Budapest - Coca Cola has taken over

I did not enjoy the downtown area very much because Coca Cola signs were plastered on most store fronts, busses, and awnings. The city was also very dirty. However, we took a bus ride up to the Pest area to see the old castle, and I loved it there. We spent hours walking around the castle area and enjoying the view of the city.

We also stopped in a cafe to get an ice cream cone. The size of the scoops was about 1/4 of a US scoop, but the price for a cone with four scoops was about US .35, so even on a student's budget, we could afford to buy ice cream. The area seemed very clean, and people seemed much happier than those on the city busses or walking around the city.

Western wedding dresses were just being introduced, so there were several shops even in the train station showcasing beautiful wedding gowns. It seemed odd to us since we have never seen wedding gowns in a US train station before.

Quick Tips:

Stay at the Ringling Hotel. Yes, it's owned by the famous circus family. It cost us US/night for a room with three beds, a private bathroom and cable television, and it was located near the main train station.

Best Way To Get Around:

Avoid taxis. They are unnecessary, and we have heard stories of them changing the charges in the middle of a trip. We only took one cab, and we negotiated the price up front.

Public transportation is great. We got a day 3 day pass for US/day which was the same price as the 2 day pass. We were only there for three days, but we noticed that weekly passes are even cheaper. Buying individual tickets is cheap, but the fares are very tricky.

We arranged our accommodation at the train station after we got off the train from Vienna. We had a small budget, so we asked the lady for something that would cost the three of us no more than US$20/night. We had stayed in a hostel in Vienna with a shared bathroom for the floor and assumed that we would get similar lodgings in Budapest.

The lady rang the Ringling, and she got us a room with a private bathroom for $60/night, so we were happy. We took a bus three stops from the train station, and we were there. The hotel was quite big, and our room was also pretty big. They already had put in the third bed for us, so we didn''t have to deal with that. We prepaid at the railway station, so we were all set. We were surprised to find that we had a TV and that it had cable. This was the only room we got during our whole stay in Eastern Europe that had a TV.

The room was very clean, and we were very pleased. When we checked out, we didn''t have a bill, so everything worked out quite well for us. Buses stopped outside the hotel every 5 - 10 minutes, so we never had long to wait.

Apparently the Ringlings know how to run a hotel as well as they know how to run a circus!

This cafeteria is located directly across the street from the Hilton Hotel, in the Fortuna Courtyard. This is a very simple self-service cafeteria, but you can get cheap and hearty meals, a rarity in the Castle District these days. The entrance is easy to miss and only has a small sign posting the open hours. You do have to climb a flight of stairs inside the archway to get there.

If you are unsure of where to go, just follow the stream of locals at lunchtime. You point out your selections, share a table with whomever is there, and clean up your own tray when you finish. For a quick, delicious bite, this place can't be beat.

Another delicious little cafe located just a short block from the Danube in Buda's Watertown (Víziváros). This restaurant is a family-style fish restaurant, but non-fish eaters can enjoy eating here too. The menu is very extensive and is in English (fortunately!). It lists a variety of Hungarian specialties, including goulash. The decor is traditional Hungarian, which was fun for us tourists.

This is the historic part of Budapest, completely different than the dirty city. Situated in the historic part of Budapest, the towering expanse of rock contains Varhegy, the Castle area. This area has stunning views of the Danube from the Fisherman's Bastion. The Danube separates the Buda and Pest regions.

To reach the castle area, take the subway to Moskva Ter then walk uphill to the Vienna Gate. We got tired walking up the hill because it is quite steep. When we left, we took the alternate route and walked down the Pest walk across the Szenyi lanchid or Chain Bridge.

We really enjoyed walking along the rows of baroque townhouses to Trinity Square and Fisherman's Bastion after entering through the Vienna Gate. Near Fisherman's Bastion is a green equestrian statue of King Stephen. We had to wait about 20 minutes for other tourists to photograph Fisherman's Bastion before we got our chance. Its white turrets and ramparts overlook the Danube and are very eye-pleasing. To the right is Gellert Hill and across the river are the neo-gothic domes and crenellations of the Parliament Building. We were surprised that Budapest had a Parliament Building, since it had recently been a communist nation.

Varhegy was a fortress in Roman times and the medieval walls still surround the castle. It was really relaxing just to sit on one of the benches and admire the Buda Hills.

We entered the Castle through some courtyards, and admired its great dome. The courtyards contain the National Gallery of Hungary and the Budapest Museum of History. "What we most enjoyed and feared was the Labyrinth. We passed by a series of gorgeous, pastel coloured buildings leading up to it. We half feared that we could get trapped in the dark, dank tunnels accompanied. The scary effect was enhanced by statues and cave paintings.

If your time is limited, skip the downtown area and spend all of your time enjoying the sites and features of Castle Hill.