Hungary is a very beautiful country in Eastern Europe with a very fascinating history connecting all of the eastern european countries together. It had always been on my bucket list, as it is a very popular destination among tourists. The young crowd loves to party in Budapest, it is actually called one of the most popular party destinations in the world. Well, coming from New York city, I had no intentions of Partying in Budapest.

Buda and Pest are two different areas in the city separated by the Danube river and connected by a couple of bridges, out of which the most popular bridge is the Chain bridge. Buda is the old city side, which is architecturally very beautiful and Pest is the newer city, which has the most iconic Hungarian parliament building, and some other beautiful landmarks. I and my dear friend planned this trip together in summer this year to celebrate her birthday and we had a wonderful time. Weather was very pleasant, so we enjoyed walking around in the city even more. We stayed there for 3 days and it was sufficient to see the city.

I always comment on the local people in my blog posts, but my personal experiences were pretty sour there, so my only advice to you would be “JUST BE VERY CAREFUL” specially with cab drivers, small stores, restaurants, and souvenirs stores. Make sure you count your money in front of them while paying because they try to take advantage of that (from my own experiences).  There are a lot of tourists traps in the tourist areas, so it would be little expensive, but usually city is not at all expensive.

Must see: Buda Castle (it’s closed from inside due to the fire caused during world war II), Matthais church and Fisherman’s bastion (for views of Pest side), Chain Bridge, Citadel (for views), St Stephen’s Basilica, Hungarian Parliament building (tour is must), Great Market hall (a good place to buy souvenirs, PLEASE DO NOT EAT LANGOSH/LOCAL FOOD IN THIS AREA, as the only restaurant which serves local Hungarian food here is very corrupt. My personal experience was terrible there, so I wouldn’t recommend you to eat. Shoes on the Danube bank, Sczchenyi thermal baths (these thermal baths are hideous, smelly and extremely dirty, their interiors smell like horse stable and pools are very dirty, so a big “NO” to that), Hosok tere (a small square), Nyugati railway terminal by Gustav Eiffel, evening Ferry tour of Danube river is a must. I would recommend taking a stroll in the city, its gorgeous.

Restaurants: Spoon (it is a boat restaurant, food and views were outstanding), Someone recommended us New York Cafe: A big “NO” to that (please don’t go there for food, interiors are breathtaking, but that’s pretty much it)

What to wear: Summer was nice and warm, I mostly wore comfortable clothes and shoes to walk around in the city. Also, cabs are cheap so even if you decide to wear heels, you can totally take a cab.

Ready for an excursion to eastern Europe? Pack your bags and explore the world.

Ciao!!