Day one in Budapest done right

With a few hours left on my full-day public transport ticket, I decided to squeeze the most out of it this morning and caught the metro straight to the Hungarian Parliament Building. Even knowing it’s one of Europe’s great landmarks doesn’t quite prepare you for seeing it in person. I spent a solid hour circling the place, taking in the sheer scale and the intricate architectural details that make it feel almost unreal. 🤩

From there, I rode the metro one more stop and headed up towards Buda Castle. I took the funicular - because when a city offers you a funicular, you take it - and then spent a few hours exploring the castle grounds and exhibitions. Saint Stephen’s Hall ended up being the highlight; in fact, it was so nice that I actually broke my own rule and took an inside photo. I'm usually firmly in the "inside photos never look good" camp, but this one demanded it.

After that, I made my way to the Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle and the Fisherman’s Bastion. When I’d seen my fill, I took the funicular back down, crossed the famous Chain Bridge, and wandered on to a trendy Mexican restaurant for dinner. The burrito absolutely delivered.

Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for over 12.5 mm of rain, so it may turn into a museum-and-indoor-exploring kind of day.Read more