Family Fun in Budapest Over February Half Term
Home for 4 nights was located right next door to St Stephen’s Basilica, perfectly placed for the many bars, restaurants and cafés in the area. We certainly spent our hard earned cash on the most delicious and freshly made macarons as we dipped into the oh-so-very-well-located café each evening on our way home.
Our first stop was the incredibly powerful and moving tribute ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’. This memorial consists of 60 pairs of iron shoes, created to honour the jews who were massacred at the edge of the river Danube during the second world war, they were ordered to take off their shoes first as these were valuable and would be sold. Was it sad? Incredibly. Emotional? Absolutely. Did we all learn something? Without a shadow of a doubt. I cannot recommend this enough, just time to sit and think in the presence of stark reality was so important not only for us but for our children too. Chain Bridge, which can be seen from the memorial and spans the river connecting Buda and Pest, was designed by an English engineer and built by a Scottish engineer - fancy that!
Hospital in the Rock is an underground hospital and nuclear bunker that has been turned into a museum and quite a time warp. Built beneath Castle Hill, it was originally built as a secret hospital during the second world war and has evolved over time, closing and re-opening again when it was needed. Today the beds and equipment are modelled by lifelike wax figures to depict scenes from when the hospital was in use. A fascinating insight into the struggles of Budapest and the determination of its people.
Great Market Hall was a super place to meander through, absorbing the sights and smells of local produce and the lively atmosphere.
We spent some time in the now vibrant Jewish quarter and after appreciating the glory of the synagogue I was keen to hunt down some ruin bars which sadly seem to mainly open after dark. These are a distinctive feature of this part of the city and are bars established in derelict buildings often featuring graffiti on the walls and an eclectic mix of furniture and décor. A visit was not to be this time!
As well as lots of amazing places to eat and drink (check out my Red Snapper in the pics), Budapest is also home to coffee houses and grand cafés, decked out in old world charm. Visit for coffee and cake or breakfast and enjoy the beautiful ornate surroundings.
It’s great that our children enjoy experiencing these city adventures now they’re a little older and walking isn’t such the punishment it once was! However it is still really important to break up the day and do something that totally has the kids in mind. Our choice? The Museum of Illusions. A brilliant attack on our senses and really good fun for everyone. It took us about an hour to go around the whole museum taking lots of silly photos of each other along the way.
The most important thing to us as a family is making wonderful memories to last a lifetime and if we learn a bit along the way, all the better. Budapest, certainly ticked a lot of boxes.
