We arrived in Budapest last night. Our Airbnb host picked us up at the airport and drove us to the apartment. It is fabulous and a great location. We went a restaurant close by, enjoyed burgers, beer (sure is the Hungarian word for beer) and the best onion rings.

Our first full day in Budapest was just that, very busy. We have purchased a 3 day Budapeat card that includes public transportation, fee or discounted entry to many museum and sights.

We used the metro and bus systems to get to Castle Hill. We were instantly in awe of the view. The history and architecture of the buildings is incredible.

We spent spent a couple of hours (which could have easily turned into a couple of days) in the Hungarian National Gallery. The collections span from 11th century to present day. We enjoyed about half the exhibitions and went up the Dome for a panoramic view of Budapest.


We went through the the following exhibitions: Renaissance stone carvings, Chirch adornments – gothic art in the Hungarian Kingdom 1300-1500, late Renaissance and baroque art, late gothic winged altarpieces, late Renaissance and baroque art, 19th century art, Mihalt Munkacsy and the realism of the end of the century, nude sculptures from the turn of the century, modern times – Hungarian art between 1896 and WWII, and masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts.

This is just some of the art work and no the pictures don’t do them justice.

Our Lady of Sorrows (1520)
The High Alter of Kissezeben (1490-1519)

The Dome

View from the Dome


After here we continued to the Castle Museum of the Budapest History Museum.  It explores the cities 2000 year history. We went into:

  • Buda the Seat and Throne of Royalty 

  • Gothic Hall
  • Chapel

  • Royal Cellar
  • Baroque hall – this room was so bright, large and beautiful it makes you want to have a little twirl, so I did

  • Medieval lapidary
  • The tapestry with the Hungarian-Angevin coat of arms

  • Gothic Statues

  • Prehistoric People, ancient cultures

  • 10th Century

After leaving this museum, it was time to grab a quick snack. A delicious cinnamon funnel cake and white wine spritz did the trick.


We continued on our Castle Hill tour with a visit to Matthais Church. This church took my breath away. I spent some time just looking in awe of my surrounding so. I took some pictures, knowing they will serve as a wonderful memory for me but could not capture the splendor of this church.

Our next stop in the Castle District is the Fishermen’s Bastion. It was built in 1905 as a viewing platform.


We continue to our last tour of the day at the Hospital in the Rock. The hospital was used in WWII and in 1956 Uprising. The guided tour was very informative – included wax figures, original medical equipment and graffiti and a walk through a Cold War nuclear bunker.


As we walked through the Castle District there was plenty of opportunities to admire the numerous statues and architecture.


A wonderful day in Budapest, looking forward to experiencing more of this city.