Our last city on our Central European Adventure with kids was Budapest, Hungary. We did not know what to expect from this city. But we had heard great things, though these were people who had not traveled there with kids. Budapest ended up being our favorite stop on this trip. It is a delightful city – so much fun, so warm and friendly.
Since we arrived at our AirBnB late at night, we were able to get right up and (after some delicious pastries from right down the street) take a tip-based walking tour from FreeTours.com. Our guide was a peppy Budapest native. We discovered how wonderfully central our AirBnB actually was when we saw the hisitoric area was a neat little square of the Pest side. Budapest was originally two cities. Buda is up on a set of hills. It is very beautiful and holds lots of the historic parts, being the royal residence and government seat. On the other side of the Danube River is Pest, where the people live. This is one of the cool things about Budapest, this duality. Pest feels a bit like New York. Buda is just charming everywhere you turn.
On the tour we got the Hungarian view of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, communist occupation, and the Holocaust. There is a whole different tour of the Buda side, which we never took. They love their Empress Sissi here, as well as in Austria. Next time we plan to visit the museum dedicated to her and learn why she is so beloved. She has a beautiful statue very close to our AirBnB and we visited that square several times.
Our tour took us to St, Stephen’s Basilica Square, which I had planned to pay to go into and climb the tower. We never did that because every trip to the Buda side presented another beautiful view of the city. This square does contain something wonderful that you must try: the gelato rose from Gelarto Rosa. The shape is so fun, but the flavors are amazing! It was perfect for the very hot June days we were experiencing.
This is a very walkable city, with lots going on. After the tour we went down the riverbank just a bit to the Shoes on the Danube Memorial. It is Budapest’s heart-wrenching Holocaust memorial. Thousands of Hungarian Jews were yanked out of the crowded ghetto they had been forced into, stripped naked, leaving their shoes on the bank, shot, and thrown into the Danube. The memorial looks like era shoes of all kinds and sizes lined up along the Danube riverbank. The little kid shoes brought tears to my eyes and made an impact on my kids.
We went to Smash Langos for lunch. Langos is a yummy fluffy sort of Hungarian fried flatbread that they top with sour cream and shredded cheese in a pizza looking way. Its even better when used as a hamburger bun. We tried these popular street food lunch/snack several times from several places. Definitely try it. There is nothing not to like about this. But split one. It is a lot of bread!
We heard that the Budapest ruin bars are a must-see. So, on the same street as Smash Langos we visited the most famous one, Szimpla Kvet. This is a trip with kids, so we were there to look around. It was about 3:00 p.m. and while there were plenty of people drinking in there, there was also a small craft market, one bar that served mocktails, and plenty of things to see for kids. There was a very raunchy gift shop on the top floor that we quickly moved away from, but otherwise it was fine. We sat and listened to a bit of music, explored the art and bought a few souvenirs at the craft tables. It is really remarkable how such a thing of such beauty was created from a broken down shelled out building.
So many people said to us not to miss a Danube River Cruise that we looked for one when we went down to the Riverfront area and booked a bargain for that evening. So I have mixed thoughts on this. We paid extra for a “Welcome Drink” which was not one we got to choose. It turned out to be cheap champagne or apple juice if you weren’t drinking. The sides where you could go outside and view the passing city were very crowded. Sitting inside was cooler and less crowded – and also had some fun entertainment, but wasn’t quite the same as seeing it without the glass windows.
The folk dancers were fun and we got to take pictures with them. The musicians were entertaining. And we eked out a spot on the open sides to view the amazing Parliament Building on the way down and Buda and Gellert Hill on the way back. I think we got what we paid for. I left feeling a bit like cattle. My nine year old declared it “fun”. I would say do it to see another view of the city, but temper your expectations. Its a cattle cruise.
