Cruise Brochure
Welcome to Budapest, Hungary’s capital and Eastern Europe’s liveliest and most cosmopolitan city. Made up of two separate cities Buda and Pest set on either side of the Danube, joined by several iconic bridges including the Chain Bridge and Elisabeth Bridge. Enjoy a guided tour of the city sights including the Royal Palace of Buda, hilltop castle complex with Fisherman’s Bastion and the Matthias Church. There are so many things to do in Budapest you will be spoiled for choice! This evening the ship will take you for a night-time cruise along the Danube, passing under the city’s numerous bridges, whilst enjoying a traditional Hungarian farewell dinner, complete with folk dancing and music.
We arrived in Budapest early morning and as we sailed up the river, Csaba, our cruise director – who is Hungarian – delighted in giving us a detailed commentary on the sights around us.
After breakfast, we boarded buses for a 4 hour tour around the city, stopping at 3 of the major sights where we had time to wander and take photos. Early morning traffic was thick – the “Buda” side of the city is the favoured residential area whilst the “Pest” side is the city/commercial area – so the roads are clogged with everyone trying to get over the 9 bridges which span the river. There is also an underground railway/tramway.
At Heroes Square
The Magyar Chieftans at Heroes Squaree
First stop was Heroes Square. The square features huge statues of the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars – the founders or leaders of the tribes of the Hungarians when they arrived in the 1st century AD. There are also statues of other prominent Hungarians and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
As you likely know, Hungary was a Communist country after WWII and there are many statues and other sights which have both Communist and Non-Communist backgrounds. Our second stop was one of these – high on the hill in the Buda side stands their statue of Lady Liberty. It was actually built in the Communist times to celebrate the glorious liberation of the country by the Communist regime. It’s symbolism has now changed to represent the overall significance of the country’s liberty – it has been invaded more than 30 times in its history ! However it is now referred to as the “big bottle opener” from its appearance. The location gives magnificent views over the whole city.
The Liberty Statue – or the “Bottle Opener”
The “Buda” side is also the hilly side whilst the “Pest” side is flat. Also on the hilly side was our third stop at the Castle including the Matthias Church – where many a coronation of the Hungarian rulers took place – and the glorious views across to the Pest side from the Fisherman’s Bastion.
Adrienne at the Fisherman’s Bastion overlook
Parliament Building from the Fisherman’s Bastion
St Matthias Church
The weather was great for our day – warm and sunny – and we returned to the boat around 1pm for lunch. In the afternoon, there were shuttle buses going to and from the city centre and we used this to head off on a mission. One of the Budapest “must do’s” is a visit to one of the thermal baths. These public baths are extremely popular with the locals and tourists alike. While Therese & Bob opted for a look around the city & Parliament Building, Jo & Steve, Gae & Greg, Adrienne & I chose the ornate “Szechenyi Baths” and after being dropped by the bus in the city, we negotiated the underground railway -the third oldest in the world ! – to reach the huge complex, not far from Heroes Square.
At Szechenyi Baths
This place is a rabbit warren ! After buying our ticket – which included a changing cabin – we walked through a maze of indoor pools of varying sizes and water temperatures to find an exit to the outdoor pools. In the process we lost Jo & Steve – they ended up at the opposite end of the building – but managed to find them again amongst the crowds. The pools were about 26 degrees and the mineralised water is supposed to do wonders. The water gushes and spurts from ornate fountains with underwater jets and whirlpools providing “intensified” treatment. After the outdoor pool we tried a couple of the indoor ones before it was time to negotiate our way back to our changing cabins and then get our train back to meet the last bus back to the boat.
It’s therapeutic – and so is the water they say ! ?
With the heavy evening traffic, we were a bit late back to the boat and decided to miss the Hungarian Dance performance to get ready for our last dinner together and the finale for the cruise – a nighttime trip up and down the Danube past the lit building landmarks of Budapest. Of these,the Parliament Building is the standout – if you have seen a night photograph of Budapest it is a pretty got bet it was of this building. It literally glows yellow/gold in the night sky.
Parliament Building at night
Lights on the Danube
It was a great way to end our cruise and with one last drink and toast, we swapped hugs and kisses with Jo, Steve, Gae, Greg, Therese and Bob – they have been great travelling companions and we have loads of memories, experiences and fun times to look back on in the years to come. But the packing up doesn’t get done itself and we headed to our respective cabins to organise for our various departures tomorrow when Part 3 of our tour begins ….
Today’s “Your Trivia” – Budapest is home to one of the largest music festivals in the world. In August, around 400,000 from all over the world flock to the week long Sziget Festival.