A little trip to Budapest
10th February 2016
Just after Christmas my mum took me on a little last minute trip to Budapest, and we had the best time ever. Budapest is such a beautiful city, split into two halves; on one side you’ve got ‘Buda’, on the other you’ve got ‘Pest’ and calmly running its way between the two is the great ‘Danube’ River. Each side is equally as lovely as the other, but the two have quite different feels to them; Buda is the hilly side, it has lots of little winding streets, an amazing old castle and the prettiest views of the city… Pest is where you’ll find all of the wonderful markets, eclectic shops and bars and the buzz of everyday city life.
With some trusty recommendations from my amazing auntie Christine, we set off with a feeling of utter excitement to explore all of Budapest.
The first thing to say about Budapest, apart from the fact it is a beautiful city, is that it’s soooooo cheap! If you’re looking to do a fun city break on a budget, this is for sure the place for you. If you book far enough in advance, or reallyyy last minute, you’ll be able to find some super cheap flights too. Budapest is definitely a chilled out place, it’s not too busy or overcrowded, I like that.
On our first day we stopped off for breakfast at a little place called ‘Gerloczy‘ (the best scrambled eggs ever!) and on our stroll back we stumbled upon this pop-up wild flower bar. It was such a simple, natural little shop and it was so lovely to gaze through the windows and watch the florists putting together stylish wreaths and bouquets. There’s lots of unusual little spots like this dotted all over the city.
Something that Budapest is famous for, and one of my absolute favourite bits, are their ‘Ruin Pubs’ or ‘Ruin Bars’ and if you take a trip to Budapest you have got to check these places out, they’re amazing. The Ruin Bars are hidden in derelict, old and abandoned buildings and factories all over the city. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen before or anywhere I’ve ever been, it’s like being in a big old house filled with mismatched furniture, fairy lights and neon signs, bust up old cars, shisha bars, crazy paintings, street food stops, cool little garden hideaways and a refreshing and cool mix of people. From the outside they do look a little bit scary, like somewhere you probably wouldn’t fancy going for a night out, but once you step inside, trust me, you’ll be amazed.
Our favourite Ruin Bar was called ‘Szimpla‘, located in the seventh district and spread out over five floors, it was one of the first to open in Budapest and is also on the list of great bars in the world by Lonely Planet. It was absolutely buzzing in there with people of all ages, we managed to find a little table and a couple of old chairs and whiled away a few hours drinking and people watching and just chilling out, a large glass of wine and a beer totalled less than £2… need I say more!!
My mum found a total gem for us to stay at. It’s called ‘Lavender Circus‘ and is actually a hostel, located right near the city centre. The prices are ridiculously cheap and the place is just perfect, it’s nothing fancy or pretentious, just a quirky, cosy little place, with beautiful big rooms, the most friendly and helpful staff, eclectic bits and bobs of furniture and bric-a-brac scattered all around, and walls covered with incredible hand painted pictures and illustrations. Lavender Circus is a bohemian paradise, and although it looks a little unassuming and lifeless from the outside, once you make your way through the big iron gate and up the winding stone staircase, you’ll be happy.
And I haven’t even told you about the food in Budapest yet!!! I think I ate the best food I have ever, ever eaten, and I know I’ve said this a hundred times already, but you just won’t believe how cheap it is. Imagine eating at the coolest London restaurant with the most amazing food and outstanding service, but paying McDonald’s prices, honestly, it’s insane.
First we tried a little place on the water front in Buda called ‘Zona‘, we’d first spotted it on Remodelista so were pretty sure it was going to be lovely… and it was. They serve up delicious dishes that combine traditional Hungarian with Eastern and Basque flavours, and Zona is a wine bar too, so they’ll very happily recommend the perfect glass for your dish.
On our next night we tried out a restaurant called ‘Baltazar‘, located in the very pretty castle district up on the hilltop in Buda. Baltazar is a grill and wine bar, which sounds pretty boring, but honestly the food was delicious. The most beautiful cuts of quality meat, simply grilled to utter perfection and served with a variety of tasty sides. I have no idea how they got that meat to taste the way it did, mmmmm.
Ok… now I know sushi wasn’t the most authentic choice for our last meal, but it was the best meal I have ever had in my whole life and we did try the local goulash soup a couple of times, so that’s ok right!? I have always, always, always wanted to go to a Nobu, and if you’re lucky enough to have ever eaten at one before, you’ll know what I mean… but you’ll also know what I mean when I say they are crazyyy expensive.
We spotted Nobu Budapest one night as we were wandering through the Christmas Market and kind of wrote it off because we know how pricey it is, but we also thought ‘we are in Budapest, and it is very cheap here, so maybeeee’. And yes!! the prices were about 50% cheaper than any other Nobu in the world, so of course we had to go.
We went for some classic sushi rolls, the Alaskan black cod ‘New York’ style, Japanese Snapper and passion fruit ceviche, popcorn shrimp and a baby spinach and dry miso salad. So, so, so good!
This blog is getting really long now, so maybe I’ll stop there. But there are so many more things to do and see in Budapest which I haven’t mentioned, there’s all of the relaxing thermal baths and food markets and museums, so if you’re planning a trip to Budapest, do a little research on those bits too.
Anyway, I really hope you’ve found this blog interesting, whether you’ve been to Budapest, are going to Budapest, or not. I would recommend this increible city to anybody, go and check it out and let me know what you think!!
