Budapest is the perfect place to visit after Vienna since they are so closely connected & have similar backgrounds.

For a little background, the city is divided by the great Danube River. The West side is hilly Buda & the East side is flat Pest. The two were brought together in 1873 creating the capital of Hungary.

This consolidation made Budapest the 2nd capital after Vienna of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 18th Century. This status is why Budapest has similar architecture, a love for coffee, & many German speaking people.

Like most Eastern Europe, Hungary was under Communism from WWII until 1990. But, Budapest has very little of the classic square gray Communist style buildings or propaganda paintings. All the old Soviet statues have been moved to a park outside the city. (Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to see it)

There are a few bars like the Red Ruin that like to make fun of this time period.

Today , Budapest is working to revive its glorious pre- WWII past.

In 2021, Buda Palace along with other historical sites on Castle Hill are slowly being restored to their previous splendor. This area was heavily damaged during WWII & little was improved during the Soviet Era.

Not far from Buda Palace is the very lovely Matthias Church. I absolutely fell in love with how this church’s interior was decorated.

We were very lucky on a Sunday night to attend a classical concert in the amazing cathedral St Stephen’s Basilica on the Pest side.

The concert featured only a few stringed instruments & one singer; but, it was amazing! The acoustics in the church provided the most beautiful sound for classics by Mozart, Bach, Handel, & Vivaldi. Hearing Ava Maria in this setting was a dream come true.

Earlier in the day we toured St Stephen’s Basilica & climbed the stairs to the dome for a city view.

As expected, the treatment of the Jewish population in Hungary during WWII is a grim one.

Budapest is the perfect place to learn more about this history because it has the 2nd largest synagogue in the world & the largest in Europe seating 3,000 people. The Dohany Synagogue survived WWII & has been fully restored making it magnificent to view both inside & out.

The synagogue provides a free 45 minute talk & tour in many languages & has a good history museum.

Starting in October 1944, it is believed that over 20,000 Jews from Budapest were shot on the banks of the Danube River. Before they were shot, they were forced to remove their shoes which were in short supply. Their bodies fell into the river & were swept downstream.

Today there is a memorial to this atrocity along the Danube near the Parliament building called “Shoes along the Danube”.

Not to be missed on any trip to Budapest is the Grand Market Hall. It is popular among both the locals & tourists. It is also a perfect place to buy a Hungarian souvenir, some paprika, or taste the local Hungarian food.

A Hungarian favorite is Langos that we enjoyed in the market. Langos is fried bread that can be topped with savory or sweet toppings. We chose the traditional sour cream & cheese toppings.

While in Budapest we also enjoyed chimney cake. They are sold all over town in many different flavors & are sometimes filled with ice cream.

We didn’t have a chance to visit a coffee shop in Vienna, but made up for it in Budapest.

It is always super fun to window shop in Europe where little shops still line the streets. Couldn’t resist a chocolate shop that we found by accident.

One block was lined with these clever stick-on posters.

Sometimes you see something that makes you go hmmmmm 🤨❓Budapest has a statue from the 70’s detective TV show Colombo. And yes, it is on Falk Street and no, Peter Falk was not Hungarian. Just a little street humor for those of us who actually remember the show. “Oh yeah, …one more thing.”

Our last meal in Budapest was at the Central Grand Cafe & Bar which started in 1887. We ate a delicious meal outside enjoying the sights & sounds in this grand old city. Having a meal on the sidewalk is among the great joys of touring Europe when the weather is perfect.

I wasn’t so sure how much I was going to like Budapest after Vienna, but I must say it won me over. It would be nice to return once the Buda Palace has been fully restored to its 19th Century grandeur.