Budapest was our first point of call on our road trip from Sofia back to the UK. With only 24 hours in Budapest, we had a lot to squeeze in and so here is how we made the most of our time in this beautiful city.
We were buzzing with excitement when we drove through the streets late at night. Budapest is a city that demands your complete attention as it offers so much to experience, see and do. Everywhere you look you see a grand buildings and amazing architecture.
Budapest has been named as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and also has an extensive World Heritage Site that includes Buda Castle area, the banks of the river Danube and Heroes’ Square.
With the city bisected by the Danube river, we decided to head to the Buda Castle area first. Its a great place to go to get a bird’s eye view of the city and orient yourself a little when you’ve only got 24 hours in Budapest.
How to spend 24 hours in Budapest
Matthias Church
Matthias Church is a Roman Catholic church, that takes it names from the beloved Hungarian King Matthias, and is probably one of the most beautiful churches I have seen, boasting Gothic style. It is right in front of the Fisherman’s Bastion and should definitely not be missed. The church took center stage during the coronation church of many a Hungarian kings.
Matthias Church Buda Castle Quarter
Fisherman’s Bastion
This terrace built in a neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style is perched on the Castle hill offering unobstructed panoramic views of the city of Budapest spilling on both sides of the Danube river banks, specially of the bridges over the Danube, notably the Chain Bridge, the Parliament building and other areas of Budapest.
A view to behold
I remember being fascinated by the terrace as it looked so much like a fairy tale castle.
Fishermen’s Bastion
The fishermen were responsible for defending this area of the city and therefore the name Fisherman’s Bastion.
Views on the tower at Fishermen’s Bastion
A majestic statue of St Stephen sits between the Matthias church and the Bastion.
St Stephens statue at Fishermen’s Bastion
The terrace has seven towers, many winding stairs and walking paths. There is a cafe as well – good place to stop for a quick snack and drink.
Coffee over the views
Buda Castle
Buda Castle is probably the most popular attraction on Castle Hill. It is a castle that has been destroyed and rebuilt several times through the many wars fought in Europe.
Buda Castle
There was lots to do in the Castle which now is home to the Budapest History Museum, the Hungarian National Gallery and the National Széchényi Library. We vowed that we would take a look at each of these attractions in our next trip.
Fountain at Matthias Church
We took the stairs to the lower levels by the river banks and walked through well maintained gardens. It was a nice way to escape the afternoon heat.
If you would like a ‘lazier’ more convenient way, they take the funicular to go up to Castle Hill. We only noticed it when we had already reached street level.
Chain Bridge
A true Budapest icon and the first permanent bridge to connect Buda and Pest, the Chain Bridge conveniently sits in an important and rather popular area. Buda and Castle Hill lie on one side while the Parliament building on the other. We got off the stairs from Castle Hill and straight onto the bridge from the roundabout, it was a perfect way to get over the river and also to our next attraction – the Parliament building.
The Chain Bridge over The Danube
The Hungarian Parliament Building
The Parliament is a beautiful Gothic-styled building making it probably one of the most recognised and iconic buildings in Budapest. We read that 1000 people helped construct this majestic building using 40 million bricks, 40kgs of gold and half a million precious stones. So precious indeed. Its sad to imagine that the architect of this building, Imre Steindl, went blind before completion of construction.
Although it was possible to tour the building from inside, we could not due to lack of time.
Danube
We walked along the Danube river for some time while we made our way to Pest side and Heroes’ Square.
Some fun boat ride options were available.
Heroes Square
Heroes Square is one of the most prominent squares in Budapest. It is known for its iconic statues featuring the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars and other important national leaders, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
And then I saw the bubbles
We wandered around a little more before calling it a day, but not before getting ourselves a proper spicy Hungarian meal.
Post dinner it was time to bid adieu to this magnificent city and move onto the next leg of our road trip – Vienna.
