Hey friends,
Over the past weekend I traveled to Budapest with some friends of mine. Even though it was only two days long, we had so much fun and got to see so much of the city.
I arrived in Budapest by train in the evening. Because it was winter time, it was already dark by the time I arrived. However I still managed to find the Airbnb apartment just fine. My friends arrived by 8 and 9 o clock and we headed out for some dinner. For dinner we went to a local restaurant called Kazimir Bistro. There I had the goulash soup. It looked small, but was more than enough for me. Super cozy and busy restaurant! Would recommend.
DAY 1
The next day we woke up late, had some casual breakfast at the Airbnb. We had gone shopping at the supermarket the day before to get some groceries for breakfast. I had my usual consisting of oats with nuts, raisins and a banana.
After breakfast we headed off to explore the city by foot. We went to the Szimpla Kert– one of many ruin bars in Budapest. There they had so many cool and artsy decorations that really made the place unique!
Next to the Szimpla there was a small street food market. There we got our first Langos. I had a more non traditional one with some sour cream and rocket salad on top. The base is basically fried dough. All in all it wasn’t bad (they even made it fresh) but I have definitely had better langos.
After exploring a few Christmas markets, we decided to join a free walking tour in the afternoon. It was a great way to know more history and culture of the city. The walking tour ended on the Pest side of the city where we had an amazing lookout over the city.
For dinner we went to a restaurant called menza, with really good reviews. I had a pumpkin curry, just because I was cravings something vegan. The curry was good, but nothing out of this world.
DAY 2
Sunday was our last full day in Budapest. Again we woke up late and had a slow breakfast at the Airbnb. We then went back to the Szimpla ruin bar again, because there was a farmers market going on that morning. There were so many stalls selling things like cheese, meat, veggies and hot food accompanied by some traditional music.
After we left the farmers market, we headed to the Christmas market to have some lunch. I had a cabbage roll filled with meat and rice with some sour kraut served on fried potato. It was a delicious but very heavy meal, that I wasn’t able to finish and felt slightly sick afterwards. So I definitely recommend sharing this dish.
After Lunch we headed to the St. Stephens Basilica and climbed to the top for a nice view of the Buda side of the city. This was truly worth it. Also the inside of the basilica was nicely decorated in a baroque style.
For sunset we really wanted to get another view of the city from the Pest side. So we went over the Danube and back up the the castle on the hill (Fishermans Bastion). After the sun had set, we headed to one of the famous thermal baths in Budapest. We went the the Gallert thermal bath on the Pest side of the city. It was nice to see the beautiful architecture inside, however it was quite expensive. I definitely recommend wearing flip flops inside, since the floor doesn’t seem too clean or sanitary. If you are mainly interested in the architecture, I would recommend visiting the biggest thermal bath in Budapest called Szechenyi Thermal Bath and taking the tour of the inside architecture. That means you will be walking through with a guide without actually bathing.
All in all it was a great trip with friends I hadn’t seen in a long time! And seeing all the amazing sights and eating all the delicious food, it was such a perfect weekend.
XO
Silvia
Catchy Cravings 