January 2017

So following our recent trip to Budapest, we have selected what we think are the best highlights of this cool city. Feel free to comment with any other recommendations, as I am sure we will be heading back at some point!

We visited the city in December/January, which of course restricted us in terms of weather. Budapest can be a very, very cold place in winter! We experienced temperatures ranging from +3 to -7 degrees! The recommendations we mention below are based on a Winter trip, but we will mention a few suggestions that may be better in Summer than Winter as well.

MUST KNOW

Budapest is steeped in history, dating as far back as the Roman Empire, exchanging hands throughout the next few centuries until finally being declared as the capital of Hungary in the 14th Century. Still the capital today, the city displays its several layers of history in its buildings, art, and general atmosphere. We found the city very welcoming and offering something for pretty much everyone. The name Budapest didn’t actually come around until the late 1800s and is derived from the names of towns on each side of the infamous Danube River. The west side being Buda and Obuda and the east, Pest. We found even today there is a distinct feel to each side of the river, with the Buda side (West) home to much older architecture and calmer than the more contemporary, lively Pest side. The Romans and much later the Ottomans whom ruled the city for over 140 years, left an eternal mark on the city through the form of Thermal Baths, with several still open today. The land in and around Budapest was blessed with numerous thermal springs running underneath the surface. Baths were created all over the city to make use of these ‘medicinal’ waters.