Issue 25 / Explore Beautiful Budapest!

by Vallisa Chauhan

Explore Beautiful Budapest!

Nov 18, 2015

We explore the Danube and beyond in beautiful Budapest.

Budapest is Hungary's capital and one of the largest cities in the European Union. It's also cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Budapest is considered a financial hub and MasterCard has ranked it third on their Emerging Markets Index.

Recently I had the chance to take a short trip to Budapest and it looks exactly as it says in the brochure. The city and its architecture is beautiful.

We landed in the morning and started exploring that afternoon. It made sense to buy a ticket for the Big Bus Company which is valid for 48 hours and means you hear the history of Budapest while visiting the sites.

^{Hungarian Parliament Building

Photo Credit: Vallisa Chauhan}

At the center of the city you'll find the Royal Palace on one side of the Danube River and the parliament building on the other side. The Royal Palace is set in the hilltops overlooking the city and venturing up there means you get some of the best views of Budapest. There are many ways to reach the palace: by foot, by bus or by the funicular which takes you up and down the side of the hill.

Much like the love locks that have become famous at the Pont des Arts in Paris, Budapest has its own adaptation, ideally situated outside a church allowing newly married couples to lock their love away forever. At first glance the monument doesn't look that interesting compared to some of the famous ones you find around the city, but if you take a good look, the imagination of some of these couples will melt your heart.

^{The Love Tree

Photo Credit: Vallisa Chauhan}

Being Indian, one thing I always look for when abroad is a good Indian restaurant. Budapest has many in the center but they are not easy to find and you may need to take a stroll in some of the side streets to find the good ones. That's how we found the Curry House, a small restaurant with friendly service and very tasty food.

^{The Curry House

Photo Credit: www.bestofbudapest.com}

Something else I would recommend while in Budapest is to take a Segway tour. We took a tour of the palace grounds, where we rode up the cobblestone streets and hopped off to take some photos when we reached the top.

^{Me and the beautiful views of Budapest.

Photo Credit: Vallisa Chauhan}

Finally, I would like to tell you about Margaret Island situated in the middle of Danube. The island is 2.5 kilometers long and 500 meters wide and can be reached by a footbridge. The island has a small zoo, a Japanese garden a water tower and a musical fountain.

We decided that after walking for most of the day we would hire an electric car to explore the island. These can be hired from the roundabout where you first arrive on the island. If you are feeling a little more adventurous there are also bikes available.

^{Main Image Photo Credit: www.theworldcafe.com}

Vallisa Chauhan

Author

Vallisa Chauhan (@vallisachauhan) presents the Flagship breakfast show on Lyca Radio 1458. She has scripted and produced a full feature film called "Those 4 Walls" and is currently working on other projects. She loves travel and movies and tries to fit in both as much as she can.