Winter city break in Budapest

Budapest is just a six-hour drive from where we live, and we pass by it in many car journeys to the South of Europe, but the last time we visited it was more than a decade ago (no kids!), so we decided it was time to make it our destination for a short winter break.

In the last couple of (pandemic) years we happened to travel only in the high season, and it was a nice change to visit various places without the usual crowds and have some space to breathe in the city’s atmosphere. At the end of November, the Christmas season was only starting, with the Christmas markets and an outdoor ice rink opening that weekend, so the city was vibrant and lively enough, but without the overwhelming crowds.

Buda – castle hill

Into a long stroll with some of the most picturesque city views? Then the Buda Castle grounds are for you. Cobblestone streets will bring you to the Fisherman Bastion, likely the first spot you’d be looking for. From there, you get the scenic views of the Pest part of the city, especially the Parliament building. The Fisherman Bastion has a remarkable architecture, and so does the nearby Matthias Church, so you may want to spend some time in there. The Castle itself is now home to some of the national museums, however we didn’t visit them on this occasion, as we felt more like spending time outdoors with the kids.

St. Stephen's Basilica

Seems we couldn’t get enough of Budapest panoramic views, so when back on the Pest side, we went to the look-out on the top of St. Stephen’s Basilica. We were there at sunset, just when the Buda Castle complex on the other bank of Danube and the Christmas market right below us lit up. Can’t think of a better moment!

The Basilica itself, being the largest church in Hungary, has a beautiful, rich and somewhat mysterious interior. Our girls were impressed too!

Christmas Market

Maybe we weren’t in very Christmassy moods yet in November, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the Christmassy and wintery elements of the trip, and the kids absolutely loved this bit. We visited the Budapest Christmas markets every evening during our stay – one in front of the Basilica and one on the Vörösmarty Square - for the atmosphere, trying local products and getting small souvenirs. We’re not into big shopping on our trips, but the girls always get to buy a small souvenir – this time it was a hand-made crochet key ring and a wooden cookie stamp, from the artisans' stalls in the Christmas market.

We’ve also learned that a typical Hungarian sweet for Christmas is a so-called ‘chimney cake’ – a pastry in the form of a tube. In the Christmas fair you will get a selection of fillings and toppings you can have with it, but to be honest, the best chimney cake we had was a plain one, empty inside. Yum!

City Park Ice Rink

I went there with my eldest and we both agree that it is a gorgeous place to skate. It is located in the city park, between the Heroes' Square and the Vajdahunyad Castle, and dates back to 1870 (!).

 

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Tips

Winter season notes: while there are all the winter attractions, you need to be prepared to miss out on some others, due to maintenance season. During our visit, the Funicular that takes you to the Buda hill was closed, and so was the Chain Bridge. 

Car parking: Note that most public parking machines look like they accept cards, but it turns out they actually don’t!  In the first parking that we used, we tried a couple of available machines which had instructions for paying with a card. We couldn’t insert the cards into the designated place, so we assumed the machines were broken and, as we didn’t have any coins, we ended up not getting a ticket. We weren't lucky enough and the penalty ticket was waiting on the windscreen when we came back. As we learned from a not-very-nice-lady-at-the-parking-office, you need to pay either on the internet (instructions on the machine in Hungarian – good luck😉), or with coins.

Dates of travel: 18-21 Nov 2021