Budapest holiday destination review – never thought I would really like it

Well, what does everyone know about Budapest? It’s the capital of Hungary, an ex-communist country, located in the eastern part of Europe. It has been under the socialist regime (until 1990) and for years in a row has struggled with poverty and economic reforms. The city itself has been transformed under the communists by building lots of big, tasteless buildings. This is what I knew about Budapest before going this year to visit it. I’ve heard from my friends that it has become a beautiful capital, one of the best of the ex-communist area, and that it was rather cheap to stay there.

I stayed in Budapest for three nights, one day before and one after the New Year’s Eve. I chose a two stars hotel and I was pleasantly surprised to find it clean, warm (with floor heating) and with a nice view. Not knowing much about the attractions there, since I’d decided to go in the last minute, I took a tourist map, and that you can find almost everywhere, and started with their most known church: St. Stephan. This was free to visit and in front of it we could find a guide who was gathering people for a free tour around the capital. That was especially nice, since I didn’t intent to spend too much money on this trip. The guide spoke a clear English, even if not always the best, but we could understand very well the little history lesson she taught us and the explanations on the main objectives of their city. We got a nice walking tour and saw the main castles, churches, the House of Parliament (which, we learned, was the third in the world after the Romanian and Brazilian ones) and the main bridges that crossed the Danube River. The only two things I didn’t like about the tour were that the history the guide told us was altered to their best interest and that at the end of the free tour we were told to give a very specific tip, something that kind of damaged the image they wanted to create.

A very interesting feature of Budapest is represented by the thermal baths. They are located in the Buda part of the city, and my experience with them was a very special one, since I could lavish in hot water while being surrounded by snow. The Pest part of the capital is mostly about restaurants and clubs.

In the evening, me and my friends went to a restaurant and had to take the car. We’ve heard stories about people who had problems finding a parking spot, so we were a little nervous about it, especially being so close to New Year’s Eve. The welcomed surprise was that not only we found a parking spot, but it was absolutely free. The authorities disposed those two weeks around the winter holidays all the parking lots are to be free of charge. Well, that was a nice gesture indeed. Coming back from the restaurant, where beside the fact that I’ve eaten the hottest chili ever, had nothing remarkable to eat, we were amazed by the beauty of Budapest at night. The bridges over the Danube were all of different colors and sparkled in the dark. The beauty of those dancing lights was as breathtaking as the cold outside.

Adding up all the things I’ve experienced in Budapest, I’d say it’s worth seeing it, even for more than three nights, but next time I’ll go in the summer.