Budapest, Hungary
June 2023
For many centuries, Buda and Pest were two independent cities separated by the Danube River, with Buda on the west bank and Pest on the east. The famous Széchenyi Chain Bridge finally linked the two cities together in 1840, and then in 1873 the cities merged to become Budapest. Budapest is the largest city in Hungary, and also the current capital (Buda was the first).
The regions of Buda and Pest certainly have their own distinct personalities! Buda is built on a series of hills with sweeping panoramas of the city, and is considered the classier, quieter and more residential side. In contrast, Pest is very flat and is a bustling place with an assortment of bars, sidewalk cafés, gourmet restaurants and a vibrant nightlife.
Our Airbnb was in a courtyard on Kazinczy Steet, a prominent street dubbed "Street of Culture" in Pest's Jewish Quarter and known to be a popular nightlife haunt ever since the revival of the ruin bars. As a matter of fact, the very first ruin bar in Budapest, Szimpla Kert, is located on this street just a few doors down from where our apartment was!
~ Click any image to enlarge ~
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Ruin Bars
Budapest's ruin bars started in the early 2000's and are primarily located in Pest's Old Jewish Quarter. An estimated 30 ruin bars are now in the city. These creative and patched-together spaces have quite literally hijacked ruins such as abandoned warehouses, stores or lots, turning urban decay into shabby-chic bars where people can enjoy an atmospheric night out.
From the outside, these bars look like normal buildings. But within the sprawling interiors and courtyards, you'll find yourself in a hip, artsy, and funky bar with brick walls covered in graffiti, mismatched flea-market furniture and objects hanging from the ceiling. The places aren't repaired or fixed up, and you'll see holes in the walls. Artists come in to leave their unique mark on the walls, floors and ceilings!
All the photos below were taken at Szimpla Kert, which as mentioned above was the very first ruin bar. We visited during the day since the clientele in the evenings is a much younger crowd(!), but also because it was empty enough to take photos.
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Buda Castle
As you may have guessed, Buda Castle sits on the southern tip of Castle Hill on the Buda side of the Danube. It is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian Kings in Budapest, and is sometimes still referred to as the Royal Palace. Buda Castle houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest Historical Museum, and is surrounded by the tourist area known as the Castle Quarter with its monuments, churches and gardens.
There is a Castle Hill Funicular at the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, though we found that walking up was more fun and very picturesque!
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Strolling Around Town
It was very relaxing to stroll along the Danube River, past the busy sidewalk cafés, taking photos of various steeples and churches. We were awed by the beautiful parliament buildings, delighted by a group of colorful dancers, and felt the ambiance of the city. We also took a boat ride down the Danube River, stopping off at Margaret Island and enjoying the views from the water.
This is a miscellaneous group of photos of both Pest and Buda, and if you click through the gallery you will see the captions describing what you are looking at!
Budapest has a total of eight bridges that cross the Danube River. If I had thought about it at the start of our visit, I would have made a point of taking a photo of each of these unique bridges!
The Széchenyi Chain Bridge was the first one built, and is definitely the most famous. Unfortunately, the sidewalks along the bridge were under construction while we were there, so it was closed to pedestrians.
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Vajdahunyad Castle
Vajdahunyad Castle is located in Budapest City Park. Despite its old architecture, it was actually built in 1896 as part of the Millennial Exhibition. The main façade is a replica of Hunyad Castle in Romania, and the various wings that were added are replicas of some of the finest buildings in historical Hungary. The result is a single eclectic castle with architectural styles from the Middle Ages to the 18th century!
My hubby said it looked like a Disney castle. Personally, I was captivated and felt like I was in a romantic fantasy!
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Street Art
Every city and town we visited in Central Europe seemed to have unique and funky street art.
Bring it on!!
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Thanks for visiting!
