When I was given the opportunity to visit Budapest I didn't know what to expect. The media portrays a certain view of Eastern Europe and going to Hungary had never been at the top of my travel bucket list but, having heard that the city is a new and upcoming place to be I gave it a go and wasn't disappointed...
We checked into the Mamaison Hotel Andrassy- not to be confused with the well known Malmaison hotels. This boutique hotel was positioned a twenty minute walk from the city centre and five minutes from Heroes Square- Budapest's version of the Brandenburg Gate! Upon arrival we received a free room upgrade which I now believe comes as standard when booking the hotel online- not too shabby!
The rooms were sizable, modern and most importantly SO comfortable- seriously the bed was like sleeping on clouds. You can get more information about the hotel and book online here.
That evening we headed to Heroes Square and I got my first glimpse of Budapest's beauty by night.
The next morning we headed bright and early to climb Budapest's Castle on the creatively named Castle Hill. Until visiting the city I had no idea that Buda and Pest were two parts of the city separated by the Danube and during the walk to Buda Castle the views of Pest were beautiful.
We continued upwards and soon realised that hill was home to more than just the castle...
The Budapest Parliament building sat overlooking the city like an old fashioned dolls house, complete with armed guards in the traditional Hungarian military dress.
I wasn't sure if standing next to them was exactly the done thing...but people do it to our Beefeaters right?! Either way i'm looking happy to be stood there even if he isn't!
We continued through the gates towards the huge Gothic castle. It really was like something out of Harry Potter come Dracula. Stone gargoyles, wrought iron gates and crumbling ruins lay before us like the setting of a horror movie, it was pretty impressive.
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| Oliver looking happy to be in such a creepy setting! |
We made our way out of the ruined castle and, staying in the district, towards the old town where on every turn there was a statue or monument.
St. Matthias church also sits at the top of the hill, at over 700 years old the church was once taken over by the Turkish and turned into a mosque before being restored once again at the start of the 19th century. It lies in front of the fisherman's bastion and just like the castle is free to enter.
To experience a part of the true Budapest the Castle district and the top of Castle Hill is definitely not to be missed. We chose to walk the steep route as we wanted to stretch our legs and take in the sights but there is a cable lift for those that don't fancy the climb- the sights are still amazing.
We began the walk down at nightfall and saw the city light up as we looked over the river towards the parliament building.
We slept well that night after all the exercise and exploring the old town and I would highly recommend paying the district a visit as it holds such a lot of Budapest's sights in such a small space.
Have you been to Budapest? Is there anywhere else I should've gone?
Keep your eyes peeled for part two of my trip to Budapest when I explored the parliament buildings, walked up ANOTHER hill and went to a dessert gallery.
G x
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