Budapest: The Better Prague

As you may know, Prague was not our favorite destination, and probably one of the few that was a bit disappointing. Having heard from friends that Budapest was awesome, we decided to give it a shot. And it definitely did not let us down; one of our favorite big city destinations to date. It was what I imagine Prague was like 15-20 years ago: super cheap, chill, not overly touristy, and most importantly, NOT full of smoke and bachelor parties. A wonderful weekend spent with friends {poor Michelle was stuck in Paris studying} in a wonderful city.

Budapest is the perfect winter destination, and we had a blast even though it was chilly and rainy the entire weekend. I had read that the Christmas markets in Budapest were some of the best in Europe, and I have to say, I think it's true. While they could be a little busy at times, they were very cozy and full of charm and the local, artisan crafts that are lacking from the French markets. Of course, we also took advantage of enjoying some of the traditional foods at the market as well--cabbage stew, pulled pork, mulled wine {everyone agrees, the best they've had anywhere}, and chimney rolls. Yum, yum!

The market in front of the Basilica projected a light show twice an hour onto the church, which was beautiful, even if we weren't sure what it was about. There was also several huge advent wreaths and nativity scenes scattered through the markets. In general, the town was very festive, with Christmas lights almost everywhere. Perfect to get us in the holiday spirit!

Of course, there are a few must-sees while in Budapest, but we actually didn't go inside any of them. We mostly enjoyed the architecture and lights by walking around. Because much of Budapest was destroyed in WWII you might think it would have a post-communist feel, but actually it's quite the opposite. While there are few not-so attractive buildings, most were rebuilt to emulate the original style of the city. Parliament was definitely one of my favorites...pretty at both day and night!

The subways are still from the 70's though!

The Nutcracker ballet was in town while we were there, and I had tried to get tickets ahead of time, but they were all sold out for the weekend. I had read in my Rick Steves' book that sometimes you can show up to the box office the day of the show and get last minute tickets. We decided to try Saturday morning, not thinking we'd really get tickets, and if we did, they would be for that evening. When she told us she had 3 seats in a box for less than $30 a ticket for the show starting in 20 minutes, we said "why not??"

However, this also meant we were not properly dressed for an opera in a fancy venue...we're sure most people must have rolled their eyes at the jean, flannel, hoodie wearing Americans who had some of the best seats in the house. It was an awesome performance, though, and well worth the looks we got. A beautiful venue throughout, even compared with Paris's Opera Garnier, which we experienced just a few days later {yes, we were living the high life that week}.

Do you see Skee & I waving from our awesome box?

And what visit to Budapest would be complete without mention of the thermal baths? Probably what Budapest is best known for, and it was an amazing experience. We chose to visit the Szechenyi Baths, which is probably one of the most famous, but still draws a large number of locals. After finding our personal changing rooms, we quickly entered the outdoor pools. Outside, there's one lap pool, and two baths, around 38 C.

The entire building is stunning and feels like you have stepped back in time. We also checked out the numerous indoor baths, which ranged in temperature from 20-36 C. A favorite was the current pool, where everyone had a blast swimming in circles. By far, most of our time was spent outside though, the cool winter air, made the outdoor baths feel perfect. An experience I would highly recommend to anyone!

While most of our meals were eaten at the Christmas markets, we did enjoy one night at Menza, which was a wonderful new twist on Hungarian favorites. While 29,000 ft may seem expensive for a meal for 5 people, when you do the conversion, it was incredibly cheap, like $20 a person, including wine. Afterward, we checked out a few of the ruin pubs, which are pubs built into buildings ruined during WWII. They look like dumps from the outside, but inside are an eclectic, vibrant feeling. Our favorite was Szimpla, which is the original ruin pub.

There is so much more I could say about Budapest, but I do know this, we will be back at some point soon. I hope Budapest continues to maintain is charm, which is welcoming to tourists, but still feels like nothing is catered specifically to tourists. Well worth a visit!

More photos here