Winter Break in Budapest

In order to get into the festive spirit and also celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary, my husband Carl and I thought it would be wonderful to visit a European Christmas market. Budapest has always intrigued us, so we finally decided to go and spend three nights there. Our flight with British Airways from London Heathrow went smoothly, and by 1pm, we were already checked into our room at the lovely Hotel Moments in Budapest. The hotel is situated in Andrassy Avenue, and our room was incredibly spacious and had everything we needed for our stay. Upon arrival, our first priority was to find a restaurant as we were quite hungry. Luckily, we stumbled upon an Italian restaurant just a few steps away from our hotel called Trattoria Cardinale. The pizzas were gigantic, almost sliding off the plate, but they filled us up and set us up for the rest of the afternoon. One of the things I was really looking forward to seeing was the shoes on the Danube. It was a 15-minute walk to get there, and when we arrived, we were overcome with a sense of melancholy and an eerie atmosphere. On our way back from the shoes, we came across a River Cruise tour desk and decided to book an evening trip down the Danube. We boarded the boat at 6:30, where we were greeted with a glass of bubbly. The boat set sail at 7pm, and we opted for the Hungarian buffet option, which included soup and delicious Hungarian Goulash. The boat trip lasted approximately two hours, during which we had the chance to admire spectacular landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament and the castle. On our second day, we decided to visit the Dohany Street Synagogue. It took us about 20 minutes to walk there, and through the back streets of Budapest, we noticed several "Gentlemen's Clubs." This is when it dawned on us why Budapest is popular with stag groups! The synagogue, being the largest in Europe, was incredibly impressive. It cost us about 19,000 HUF (around £42) for the two of us to enter. The museum inside is filled with historical artifacts and heart breaking stories about the Jews during the Holocaust. Afterward, we crossed the bridge to the Buda side of Budapest to visit the castle. Instead of walking up the steep hill, we decided to take the Funicular. The views from the castle were stunning, despite the ongoing scaffolding and construction. Budapest has a wide variety of restaurants, particularly Italian ones. We discovered a charming Mexican restaurant for lunch, where we sat outside under heaters and enjoyed people-watching. There's nothing quite like observing the locals while you're in a foreign city! In the evening, we had dinner at Zenobia, the Lebanese restaurant attached to our hotel. The food was delicious and bursting with flavour, leaving us very satisfied. On the third day, the weather was rainy and cold. Since we had already explored the main attractions, we decided to do some Christmas shopping. However, due to our limited hand luggage, we couldn't buy too much. The Christmas markets, scattered throughout the city, were delightful, selling Hungarian food and unique gifts. We briefly considered visiting one of the Thermal Spas but ultimately decided against it after chatting with a lovely couple from Kosovo over coffee. They warned us that the spas get overcrowded and you tend to feel cold when you come out. Overall, our trip to Budapest for the Christmas market and our anniversary celebration was truly memorable. The city had so much to offer and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring its history, cuisine, and charming streets.