Budapest.. In my opinion the real pearl of the Danube. Trip to Hungary
Wizz Air Budapest Forli-30 E., on the Internet still an apartment for 2-3 people in the center (at 100 m from the living room of Budapest) at a price of E.120 for 3 nights! Forli airport you can park in P2 at a cost of 8 euros per day. Arrival Saturday 21 March 19 in perfect time, just arrived at the airport you will find many currency exchange offices, but not use it, are the real thieves, while the official exchange rate was 1 Euro = 273 HUF, they make you 1 Euro = 225 Forint! If you use the ATM to withdraw euros, and then if you have the cash with you can just change them in the center of Budapest where you make a change that can vary by up to 265 to 270 x 1 Euro Forint.
At the airport you can instead buy a carnet of 10 tickets (cost = 11 Euro Forint 2800) that allows you to take 10 times the subway or trolley or bus, and for 3 days is more than enough given that it runs well on foot Budapest being all concentrated enough. With one of these tickets left when leaving the airport take the bus n.200, which takes you to the first stop of line 3 (blue) metro Kobanya-Kispest, here with another ticket you can go to the area Budapest where you will stay (ditto for the return x).
Our apartment was right at the beginning of Kiraly utca in the city center, with two supermarkets open all day and 2 exchange offices at 20 meters, with bars and restaurants within walking distance.
At 22.30 in front of the apartment awaits Luca an Italian living in Budapest for 10 years and manages some apartments, gives us the keys and tells us about things to see in the city and then takes his leave, we go to the supermarket downstairs and buy food for dinner and for breakfast the morning (the costs are ridiculously low).
Sunday morning the weather is cloudy but fortunately it does not rain, then we start visiting the city from the beautiful St. Stephen's Basilica, where you must go to make a contribution of 200 florins, is kept inside the chapel with the relics of the hand St. Stephen's. Continue by the Hungarian Parliament Building, a beautiful and majestic stands along the right bank of the Danube (in Italian tours at 11.30 and 16), then continue along the Danube and through the Chain Bridge (the oldest Budapest in 1849) we arrive at the foot of the funicular that carries for 850 guilders on the top of the fortress where there illinterno 'the Royal Palace and the Buda side of town, but you can safely walk along the staircases along the funicular. Once you reach the top you can enjoy the beautiful panorama of the city and its monuments from the top (60 m above the Danube) We enjoy a half day in the fortress 1500 m long wide and 500 with the Royal Palace (where he lived Matthias and his court humanistic Renaissance), Trinity Square, the Temple of (church) dedicated to Matthias Corvinus, the Fishermen's Bastion and majestic among the narrow streets full of gothic-baroque palaces. In the afternoon we descend on the embankment and we head up to the pedestrian zone in Vorosmarty Square where there is' coffee-pastry oldest and most famous, Gerbaud (1858). From here we travel across Vaci utca, pedestrian walks and traditional place of budapestini, then after experiencing the sweet Hungarian pastry continue towards an old Feriencek Ter (the square in front of the liberation of the Elisabeth Bridge) and then to Karolyi Mihal with U. its neo-Renaissance palaces and Egyetemi Templom (the university church in baroque style). The day ends with a visit to the fast passage before the largest Synagogue of Europe in the Byzantine-Moorish style of the mid-800 and then exhausted back in the apartment for a shower and then out to eat at a restaurant (Fatal) that at the end of Vaci utca in the right side, really excellent, huge portions and reasonable prices.
The Monday morning after breakfast we go out to welcome us on a sunny day with 12 degrees, a real boon. We decide to walk around the Andrassy Avenue (UNESCO) 2.5 km long and leads to Hosok ter (Heroes' Square). Below it runs the line 1 (yellow) metro, the first in Europe in 1896! During the walk you can admire the National Opera House, the New Theatre in Art Nouveau, the Liszt Ferenc Ter, the Oktagon Ter (square, octagonal), the Kodaly Korond a Renaissance-style building, the Terror Haza which reconstructs the climate created by dictatorial regimes in Hungary, ending with the famous Heroes' Square and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier (1896) to the left of which there is the Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Gallery right. Behind the museum is the city park in which there are thermal baths, a botanical garden, zoo, and especially the castle Vajdahunyad end 800 in various styles (Gothic-Renaissance-Baroque) that houses the museum del'agricoltura beautiful and the statue of '"anonymous" Ligeti (1903). After the visit from there take the metro and go directly to Calvin Ter square that leads past the church towards the general market covered Calvinist, an Art Nouveau building from 1896 into which you can find everything, from the banks of the famous paprika, fruit , vegetables, meat, fish, and various crafts. Given the mild temperatures left the market we stopped to eat in the square outside the Fovam Ter, was full of young people intent on drinking coffee or something in sitting on the benches, breathing is a true bohemian air. Refreshed we crossed the beautiful bridge of Liberty (1896 of 331 m) up to the famous Art Nouveau Gellert Hotel where there are the famous thermal baths, from here to walk the many steps that we have faced difficulty led us up to the citadel where stands the 29m high monument of liberation. with the statue of Victory with the palm of peace in his hand, the show is beautiful from this height, you can clearly see in Budapest! Enough of this beautiful landscape comes the time to descend and go around the Danube (UNESCO Heritage) on the right side in order through the Belvárosi Templom now restructuring, Petofi Ter, the Vigado Ter Ter Roosevelt and the building of ' academy and the Gresham-palota, then at sunset we crossed the Chain Bridge to skirt the left side of the Danube, passing first to the Calvinist Church and then to the beautiful Church of St. Anne in Batthyany Ter, here we are able to photograph the parliament building Hungary in the colors of sunset, a beautiful sight. Not yet satisfied we take the meter 'and we go at sunset in front of the synagogue where the colors are accented at most and also take the opportunity to run behind him in the Jewish Quarter with its typical houses, shops. Exhausted there back in the apartment where, after a nice shower we decided to go out to eat at a nice restaurant called Vaci utca Central Cellar. On the morning of Tuesday, there are a good 15 degrees the day we cheer, we decided to go again to the fort from here and enjoy the sun and Budapest with all its colors accented at the most, then slowly descending the narrow streets of old until Obuda taking advantage of the Danube and also to buy the last gifts. At 17.00 the flight of Wizz Air on time takes us back home. Goodbye beautiful and romantic Budapest, a city suspended in the rich history and culture but at the same time looking to the future. A city fit for young people, couples and families! Do not miss it.