The Jetpacker

Many of Budapest’s most treasured attractions are located in Leopold Town and Inner City.  In this compact and easily walkable area, history and modernism complement each other.  Even the fast food restaurants look like something out of a history book.

Our hotel was located next to Deak ter, which is a great place to begin a tour of central Budapest (it’s the main hub where all three metro lines converge).  Right across the street is Erzsebet ter, a quaint little park with a pond, a restaurant and plenty of grass to attract tourists, sunbathers and homeless people alike.

When we first arrived in Budapest around 11 p.m., the park was packed with literally thousands of teenagers.  It looked like the lawn at a rock concert, an intimidating sight considering we had to pass through it to find somewhere to eat that late.  But thankfully, Hungarian kids didn’t seem to be anything like the rowdy, obnoxious kids you see at the mall every weekend in America; they were quiet and respectful, staying within their cliques, listening to music and playing games.  They even tried to make friendly conversation with us.  It was a comforting experience that made us feel instantly safe.

Near the park are two shopping areas: Jozsef Nador ter and Vorosmarty ter.  The latter is livelier and includes some casinos as well as an H&M clothing store in an unusual and mostly empty glass building.

We took a break at the terrace in front of the Vigado Concert Hall, the second largest in Budapest.  The terrace is right along the river Danube where we got a great view of both Chain Bridge and the more modern Elisabeth Bridge.

The Danube Promenade is lined with expensive restaurants, tour boats and street performers.  Oddly, the most interesting performers were a trio of Indian musicians (they’re not Native Americans and they’re not Native Hungarians, so what are they?).

A short walk up the river bank took us to Roosevelt ter, a large park in the middle of a roundabout right in front of Chain Bridge.  To the north of the park is the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and across the park is Gresham Palace, one of the most exclusive hotels in Budapest.

Next, we walked down Zrinyi utca.  As we walked up the street, St. Stephen’s Basilica, the largest, tallest and most famous church in Budapest, grew larger and larger.  If you’re into morbid stuff, you can go inside the church and look at St. Stephen’s preserved hand for less than a dollar.  If that’s not your thing, you can pay two bucks to view the city from the panorama tower.  The large square outside the basilica is lined with trendy clubs and restaurants.

In the center of Leopold Town is Freedom Square, which contains a Soviet monument congratulating themselves for liberating Budapest.  Naturally, this monument brings back bad memories for the people of Budapest since the Soviets imposed a communist regime that lasted until 1989.  The Soviet monument is the last remaining Soviet star in the city – you can find others in Statue Park, just outside the city — and because it was vandalized so often, permanent barricades had to be erected around it.  Not surprisingly, this was the only square we ever visited that was empty.

The U.S. Embassy and the Hungarian Television building flank Freedom Square on opposite sides.  The TV studio is unusually large for a place that pumps out over-lit shows that look like they were made by high school film students.

Our last stop was also the most important: Parliament.  The Hungarian Parliament Building is not only the second largest Parliament in Europe (behind London’s Houses of Parliament), it’s also one of the oldest (over 100 years old).  The exterior resembles a temple more than a legislative building.  Kossuth Lajos ter, the park just outside Parliament, was a great place to sit down and take in the scope of this humongous, incredibly ornate building.

The entire walk was a great way to explore the city and appreciate the history of Budapest.  The best part?  The walk only took half a day.