Budapest was our destination this weekend. We took a flight on the relatively new budget carrier Wizzair from Luton on Friday evening which meant that, although we got in very late, we would have at least one full day in the city.
The flight was straightforward enough, and on time. Wizzair pride themselves on their leather seats, but I have to say, I didn't find them that comfortable, and I get a sweaty backside on leather, too! So 2 hours in that seat was about enough!
We touched down at 23:30 local time. We'd read that the Airport Minibus was the easiest way to get into the city, and indeed it was. The desk is just on the right as you walk out of the baggage hall and you just tell them which hotel you're staying at, and they sort it all out so there's about 8-10 people in a minibus going to hotels in a similar area. It's all very efficient, and we didn't have to wait more than about 15 minutes before we were on our way into the city. Incidentally, we also bought Budapest Cards at this point which gives you all sorts of discounts on stuff around the city, plus free unlimited travel on all public transport (except for the funicular) which was 4700Ft for the 48 hour version (just under 15 pounds). It probably didn't quite end up paying for itself, but it was certainly more convenient than having to buy tickets for the metro all the time, and that was worth paying for in itself.

The journey into the city took about 35 minutes. I expect it would take longer when there's actually some traffic around!
We arrived at our hotel, The Carlton Hotel, about half past midnight, and pretty much went straight to bed.

The next morning we got up just in time for breakfast, which was a fairly standard buffet breakfast affair, with cheeses and hams etc. Then we started pounding the streets.

The first stop was Castle Hill. We took the funicular railway to the top which costs 600Ft each (about 2 pounds). The bus would've been free with our Budapest Cards, but we fancied a go on this, and it goes from very near our hotel. It takes all of about 1 minute to get the top, but you get a great view once you're there, across the Danube to the Pest side of the river.


We then walked the short distance over to the Fisherman's Bastion and St. Matthius' Church and took in the views from here, too. Afterwards, we got the bus down to Moskva Ter, and hopped on the Metro, changing at Deak Ter, to get on the yellow line up to Hero's Square.
I have to say, I was very very impressed with the public transport system in Budapest. It might be a bit 'weathered', but it runs like clockwork. We never had to wait more than about 2 minutes for a metro train, and most of the time there was one just coming into the station as we got there! The funkiest line is the yellow one, as as you're just pulling into a station, it plays this little jingle before it announces the name of the station.

While I'm on this little digression, I must mention the Hungarian language. I consider myself a fairly competent linguist - I speak Italian, German and Serbo-Croat, as well as English. However, the Hungarian language is completely impenetrable. There's hardly a word that you could safely recognise. Although it sounds a bit like a Scandinavian language when it's being spoken, and it forms a group of languages along with Finnish and Estonian, I have it on good authority that it's completely incomprehensible to people from these countries, too. Thankfully, English is fairly widely spoken, even though I believe German to be the first foreign language of choice for them. So do be prepared to shout, and point a bit if you go slightly off the tourist trail.

Anyway, our metro journey took us to Hero's Square. Now, don't get me wrong, it's a nice square, but it was very cold, so we didn't spend much time here. We just took a few snaps, and moved on. It's just not as grand as St. Peter's Square in Rome, or the Place de la Concorde in Paris. But do try to pay it a quick visit, anyway!

We had intended to visit the thermal baths later in the day after we'd worn ourselves out, but the Szechenyi baths are near Hero's Square, so we decided to go in now. You pay the entrance fee (reduction available with the Budapest Card), which includes 'lockerage', and they give you some little blue key fob thing which works as your entrance pass. You then go through to the changing area, and if you didn't bring your own towel, you can rent one from a lady in a little room at the end on the left for a couple of quid. She speaks next to no English, but you get by. If you've got space for it, I'd advise taking your own towel, or one from your hotel, as the ones they supply are those really thin things which are basically just a bedsheet!
Then you can go through to the locker and changing area. First you have to attract the attention of the guy who works there, and he'll open up a rfee locker for you. Then you can dump your stuff in it, and find that guy again who'll lock it up for you, and give you a little key fob thing which it's advisable not to lose! Then you can get on with the business of 'taking the waters'.

Once you've found your way to the main outdoor pool, it's advisable to LEG IT over to it, and get in quick! Well, given that it was February, it was a tad on the chilly side, so this is what you were forced to do. Once you're in, it's absolute bliss. The water is 37-38 degrees Celcius, which is like a hot bath. I was expecting to get a cold head, as this was the only part of your body exposed to the elements, but strangely enough, you don't. It must be all the hot steam coming off the water which keeps it warm. This was definitely a highlight of the trip, and should not be missed out of anybody's itinerary!

After the baths, we had a bit of time to kill before we had a Danube boat tour booked, so we took the metro over to the Westend City Centre shopping centre. It's a decent sized place, with a lot of the usual 'Western' shops, like Mango and even Marks and Spencer, but with some Hungarian stuff mixed in. Don't go expecting a bargain, tho. Most prices were way above what you would pay back home, even in rip-off Britain! Things like French perfumes were even up to 3 times more! The food court area was quite good, though, and seemed popular with the locals. There's a decent choice of food there, with things like pizza and chinese etc. We decided to go to the supermarket, instead, and got some bread rolls and cheese and stuff. Lovely!

Next stop was the Duna Bella river cruise. There is only one daytime cruise per day at this time of year, at 14:30 so we made sure we got there for that. It was superb. It does a circular route, up to and around Margaret Island, then back down the river again to where you started. The whole thing takes about an hour, and you get a headset thing with a surprisingly interesting commentary on it in about a trillion different languages. While you're cruising, they bring you a complementary drink of wine or beer, or whatever you want. Nice touch! Again, a discount is available for Budapest Cardholders.

After that, we went for a kip! It's a hard life, you know! By the time we awoke, it was time to think about going for some dinner. We decided on a place to go, and walked up the riverbank from our hotel to check it out. We couldn't find it, but luckly, on the way, we passed another place called Carne di Hall, and I'm very glad we did. Everything we'd read about eating out in Budapest implied that it was dirt cheap, but this didn't seem to be the case, although it wasn't massively expensive, either. We paid about 30 quid for 2 courses with wine and coffee, which is about what you'd pay in a cheaper restaurant in the UK. But the quality of food was SUPERB. Definitely a place to check out if you're in the area.

The next morning, we decided to head for the Hungarian National Museum.. A very nice looking building, with all manner of Hungarian stuff inside organised on two floors by era. Now, don't get me wrong. As museums go, this is pretty decent with a vast array of stuff on show, a lot of which has been dug up over the years, but it just didn't really excite me very much. I think I'm all museum'd out! But, it was cold outside, and this was all indoors, so we spent an hour or so here, anyway.

The last place we had planned to go was the House of Hungarian Wines. This is a must for any wine lover. You basically pay an entrance fee, and they kit you out with a glass and some savoury snacks, and you walk around the wine cellar sampling the various wines they have open. And, of course, any that you like, you can buy, too. With prices from about 2 pounds a bottle, you really can't go wrong. This is something else I'd definitely recommend.

And so, it was about time to get the minibus back to Ferihegy Airport for the last time. Most departures are from the newer terminal 2B, which is fairly pleasant. It has a range of small shops, duty free etc., as well as a few little eateries and coffee shops. Just enough to kill a couple of hours while you wait for your flight...