A Tale of Two Cities: Buda & Pest

St Ivan Church

So after a bit of a hiccup at the start it could only get better from there and Budapest did not disappoint me in the slightest. Budapest is essentially two cities divided by the Danube River. Buda is the quieter, more historical part of the capital and Pest is livelier and has more nightlife. I stayed in Pest in a great location near a lot of bars and restaurants but during the day I saw the sights of Buda.



Pita Bread stuffed with Cheese and Turkish Sausage with a Herder Salad

As soon as I arrived in I pleased to see the weather was a bit cooler than in the cities I had previously travelled. There was a cool breeze which was perfect when you were walking all day and Budapest is definitely a walk-able city. I didn’t catch public transport while I was there (other than the novelty Funicular Tram to get up to Buda Castle and a bus to go outside the city to go Caving) but apparently transport was quite easy to navigate. I walked from Buda to Pest and all the way back again and my walks were lovely, soaking in the architecture and the sights and sounds of this amazing city.



Heroes' Square

In the morning I stopped by a cafe for a lazy brunch before I got my exploring underway starting in Pest. I headed out of Heroes' Square, a huge monument to the heroes of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Then I walked all the way to the Buda side, spending some time on the bridge, daydreaming as I walked over the Danube until I finally arrived in Buda. I decided it would fun (okay I admit, the walking was enough!) to get the Furnicular Tram up to the top of Buda Castle. Once I was at the summit I experienced the most spectacular view of the city.



Chain Bridge



Furnicular Tram to Buda Castle

I walked to a cafe ordered an Apple Strudel with Vanilla Cream and an espresso for some energy. I explored some more and found some more beautiful buildings and statues such as St Matthias Church where there were some more breathtaking views of the city and eye catching Hungarian Parliament Building.



Apple Strudel with Vanilla Cream



The castle grounds



St Matthias Church



Hungarian Parliament Building