Thursday, August 14, 2008 Budapest : by the Blue Danube By Albert Alvarez
BUDAPEST, the capital of Hungary, is probably one of the most beautiful cities of Eastern Europe, yet many I have spoken to have not heard of its beauty. It has far too many offers for the first time traveler, so seeing a city full of culture, history, architecture, and even a pulsating nightlife, was a delight I never expected.
Getting There
Currently, there are no single direct (non-stop) flights from Cebu to Budapest so your trip may involve a couple of flights to get there. Fortunately, Budapest (Ferihegy) International Airport (pronounced “ferry-hedge”) is the country’s largest airport, located about 16 km from the city, so a cab or a minibus would be a short quick drive to town, and an inexpensive one, too.
There are buses as well and even a train service if you arrive in Terminal 1. Check out www.airport-budapest.com for more information.
Arriving by train is quite convenient as well, there are daily connections to and from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine. Budapest has more than one train station: the main or Keleti pályaudvar, (Eastern Railway Station), Déli pályaudvar (Southern Railway Station) and Nyugati pályaudvar (Western Railway Station).
Bus travel is a cheaper option, which is normally serviced by Eurolines. This connects Budapest to Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and the Ukraine. The most useful bus stations for travelers are Népliget Bus Station, Stadion Bus Station, Árpád Bridge Bus Station and Etele tér Bus Station.
Remember, before arriving in Budapest, it would be advisable to orient oneself with the city layout and the location of your hotel or accommodation. For accommodations, check out their tourist information website www.budapestinfo.hu/en.
Getting around
Budapest is quite a large city, so getting around by foot will take quite some time. It is basically divided into 23 numbered districts, written in Roman numerals, but you can simply divide Budapest into the cities of which it is comprised (Buda and Pest) and one historic district. The city has an efficient public transportation system run by Budapest Transport Limited Company (BKV), which runs from around 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Check out www.bkv.hu/english/home/index.html.
You can be more adventurous by taking the tram which has excellent routes with magnificent views of the city. These lines could be used for touring.
Metro 1, 2, 3 connect the suburbs to many tourist spots. Tram 2 runs along the river Danube along the Pest side. Tram 4 and 6 follow Nagykörút, Pest’s inner ring road. Bus 7 and 73 go to the Keleti railway station with the city center and many points of interest in Buda and Pest. Bus 10 and 110 go to the Buda castle. Finally, Bus 200 goes to the airport.
Sights
The most popular destination for many would be Castle Hill, where one will find attractions like the Royal Palace (Királyi Palota), National Gallery (Nemzeti Galéria), Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church (Mátyás Templo), also known as the Church of Our Lady.
The Danube Bridges like the Chain Bridge, Margaret Bride or Elisabeth Bridge are wonderful for taking photographs. Check out the many bridges from the Citadella on the top of Buda’s Gellert Hill.
If you feel like relaxing, go to Margaret Island (Margitsziget) or City Park, which have many landmarks like Heroes’ square (Hosök Tere), Museum of Fine Arts (Szépmuvészeti Múzeum) and the Vajdahunyad Vára Castle.
Downtown Pest has beautiful spots like the Parliament Building (Országház), St. Stephen Cathedral (Szent István Bazilika), Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum (Dohány utcai Zsinagóga) and the State Opera House.
If you have more time in Budapest, try to experience these unique options: the Hungarian Theater, Opera and their famous Baths.
Dining
In Hungary, try the local specialties like paprikás, gulyás, pörkölt (a goulash-like stew with lots of onions) and halászlé (fishermen’s soup served differently by regions).
Shopping
There is a pedestrian alley full of shops known as Váci utca. Many say it is the most expensive part of the city. It will be easy to find Hungarian linens and lace, pottery, and other items, in dozens of souvenir shops in this area.
Try to visit the Great Market Hall (Nagy Vásárcsarnok) at Fovám tér for some interesting shopping as well.
Important facts
It is always good to take note of some important facts that you need to know about the city, like business hours and telephone numbers or hotlines of the police, hospitals, banks, credit card companies, embassies, airport, train stations and tourist offices.
Budapest, like many other Eastern European cities has started to open its doors to new tourist and curious travelers. Be prepared for the beauty and elegance that Budapest has to offer.
