Budapest Map

I flew early evening from Istanbul to Budapest on a two–hour flight on Turkish Airlines. It took some time to get through immigration but then I was on my way to my hotel where my later Cosmos tour would be leaving from: the Novotel Centrum, a modern hotel with an elevator which I greatly appreciated after walking up three flights of winding stairs at my hotel in Istanbul.

I had been to Budapest once before, in 2011, and had seen most of the “must” sights, so I took various tours to see other sights and also to see more of Hungary. For the photos I took in 2011, go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/budapest/ (Albums, Central/Eastern Europe–2, “Day 10, Budapest);  http://www.peggysphotos.com/a–walk–along–the–danube–pest–side/ (Slide Shows, Central Europe, Central/Eastern Europe–1, “Danube Walk: Pest Side”); Central/Eastern Europe Movies, pages 1–3.

A map of Budapest. Budapest is made up of three parts: Buda, which is hilly; Pest, which is flat; and Obuda, which is north of Buda, but which you probably will visit only if you take a trip to Momento Park, which I did.

On my various tours of Budapest, I went or saw from a distance the areas I put on this map. The indispensable guide to Budapest is Rick Steves’ “Budapest.”

Budapest Explorer

The first tour I took in Budapest was the “Budapest Explorer,” an Urban Adventure tour which I booked through City Discovery. We met at the flower store near the tram stop at Margaret Bridge, Pest side. I took a taxi from my hotel here.

Budapest taxi drivers are known to overcharge, so it is recommended that you book what are called hotel taxis through your hotel. I did this.

I didn’t take a photo of Margaret Bridge as just when I was going to I remembered I had to call to confirm two tours with a company named Eurotours. Really odd, but the phone number they gave for confirmation was an Austrian number. And then it took me awhile to figure out how to use my prepaid global phone as I use it only when I travel. By then, my tour guide had arrived and two tour mates, two women from Australia but not traveling together.

The tour was very informative but walking was fast and we didn’t spend much time in most places so photo–taking was difficult. I was going to go back to some of the places to take more photos but the two times I was going to do this it was pouring rain, so I didn’t.

Budapest Explorer

A photo of Castle Hill taken on our walk. We were walking on the Pest side; Castle Hill is across the Danube on the Buda side.

Budapest Explorer

The Chain Bridge across the Danube, which was destroyed by the Nazis at the end of World War II and later rebuilt.

Budapest Explorer

We spent most of our time walking on Andrassy Avenue which has many old buildings on it, stores, and cafes.

Budapest Explorer

One of the main sights along Andrassy Avenue is the Hungarian State Opera House which opened in 1884.

Budapest Explorer

One of the highlights of the tour was the ride on the Millennium Underground, the first subway on Continental Europe, which opened in 1896 (and still in use as we rode on it).

Budapest Explorer

We got off the subway near the Szechenyi Baths, a hot mineral springs spa. I went there to “take the baths” a few days later, so it was very helpful to know how to take the metro there and save on taxi rides.

Budapest Explorer

Our last stop was at Heroes’ Square, where Hungarian leaders are honored. This was the end of our walking tour. I went back to the city center with my tour guide on the Millennium Underground.

Budapest Explorer

I had lunch at a cafe, a “safe” ham and cheese sandwich (I wasn’t ready to try Hungarian dishes) and then walked up Vaci Utca (Vaci Street), the tourist street to buy some embroidered pillow cases.

I have put my photos of the Budapest Explorer on a slide show. Go to:

http://www.peggysphotos.com/budapest–explorer/

(Slide Shows, Central Europe, Hungary, “Budapest Explorer”).

I took a taxi back to my hotel, first walking back to the Intercontinental Hotel to as the doorman to call me a taxi. He would call a hotel taxi which wouldn’t overcharge me.

Budapest at Night

I ate dinner at my hotel and then took another taxi to meet my next tour guide at the Discover Budapest tour office behind the opera house for the “Night Stroll & Boat Cruise” tour (I booked this tour through Viator). This was my second walking tour of the day. I was the only one on the tour. Even if you are the only one signed up for a walking tour, the tour will usually be a go, but if you sign up for a tour that involves bus or a large van, there usually has to be a minimum number of people besides yourself for the tour to run.

Our first sight lit up at night was the opera house.

Budapest at Night

Our second major sight was St. Istvan’s Basilica. Quite beautiful lit up.

Budapest at Night

As soon as we walked into the square, an Easter Vigil procession started from the church’s doors. This was an unexpected treat for both my guide and me. The organ music and the choir filled up the square and the surrounding streets for a truly beautiful experience. For a movie of the procession and music, go to Movies, Central/Eastern Europe Movies–2, page 1.

Budapest at Night

Behind the Parliament Building is Liberty Square and the unlit memorial to the Soviet solders who “liberated” Hungary at the end of World War II.

Budapest at Night

Very close to the Soviet statue is an unlit statue of Ronald Reagan.

Budapest at Night

Also close by is a lit bridge and statue of Imre Nagy who tried to bridge the divide between the totalitarian Soviet Hungary and the freedom of the West.

Budapest at Night

We walked to the Danube and viewed the Empty Shoes memorial to the Jews killed during World War II.

Budapest at Night

My tour guide put me next on a Danube River cruise. She was not coming along. I had already taken a Danube cruise when I was in Budapest my first time and had taken movies of the cruise. Go to Movies, Europe: Central/Eastern Europe Movies–1, pages 1 & 2.

Photo: The Parliament Building at night taken on my present cruise.

I arranged with the cruise people for a taxi to take me back to my hotel after the cruise. There were plenty of taxis waiting to overcharge their customers at the dock. If I couldn’t arrange the taxi I took, I would have walked back to the close–by Intercontinental Hotel and asked the doorman to get me a hotel taxi.