Earlier this year our CEO Vivien Godfrey visited Budapest. Here’s what she got up to:
September is a great month to visit Budapest. We had calm sunny days to wander the streets and enjoy riding many street cars. However if we had visited just a week earlier we would have endured heavy rains and before we arrived, the Danube had burst her banks and several streets and Metro stops were flooded and closed.
We stayed in a great Marriott Courtyard that was very central and had good public transport nearby. Our favourite way to get around was using the street cars. My husband who is over 65 rode free and for me the cost of each ticket was very reasonable.
The highlights of our 3 night visit were in no particular order the St Stephen’s Basilica which holds the mummified right hand of King Stephen. Peering into the casket that holds the hand you can certainly see a thumb and two fingers. The interior decoration of the Basilica is magnificent and the view from the towers over Pest is very good.
The Dohany Synagogue was also impressive and our visit was enhanced by having an excellent guided tour. When you enter the synagogue you will observe a sea of flags of various nationalities among the pews. Head for the flag which signifies the language of the docent who is waiting there to provide your free tour. The history of the location, the building and the ghetto is very moving. Also having recently seen the film “One Life” starring Anthony Hopkins about the bravery of the Englishman Nicholas Winton in helping hundreds of Jewish children escape from the Nazis it was amazing to find a lovely memorial to him in the garden.
Dohany Synagogue
My favourite stop was the 2 hours we spend in the St Gellert thermal baths. It is not expensive to visit the baths and you have the choice of 2 swimming pools (only one if you forget your swimming cap) and 5 thermal pools ranging from medium warm to very hot. There are two steam baths, one extremely hot and the other so excruciatingly hot that you might only last 2 minutes inside. Outside each steam bath is a very tiny and cold plunge pool. The swimming pool that does not require your cap is outside along with one of the thermal pools and there are a huge number of loungers to bask in the sun.
Quite by accident we walked by the impressive Central Market Hall which was filled with purveyors of fruits, vegetables, cheese, pickles, sausages, honey, nuts and many other delicious items. The market also has vendors of traditional embroidery and other decorative items. Definitely worth a visit.
Your visit would not be complete without a visit to the New York cafe which is an elaborately decorated restaurant attached to the New York hotel. There is a queue to enter at all hours of the day (reservations only available for dinner). I have no idea why the hotel and cafe are called New York!
Vivien recommends:
Budapest Marco Polo Pocket Travel Guide – with pull out map
£9.99