you don’t want to take a chance at acquiring something unpleasant.
Here is a side view of the Széchenyi Baths:
A view of one of the indoor baths:
So, put Budapest on your bucket list because I would hate for you to miss out on this place!! Below is a picture of a traditional Hungarian pastry:
If you're not much into pastries, below is another traditional dish that I absolutely LOVED! (I apologize, I cannot recall the name of this dish)
Budapest's striking Great Synagogue is the largest Jewish house of worship in the world, besides those in New York City. This building was built in 1859, and has both Romantic and Moorish architectural elements. On the synagogue’s north side, the Holocaust Tree of Life Memorial presides over the mass graves of those murdered by the Nazis. (Please Note: It was VERY hard to get a good picture of the Synagogue because it is SO large... So below is one of the best captures I could take of the outside)
Below is a picture of the inside of the Great Synagogue:
The leaves of the Tree of Life Memorial, designed in 1991 by Imre Varga, are inscribed with the names of hundreds of thousands of victims of the Holocaust. Below is a close-up photograph of the Tree of Life Memorial:
The Parliament building was designed by Imre Steindl and completed in 1902. It has 691 extravagantly-decorated rooms, but you’ll only get to see these on a guided tour. I didn’t go on the tour, so I don’t have any photos of the inside!! (Sorry!) Below is a picture of the exterior:
The (former) Royal Palace has been demolished and rebuilt at least a dozen times over the past seven centuries. Béla IV established a royal residence here in the mid-13th century, and subsequent kings continued to add to the structure. The palace was knocked down in the battle with the Turks in 1686, and the Habsburgs rebuilt it. Today this extravagant Royal Palace contains the Hungarian National Gallery, the Castle Museum, and the National Széchenyi Library. Below is a close-up view of the Royal Palace!
In this photograph below, you can see the Palace just in the distance all lit up. It was beautiful!
Budapest’s neoclassical cathedral was built over half a century and completed in 1905. Much of the disruption during the creation of the building had to do with a sudden disaster in 1868 when the dome collapsed during a storm, and the structure had to be demolished and then rebuilt again. The basilica is quite dark and gloomy inside, but take a trip to the top of the dome for incredible views of the city!
This is the spiraling staircase that brings you to the top of the cathedral... Note to travelers: If you get dizzy easily, definitely take your time going up. I don't know exactly how many stairs there were, but there were a TON. And it was all spiral. I had to stop a few times and look at the walls to regain sanity.
This picture was taken of Dan & I at the very top of the cathedral:
Amazing views of the city!
That's all I have to share!! Thank you so much for those of you who read through my entire post! Your comments mean a lot to me, so if you made it to the end, please take a second and let me know your thoughts <3
Best wishes to you!!!
Stephanie
xox