Hungary - Wildly rejuvenating

There’s a certain mystic aura to Budapest (roughly pronounced ‘Boo-dah-pesht’ in Hungarian) that veils the gems of this city.

You’ll have to take a plunge into it, a leap of faith and trust you’ll be better off knowing and experiencing than simply playing it safe and not ever get to those gems. Least that’s what I think made my time and experience in Budapest so enjoyable.

Even before visiting Budapest I knew it to be associated with an eccentric nightlife which is traditionally a beacon call for those who seek unrestrained nightlife fun in whatever form that may be - drinking, disco, dancing, etc.

I must admit I did follow the beacon call and participated in such eccentric nightlife. After all Budapest is a party town!

The above image (click here to enlarge) contains a hybrid bus vehicle in the Danube river. Yes you can ride a bus on the river in Budapest with a company called RiverRide.

Ruin Bars

No, not the metallic bars which incarcerate innocent and not so innocent souls.

These are actual bars serving alcohol and entertainment in dilapidated structures which resemble ruins of their former self. Budapest was the place of origin of this trend and certainly remains the place where they are most prominent.

I suppose I was somewhat prepared for this concept seeing as I had last visited Bratislava in Slovakia, where I had been in an odd looking bar that similarly to the ruin bars in Budapest was located in a dilapidated building which used to be an office of sorts.

In my opinion the concept of Ruin Bars works better in Budapest than in Bratislava. I’m curious about which and how other cities have adopted this concept.

Szimpla is perhaps ground zero and by far the most popular ruin bar out there in Budapest. It’s corky and basically an amalgamation of a variety of bars in one massive garage.

Budapest is split into Buda and Pest and it’s critical to understand which is which as they’re quite different from one to the other.

Pest

Pest side is east of the Danube river and this is where one will find the main spots and landmarks to visit in Budapest. It is also where the majority, if not all, of the ruin bars are located in Budapest.

The Pest side is far more touristic than the Buda side and unless you’re looking for some chilled and relaxed times in Budapest I definitely recommend booking accommodation in Pest side as you’ll be closer to the main landmarks and will have a large variety of venues to pick from either to get food, drink, entertainment and culture.

Buda

Buda side is, non-surprisingly 😏, west of the Danube river and is where one can find the iconic castle district and the Buda castle. I spent most of my time walking around Castle district and must say it’s definitely worth taking a stroll up there.

You can either walk up there (~10mins) or ride a cable car. Once there you’ll find a peaceful neighbourhood, a gorgeous shimmering church and the beautiful Fisherman’s Bastion amongst other buildings and landmarks.

There’s not as much to do in Buda as there is in Pest and in comparison the Buda side can be lacklustre.

Still it’s a nice break from Pest as it does help unwind and bring it down a notch, either that be by strolling around the Castle district or popping in the Gellért Thermal Bath which I did in my last day in Budapest to rejuvenate and get some much needed relaxation.

There are also thermal spas in the Pest side, a highly recommended one is Széchenyi which judging by the pictures is somewhat more ample and spacious than Gellért but also likelier to be crowded.

Food

Hungarian food is great but mind you that it is not the healthiest to say the least. I didn’t get the chance to try much of the real local cuisine as I did a lot of exploring so I mostly ate on the go; one of the local recipes I did try was the Gulyás (Goulash) which was extremely delicious but the one I had was a bit too oily in my opinion.

Others have told me that it’s usually not so oily so I would definitely retry it as soon as the opportunity emerges again.

A dish I regret not trying is the Lángos which was highly recommended as a perfect meaty night cap to ones boozy night, again, it’s not the healthiest thing to have but it does look tempting!

3 days was not enough in Budapest but it makes for a great appetizer and leaves you wanting for more, I’m definitely going back someday!