I thought this World War II and Cold War relic would be a great history lesson – and it was. Buda is built on natural limestone caves which were not mapped and connected until 1937. The city used these, seeing another world war looming, to build a bunker and safe, underground hospital. My nine year doesn’t mind a bit of the macabre, but my 20 year old was very vocal that the wax figurines all through the hospital that are used to help you understand how the hospital functioned were creepy. I would agree that the bleeding soldiers in surgery were gross, but it was a fascinating tour. I would love to share a photo, but no photography was permitted. If asked, I don’t know that I would take a child under 8 or 9 through. It depends on the kid. Mine was a tiny bit bothered, but certainly not enough that she was in a hurry to leave. She really wanted to own a vintage canteen from the gift shop.
Since we were on the Buda side, we spent the rest of the day exploring the Buda Castle complex. Take the charming vintage funicular to the top. As one of my daughters quipped “Take the funicular. It’s more quickular.” Then turn toward the Gellert Hill side and look around the castle area. There are lots of buildings up here. There is a free history museum that looked fun, but we didn’t have time for it. The castle houses an art museum. The views from that area are lovely.
Next, walk the other way, past the funicular, and see if you can catch the changing of the guard at noon at the prime minister’s residence. Several of the castle buildings were under construction, including the one that is supposed to be a palace. This was highly disappointing to my nine year old, but there was plenty to see. Stroll all the way over Fisherman’s Bastion, possibly the most picturesque structure in Buda. It was honestly too hot to do much outdoor exploring. Everyone comes alive after the sun goes down here. Our next tour was a welcome break from the heat!
The caves under Buda are 54 degrees (F) all year round. What a welcome relief from the heat! We took the longer 1.5 hour tour. Don’t confuse this with the spelunking adventure tour or the labyrinth. This was an exploration by a park ranger with lots of humor and history. Its a relatively new tour. We enjoyed learning about the use as a war bunker, the modifications, the crimes committed down there, and the secret raves of the 1990s. It was exciting and had no creepy wax figures.
When we emerged, it was much cooler. We rented Lime scooters and planned to go up Gellert Hill to the Citadel monument. I had a lot of things on my list to see on the wooded Gellert Hill, but it was just too hot. The scooters only let us go up to a lookout below the Citadel. Since the Citadel and its monuments can be seen from almost anywhere in Budapest, we opted to stay at the unexpectedly delightful viewpoint and watch the sunset. We walked all over Budapest, only taking the downtown trolley circle a few times, so we didn’t really feel like the straight uphill Citadel walk at the end of the day. It was a perfect choice. As soon as the sun set the bugs came out and it was time to head back.
Dinner was not spectacular in Budapest. We tried traditional chicken paprikash, goulash, and dumplings. They were all good, not memorable. What was memorable was dessert. We tried traditional chimney cakes in several places with various toppings. Then we went to Budapest Chimney Cake Workshop where we made our own. It lasted about one hour, and was in English, We had to take the subway a bit out of the city center, but we enjoyed seeing another Budapest neighborhood. Our instructor was a soft-spoken university student, but she turned out to be good at her job. The cakes were delicious and it was a fun afternoon in the a/c. They served tea and coffee while you waited for the pastry to bake and you were not rushed out while you ate.
After two weeks in Europe, jet lag, walking everywhere and intense heat, our last day was relaxing at the thermal baths. They are pricey and despite what we read all over the internet, there seems to be only one thermal bath open to kids, Palatinus Strand on St. Margaret’s Island in the middle of the Danube. There are lots of things to see on St. Margaret’s Island, but the heat of the day and the enjoyment of the Baths caused us to abandon earlier plans and stay all day in the mineral waters.
There was something for everyone here- places for adults to relax, bubbly chairs, waterslides for teens, smaller ones for kids, and a wave pool that my nine year old was addicted to! There were steam rooms, saunas, a hot tub, a cold plunge pool, and an ice machine to rub yourself down with. Kids are not allowed in those amenities, but they are not prohibited from playing in the ice machine next to the hot tub while you dip, if well behaved and quiet. This was a really fun, relaxing day. It was perfect before a long day of travel back to Miami. The grounds are beautiful, the employees really polite, and mineral waters refreshing.
We finished the trip with a look at Fisherman’s Bastion at night to say farewell to an unexpected delight of a city. Kids or no kids, Budapest is on the will return list!
