Budapest... Charming Buda

In my previous post (Hungary...Budapest....The unexpected surprise) I have described a generic walk- through of Budapest  in general.  The Danube river splits Budapest in two very different sides. The Buda and Pest side. During this blog I will be talking about the Buda side. Buda sits on the west side of the Danube. I hope the below would be a good temptation for you to go and see Budapest Buda.

So how do you get to Buda?

From Pest side, you need to get to Chain bridge, this spans across the Danube river. The chain bridge was the first bridge built across the river and opened in 1849. After crossing the Danube river you will find yourself in Adam Clark Square. From there you can get the funicular which stops you exactly  near Buda Castle. The fee for the funicular is around Eur6 (including a return ticket)

How is Buda different to Pest? 

For starters Buda is definitely quieter than Pest and also greener. In Buda one finds more families living there. Local residence also mentioned that it is harder to find public transport on Buda.  Buda is also calmer then Pest. In Pest one can find bars, next to bars and restaurants on top of each other, whereas on Buda it is definitley less hectic. The architecture on Buda side is also different. The roads are narrower and windier.  People on the Buda side tend to speak less English, while on Pest you find more people who can speak English. Another thing which I noticed was that restaurants on the Buda side are generally more expensive, especially the ones close to the Saint Matthias church.

Top places to visit in Buda:

• Fishermans, Bastion
• Saint Matthias Church
• Buda Castle
• Gellert Hill
• Buda's Turkish Baths

My top main place in Buda, is the Fisherman's Bastion which in Hungarian is known as 'Halászbástya'. I visited this place both during the day and in the evening and I do have to say that for me the best time to visit the Bastions is definitely in the evening.  You can see Budapest all lit up, simply stunning. This is known as the Fisherman's Bastion as it is said that fishermen had defended this side of the Budapest city back in the middle ages. The fisherman's Bastion consist of seven towers which from them you can see the stunning panoramic view of the Danube river and Margaret Island. However for me the best view of all is the stunning Hungarian parliament view, all lit up in the evening. Visiting this place looks like a scene from Harry Potter, it is so stunning and so magical. It is simple beautiful. There is also a  restaurant in one of the towers, it is rather chick and posh and on the expensive side.

Fisherman's Bastions

Fisherman's Bastions, in one of the castles

The Fisherman's Bastion is surrounding the most beautiful picturesque church which is Saint Matthias church. If you are bored of seeing churches you have definitely got to see this one.  It is known that this Romanesque architecture was built back in 1015, but no archaeological remains exist.  The building in place today was constructed in a different style called florid late Gothic.  This was built in the second half of the 14th century.  We have it still in good shape today thanks to an extensive restoration that was done in the late 19th century.  In the medieval times of Buda this was the second largest chruch, which stood in place as the seventh largest in medieval Hungarian Kingdom.The gothic styled architectural detail it has makes you love architecture if you don't. It is unique in it own ways.  The interior of this church is amazing as the exterior of it full of oriental colors.

Saint Mathias Church

Buda Castle is the first thing one sees as you walk out of the fuicular, set  on the south of Castle Hill.  Originally built back in 1265 but the whole Castle to what there is today was completed back in 1769.  In the past the Buda Castle was known as Royal Castle or Royal Palace. There are several tours around the Buda Castle which one can go to by paying a small fee. From Buda Castle one can see the other side of the Danube river...although in my opinion the best view still is from the Fishersman's Bastions.

Another place one  cannot miss visiting is Gellért Hill, which is a 235m hill overlooking the river Danube and forms part of the 1st and the 11th District.  The name Gellért hill originated from Saint Gerard who is known that was thrown to death from this hill.  Forming part of Gellért Hill is the Hotel Gellért  and also the Gellért  Baths, both of these can be found below Gellért hill, in Gellért  square (which can be arrived to from Liberty Bridge). Hotel Gellért was built back in 1912, the hotel took a bit long to build as this was during world war one and it only opend six years later, September 1918. During the second world war, unfortunately the hotel was damaged. The restoration took long to start and only finished back in 1965.  The Hotels architecture is beautiful and definitely is a must see for those who appreciate stone work. 

The view of the parliament from the Fisherman's Bastions

Walking down the Citadel

At the top of this hill is the Budapest Citadel, from which one can see an amazing view of the Danube  in both directions.  There is a lovely walk both up and down the Citadel (as there are different paths). One can also find some kiosks along the way where you can buy the famous pretzels.

Buda, does not necessarily have the night life for party  lovers however one must definitely go for it and see the beauty this side of Budapest has to offer.  Stay tuned  for another blog post, next blog I will be talking about the other side of Danube river...Pest. 

Which do you guys prefer is it Buda or Pest?