The train ride from Vienna to Budapest took about four hours. Technically, a day trip is possible from Vienna, but that would be spreading things too thinly. If you’re really pressed for time, two days would be enough to see the major attractions in this city. One day would not be enough.

One observation as soon as we arrived at the train station in Budapest: there were a lot of young men dressed to the nines waiting outside the train. Turns out they were waiting for lady tourists, definitely not one of them below the age of 50. One young man for one old lady, each of them escorting the ladies outside. I do not want to assume, but i just watched The Grand Budapest Hotel a few weeks prior to arriving in Budapest, so please forgive me for jumping to conclusions. lol.

Some would say Budapest seems similar to other cities in Eastern Europe. In some ways it is. It’s kinda like Prague, but not as crowded. In some ways it looks similar to Vienna, though not as polished. Then there are places in the city that are unique to Budapest. Some may even describe such places as magical.

For those who do not have much time, I would recommend taking one of the hop on hop off tour buses. There are so many of them around , it’s impossible to miss them. I can’t remember how much we paid exactly, but it was pretty cheap. I mean, it’s a whole lot cheaper than taking a train or bus on your own to each attraction of note. If you take the tour bus, you can just choose to hop off the places that interest you. And there are so many of them around that you don’t have to wait long for the next bus. The longest wait for us was probably 15 minutes.

Tickets are also good for two days, which is more than enough time to visit the major attractions. Also, it includes a short cruise in the Danube River, which splits the city into the Buda and Pest side. Buda and Pest are distinct from each other, and this is apparent as you look at both sides from the River. Buda is built on hills, thus offering great views. Most of the top attractions are also on this side. Pest, on the other hand, is built on flat terrain. It also seems to be more populated. Thus you’d find more restaurants and bars here. As a result,this side seems to be more lively at night.

The Danube River Cruise

There’s also an audio tour included in the bus ride and river cruise, so even if you don’t hop off, you’re gonna learn a lot about the surrounding buildings, as well as Budapest in general. Amazingly, because of this, I’ve learned more about the country compared to the other countries we visited even though we were here for the shortest time. i wish we could have stayed longer so that i could have tried the famed hot springs and thermal baths (Budapest is also known as the City of Spas). But I’ve seen enough of this beautiful city to make a lasting memory.