Buda – Where The Royal Life Was

Budapest is split into two parts by the Danube River. As a natural obstacle, it offered some amount of protection, or defense, against enemies or in some cases, the population. Buda is such a place. It is where the royal families of Hungary chose to build their fine castle.

The Buda Castle – Buda – Budapest, Hungary

Buda Castle Hill

Buda Castle Hill is mostly wooded and covers only about a third of the entire city of Budapest. Its most prominent feature is the Castle Hill, where the Buda Castle and the Church of Matthias stand.

Buda Castle – Széchenyi Chain Bridge – Buda – Budapest, Hungary

On top of this hill sits the Buda Castle and most royal buildings. It has a very good view of the valley below and Pest on the other side.

Pest, from Buda – Buda, Castle Hill – Budapest, Hungary

The Danube and Chain Bridge – Buda, Castle Hill – Budapest, Hungary

The Underhill Hospital Museum

One of the more interesting curiosities on the hill is the Underhill Hospital. A short walk from the Budapest-Déli M2 stop through the Vérmezö Park will get you there, that is, after climbing a few sets of stairs, it is on a hill.

Vermezo Park – Buda, Castle Hill – Budapest, Hungary

Vérmezö Park – Buda, Castle Hill – Budapest, Hungary

Unfortunately, you cannot take photographs inside, so inside will have to remain a mystery until one visits. However, a bit of history may peek one’s interest. It started as a system of caves dug out from the hill for storage and then protection. Later, it was confiscated and repurposed as a hospital during the wars. It was also used as an air-raid shelter and later efforts were made to make it into a hospital which could take patients in the event of a nuclear war. Though noble, it will become quite clear to anyone who visits that the approach, space and logistics were oversimplified and in the end – unpractical.

Underhill Hospital Museum – Buda, Castle Hill – Budapest, Hungary

Gas masks – Underhill Hospital Museum – Buda, Castle Hill – Budapest, Hungary

The Matthias Church

One can not help point out the Matthias Church ^[1]also known as The Church of the Assumption of Buda Castle when they reach the top of the hill. With its one tower and beautifully shiny tiles, it does not show its true age. It actually has a remarkable history which actually makes it tightly woven with all Hungarian history. Two kings had their coronation there and it has had many names in the past and has been rebuilt and reconstructed many times. Definitely worth a visit.

Matthias Church – Buda, Castle Hill – Budapest, Hungary

Holy Trinity Church – Buda, Castle Hill – Budapest, Hungary

Széchenyi Chain Bridge

The two sides of Budapest were not formerly brought together by bridge until 1849, when the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. It is probably one of the most remarkable features of the city, just because it is so different. Happily, the Hungarians had the prescience to rebuild it after the war exactly they way it was before, preserving it character and that of the city. A walk over this bridge is actually worth the time.

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Restaurants

We only ate at one restaurant on the Buda side, since there were only a couple points of interest for us on east side of the river.

Arany Hordo Cafe

The Arany Hordo Cafe might be called the Gold Barrel Restaurant on you map application, not sure why.

It is a small cafe on the corner of Tárnok utca and Anná utca on Buda Castle Hill, not far from the Matthias Church. It has nice open air seating, if you can get a table. The food is decent, as well as the service and the prices are reasonable considering the area.

Menu – Arany Hordo Cafe – Buda Castle Hill – Budapest, Hungary

We stuck to simple fare for lunch and enjoyed it immensely.

Mixed Salad with Chicken – Arany Hordo Cafe – Buda Castle Hill – Budapest, Hungary

References[+]

References
↑1	also known as The Church of the Assumption of Buda Castle

Before leaving Linz for Budapest, we had to get a bite to eat. What better place is there than a Jindrak Konditorei? There appear to be satellite pastry shops of this company all over the city, including very close to our hotel.

Inside – Jindrak Konditorei – Near Hotel – Linz, Austria

Breakfast – Jindrak Konditorei – Near Hotel – Linz, Austria

Apple Strudel – Jindrak Konditorei – Near Hotel – Linz, Austria

Shortly afterwards, we were on the road for a four hour drive into Hungary. In about two hours we left Austria for Hungary and the Budapest signs started appearing quite regularly.

Budapest

Entering any city, anywhere at rush hour, is normally not a good idea, but we hardly had a choice. In any event, it went rather smoothly considering the bridges from Buda into Pest and all of the one-way streets. Soon we were at our destination, the Mystery Hotel.

Entrance – Mystery Hotel – Budapest, Hungary

The Hungarian people are extremely nice and most speak very good English. So, there shouldn’t be any issues in the immediate area.

Plaza in front of church – Saint Stephens Basilica – Budapest, Hungary

Typical dining street – Budapest, Hungary

Not far from our hotel is Liberty Square; this is where the American Embassy is located. Here you will find monuments, statues and buildings of interest.

Looking toward parliament – Budapest, Hungary

Wing of Exchange Palace – Budapest, Hungary

At the entrance of this square is also an eternal flame memorial.

Lajos Batthyányi Eternal Flame – Liberty Square – Budapest, Hungary

Saint Stephen’s Basilica

Not far from our hotel is the Basilica of Saint Stephen. Though we did not enter it, if only from church exhaustion, the outside is rather impressive and very nice to see, especially in the evening.

At night – Saint Stephens Basilica – Budapest, Hungary

Hotels

There are many hotels to choose from in Budapest. We chose one that would be close to things, but not to far out from the center that you could not get to it by a tram or metro, as well as reasonably priced parking. The Mystery Hotel fits that bill nicely and is decently priced such that it should not break your bank.

Mystery Hotel

For people interested in driving or taking the train, the Mystery Hotel offers a great five star option close to the main railroad station with valet parking. It is also a few blocks away from the oldest Metro line in the city, the M1.

Breakfast room – Mystery Hotel – Budapest, Hungary

Since the hotel occupies an old renovated building not initially intended for occupation, the rooms are interestingly configured inside. Some even have lofts, so stay flexible, since they are well maintained and well appointed.

Our room – Mystery Hotel – Budapest, Hungary

Bathroom – Mystery Hotel – Budapest, Hungary

Restaurants

As the capitol of Hungary and at a very busy intersection of Europe, Budapest has a huge selection of all kinds of different cuisines, especially Hungarian.

Retek Bisztro

Rather pricey and on the high-end of restaurants is the Retek Bisztro. It is located not far from the basilica and in downtown Budapest. It is a very busy place, so make reservations before you leave on your trip, since it fills up fast.

Front Room and bar – Retek Bisztro – Budapest, Hungary

The restaurants offers most authentic Hungarian cuisine, from Hungarian Goulash to Hungarian meatballs. You will notice that most of my photographs came out a bit orange, since there was a red lamp very near our table.