Budapest Day 2 - 5/22/2025
- sridgway38
- May 21
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 8
We moved from our ship to the Intercontinental where we will spend out final night before heading to the hotel tomorrow. We left our luggage but where unable to check in yet becase the rooms weren't ready so we decided to take a walk around the city.
Our first stop was the iconic Chain Bridge (Széchenyi Lánchíd), which connects the Buda and Pest sides of the city across the Danube River. Built in the mid-19th century, it's not only one of the oldest bridges in Budapest, but also a symbol of the city’s unity and progress. From the bridge, we took some beautiful photos of the river and the city skyline—including Buda Castle perched on the hill in the distance.
Next, we visited the breathtaking Hungarian Parliament Building, one of the most recognizable landmarks in Hungary. This neo-Gothic masterpiece sits right on the bank of the Danube and is the third largest parliament building in the world. The architecture is absolutely stunning, with intricate details, a grand dome, and impressive spires.
From there, we strolled through the streets to Erzsébet Square, where we spotted the Budapest Eye, a large Ferris wheel offering panoramic views of the city. The ride gave us a unique perspective of Budapest’s rooftops, the river, and historic buildings all around us.
Afterward, we wandered over to the the Inner City (Belváros) district filled with cafes and boutique shops, which is a popular spot for both locals and tourists. We relaxed at a cozy café, enjoying the atmosphere and people-watching for a bit.
To end the day, we made our way to the Great Market Hall (Nagyvásárcsarnok), the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest. This striking building is known for its colorful Zsolnay tiling and vast interior filled with vendors selling local foods, produce, spices, and souvenirs. It was a great place to get a feel for local life and pick up some Hungarian paprika to bring home.
We headed back to the hotel to check in. We were given a nice room and we organized our luggage and took a bit of a rest. We decided to have an early dinner at the cafe at the hotel, our final outdoor meal of the trip. The food was very good and the forecasted rain held off until just after we ordered dessert, which they moved inside for us.
Earlier in the afternoon we had asked the concierge about whether we could get a taxi to take us for nightime photos of the Parliment building but he said that a hotel car could take us. After dinner we met the driver who drove us to an area across the river for views of the Parliment and the bridges. The lighting on the parliment building was beautifully done and let the entire building.
We headed back to the hotel for a relatively early bed time. We enjoyed a glass of wine from the bottle we purchased on yesterday's wine tour. It was quite nice but we had to get to sleep because we had a 4 AM departure in the morning.
Budapest is such a walkable and visually rich city—we loved seeing it at our own pace.