Budapest (June 25-29, 2024):
History of Budapest in a few lines:
Origins:
Budapest was formed from three historical cities: Buda, Óbuda, and Pest, located on either side of the Danube River. The Romans established settlements in the area in the 1st century, known as Aquincum.
Middle Ages:
After the arrival of the Magyars in the 9th century, Buda became the political center of the Kingdom of Hungary. During this time, castles and fortifications were built that marked its strategic importance.
19th Century:
In 1873, Buda, Óbuda, and Pest officially united to form Budapest. The city experienced a great economic and architectural boom, becoming one of the most modern capitals in Europe.
Present:
Today, Budapest is the capital of Hungary, famous for its monumental architecture, thermal baths, and vibrant cultural life. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a key tourist and economic center in Central Europe.
This is our 3rd time in Budapest, but this trip was very special because we gave it to the girls as a gift for their 18th birthday, so we wanted to do everything and it went great from day 1, although it was incredibly hot!.
Budapest was a very, very cheap city about 5-10 years ago, but now it's much more expensive. Even so, it's still one of our favorites (although now you have to pay to enter everything). But even so, it has everything: history, especially Jewish history, relaxation, nightlife…
Highly recommended.
The Airbnb was great and the area was exactly what we wanted because we had been there before and liked it, so perfect.
Don't expect accommodations like in Spain; they all look like they're about to fall apart, but that's just how they are. So prioritize location because, although the interiors are quite old, they're not bad, and it's worth being well-located. At least in our case, it was.
The spa has gone up a lot since the last time I went, but it's really worth it even though it's expensive.
We took the cruise at dusk and Budapest is amazing when it's lit up.
Budapest has a rich history, amazing spas, stunning buildings, huge parks to get lost in, but it also has fantastic ruin bars and an incredible party scene!
Round trip flight: €136/person with Ryanair.
Airbnb: Hungarian Rebelian in the Center with AC€285 for 4 people, 4 nights. Booked through Booking.com.
Visit to parliament: €14/person
Cruise 1h: €11/person. Includes a drink; you get two options.
Ruin Bars Route, The top 5 restaurants with drinks included: €21/person. Skip the lines and go with a group of people from other countries.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath: €37/person in high season, prices fluctuate. Avoid going from Friday to Sunday because it's crowded.
Great Synagogue of Budapest (Dohány): It's very expensive, €30 per person, but if you like this kind of story, for us it's the best we've seen. They're closed on Saturdays.
Information obtained from the web https://www.exteriores.gob.es
Passport/ID: Both are valid
European Health Insurance Card: It's necessary, it's very easy to order online and they send it to your home. Request.
Vaccines: There are no mandatory vaccinations for entry.
International driving permit: There's no need. DGT.
Payment/exchange card: We always travel with Revolut definitely.
Roaming: Yeah.
Where to eat: If you want to eat at a restaurant, there's also the app. TheFork which has many discounts. If you book with the code 7C1B79A3 When you are finishing the booking, you will get 1000 Yums = €10 discount at your next meal. In addition to other special offers they often have, or simply to accumulate points and use them for discounts on your next payments.
