Budapest

I recently visited Budapest and below are some of my highlights of the trip.

One of the first places we visited was the fisherman's bastion, we visited in the evening just as the sun was setting and it really was a beautiful place. The architecture looked like a fairytale castle with the white stone and turrets, as well as some gorgeous stained glass windows.

 

I've heard that its a great place to watch the sunrise as well!

We also walked around Buda castle and gardens and this has some amazing views over Budapest from the top of the walls. 

Another highlight for me was the Szechenyi thermal baths, one of the biggest natural hot spring spa baths in Europe. There are 18 pools in total, 3 large outdoor pools with fountains, jets and a whirlpool all heated so it feels like you are in a warm bath. There are also more intimate indoor pools as well as saunas, steam rooms and plunge pools from cold to hot, we spent a relaxing 2 hours here for around £15.

There are also other thermal baths in Budapest, Gellert bath, Rudas bath and other outdoor summer pools. 

Pretty much any view in Budapest includes the famous Parliament building, the gothic architecture makes it a stand out landmark on the banks of the Danube. Fun fact: it is the 3rd largest Parliament building in the world. You can walk all around it outside and you can also take a guided tour inside.

Just down from the Parliament building on the banks of the Danube is a poignant memorial, Shoes on the Danube Bank. The monument was created to honour the Jews that were killed during World War II. They were ordered to take off their shoes and were then shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away, the monument represents their shoes left behind on the bank. We visited on a wet dreary day and the weather really added to the atmosphere at the monument.