There and Back Again will be a highly irregular feature here on my blog. Basically whenever I go somewhere on a trip, I will share pictures later and tell you a little bit about that place.

Budapest is the capital of Hungary and one of the largest cities in south-eastern Europe. Since it's only a 5-hour drive and one state border from our hometown, my husband and I decided that it was time to go and visit this beautiful city. We were there for 4 days and, although my feet were killing me from all the walking, we managed to see only a small part of the wonderful sights that Budapest has to offer. So, we officially have an excuse to come back again. ;)

Fisherman's Bastion ♥ Buda Castle ♥ Hungarian Parliament Building ♥ St. Stephen's Basilica

Language Barrier

The official language in Budapest is Hungarian. And no English/French/Italian/Spanish knowledge will help you understand it. It's completely original. Thankfully, hotel and restaurant staff knows English, so it's easy to communicate. Menus in restaurants are also bilingual (Hungarian/English).

Most of the workers in shopping malls and other shops do not understand (or speak) English at all, so, if you are looking for something, you gotta find it on your own or give up and look somewhere else.

Surprisingly, regular museum staff also, most of the time, does not speak English, so if you do not pay for a guided professional tour, you will find yourself wandering half-blind through enormous museums and exhibitions. There is a 30% chance that the text by the side of the items displayed will not be translated. This is a random occurrence and varies from room to room, so I cannot name a specific museum that had all (or none) of its texts translated.

The Hungarian National Museum ♥ Museum of Applied Arts ♥ Hungarian National Archives ♥ Budapest History Museum

My Favorites in Budapest

In Budapest, there were benches and parks on every corner for you to relax on, and there was an abundance of statues, fountains, and monuments. From really grandiose compositions that you can not fit into one picture to small cute ones that merge into the environment (these were my favorites - look at the third group) - there is something for every taste. The themes were also varied: historical or religious figures, animals, fairy tale characters, celebrities, everyday life scenes. Here is just a small glimpse of what caught my eye (and camera):

Statue of St Stephen ♥ Detail from Matthias Fountain at Buda Castle ♥ Lion at the entrance to the inner courtyard of Buda Castle ♥ Lion at the Chain Bridge


Gellert Monument ♥ Statue at the top of a church (I don't remember which one there were so many) ♥ Another statue in front of an unknown church ♥ Statue in St. Stephen's Basilica


Little Princess sitting on a fence along the Danube promenade ♥ Girl (and me) playing with her dog on Vigadó Square ♥ Mammoths in Mammut shopping mall ♥ Ronald Reagan on Szabadság (Liberty) Square

Sightseeing in Budapest - How To Do It?

With a lot of trial and error, this is the formula that worked best for me when Budapest is in question:

• Be prepared that it's impossible to see/visit everything.
• Buy a book that has a tourist guide and city map.
• Pick an area of the city where a couple of things that interest you are located (find them in your book/guide)
• Find all other museums, churches, shops, restaurants and things that interest you in that area
• Plan an optimal route so you don't have to backtrack
• Start walking. :)

There are also hop on/hop off buses for tourists with relatively cheap tickets (10-15 euros for two days of unlimited rides), but I think that you can better get a feel for the city's soul by strolling and exploring.

Just some details from random buildings in Budapest

Final Verdict: Budapest is a Must-Visit Destination!