12 Days of Christmas: Hungary
The 10th country we visited in 2024
Happy end of year from Budapest! For once I’m writing a post from the place we’re still in, LOL. If you’re doing the math you may be wondering: How does the 10th country add up to 12 days of Christmas? Well, Hungary is our 10th country this year as a family, but there are a couple others I went to on my own (and C also did a solo trip), so stay tuned for those.
Why Hungary? It was a ~2.5 hour train ride from Vienna and has a direct flight back to Tirana. Winning combo! Also, we’d never been and we’d heard good things about Budapest. We arrived the day after Christmas on a delayed train out of Vienna, but we weren’t in a rush. It wasn’t a fast train and it didn’t have WiFi, but it was comfortable enough and we were able to store all of our bags overhead (phew!).
We had no plans when we arrived and only vague ideas of what we wanted to do. We knew it would be a bit wonky being a holiday week, so we kept expectations low but hoped for the best. The first few days were beautiful weather wise: Chilly (highs in the mid-40s F by afternoon) but sunny. C and I did a walking tour through the castle area on the Pest side and fell in love. The views in all directions were fabulous.
We were up there during sunset (around 4pm—so early!). The views got even better after dark, as all the lights came on, making the city line along the Danube look magical. Also, now I understand why people say to do a tour of the parliament building. Wow, what a stunning piece of architecture!
We basically repeated the tour the next day, only without the guide and with the girls, as they hadn’t joined us. I also checked out the central market on my own. Wow, is it impressive in size! It had lovely architecture, too. It was so crowded to try to walk through, though, so I didn’t stay long. I did enjoy walking over the nearby bridge and soaking in the views. I also enjoyed riding the streetcar alongside the river and taking in more views. Now I understand why people say Budapest is so pretty.
I saw lots of runners logging miles by the river and thought: Budapest would be a great city to run a half-marathon in. So I looked up whether there are any spring options and there are! It would be a good kick in the pants to start running again, but I hate big crowds, so I’ll have a think on it.
Our apartment was just off the M1, or yellow, metro line, which is the original one in Budapest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the stations are vintage and SO cute. Overall, the Budapest underground is the oldest in mainland Europe and was the first designed specifically to use electric power. (The Tünel funicular in Istanbul is technically a year older but is a funicular.) Getting around the city, including on the street trams, was a breeze.
Overall, our visit to Budapest has been mixed. We caught the last of the Christmas markets before they started taking them down. They weren’t nearly as charming as Vienna’s and none of the hot drinks came in cute mugs, only paper cups (boo), but we did try chimney cake which, apparently, you can get a lot of places. We also tried lagnos one day; it was fine but not amazing.
We spent time one afternoon in a bookstore full of books in English. It was lovely to wander through there and smell and touch the options. Also, maybe I’m just getting old, but when did printed type get so small?! I love reading a real book, but Kindle offers such an easy way to adjust type size. #middleagedproblems
We went to a cat cafe that we had to queue for outside in 36-degree temperatures. It wasn’t worth the wait despite the good reviews. It was our least favorite cat cafe of anywhere in the world so far; we’ve been to them in London, Athens, Tokyo, and Kyoto, plus Colorado. Then we ice skated at the biggest open-air rink in mainland Europe (after queuing in line in the cold), but it was so crowded it was quite frustrating. Oh well, not every experience is an excellent time out.
We looked into going to the thermal pools, but N isn’t old enough for them (ages 14 and up) so would’ve been relegated to the regular outdoor pools. It just didn’t sound appealing when the air temperature was just above freezing. So we’ll try again in a different part of the year. Plus, we would’ve needed to bring our own everything: flip-flops, towels, etc. And we just weren’t quite prepared. We will be next time!
I booked us a cooking class, though the holiday week made it challenging. The first one I booked wrote back and say that actually they had no space. Another had nothing available while we were in town. A third place had an option, though it wasn’t our first choice (simply because we would only cook one dish but we would get a market tour), so I booked and paid for it; I even messaged with the host and then I got an automated message that my reservation had been canceled. I later learned that had been a mistake and the class was still on, but it made for a confusing user experience! The class happens New Year’s Day (supposedly, LOL), so we’ll see how it goes.
I didn’t get a tour of parliament booked (they were full); same for a river cruise. So we’ll do those things next time we come.
Overall, despite some disappointments, we actually really liked Budapest. I can definitely see coming back in a different season. In fact, I’m planning to return in early May to meet up with some worldschooling families!
This wraps the 10 countries we visited in 2024 as a family. There are a couple more I’ll squeeze in that I went to solo, so stay tuned!