WanderLex

Tag: Budapest Travel Blog

  • Something 96 about St. Stephen Basilica

    Something 96 about St. Stephen Basilica

    Rise and shine earlier than usual with the intention to visit both Dohany Street Synagogue and St. Stephen Basilica. Wanted to maximize my last day in Budapest though I had wandered around Szechenyi Chain Bridge till late the night before. As per my standard protocol, I took a long stroll from Bo18 Hotel Superior to Dohany Street, only to realize that the Great Synagogue (Nagy Zsinagoga) was closed due to Easter Day. Oh man, I would have visited it on my first day if not for the flight delay…next time around ya?

    Dohany Street Synagogue

    Around Dohany Street Synagogue

    Around Dohany Street Synagogue

    Left Dohany Street and continue the walk to St. Stephen Basilica (Szent istván Bazilika).

    Regency Suites Hotel Budapest

    Around Deák Ferenc Square

    Saw some artists working on street arts at Erzsébet Square. The green space is a nice addition to such a central city area which I see locals hanging out around here.

    Artist at Erzsébet Square

    Street arts at Erzsébet Square

    Erzsébet Square at Budapest

    Around Erzsébet Square at Budapest

    Awe inspiring St. Stephen Basilica

    Finally, the beautiful St. Stephen Basilica, and it looks impressive from any angle. It was originally designed in neo-classical style but ended up in neo-renaissance style upon completion, due to the change of architects.

    The 96 thingy about St. Stephen Basilica is its height, exactly the same as Budapest Parliament Building at 96 meters, symbolizes the balance between religion and state. And because of that, no structure in Budapest is allowed to be built taller than the two. The admission is free but there’s a donation box by the entrance.

    Side view of St. Stephen Basilica

    St. Stephen Basilica front view

    St. Stephen Basilica at Budapest

    Outside St. Stephen Basilica

    St. Stephen Basilica is named after the first King of Hungary, which he has a hand in it, literally. Apparently, the church has kept the mummified right hand of King Stephen. When you drop a 100 forint into the coin slot, the glass case will light up and showcase his extremity. I didn’t try that though…

    Towards Altar of St. Stephen Basilica

    Altar of St. Stephen Basilica

    Inside St. Stephen Basilica

    Inside St Stephen Basilica

    Inside St Stephen Basilica

    Inside St Stephen Basilica

    Dome of St Stephen Basilica

    Inside St Stephen Basilica

    I kept my money for the observation deck instead, which cost 500 forints and well worth it.

    Stairs up to St. Stephen Basilica

    Inside the dome of St Stephen Basilica

    Stunning view from St. Stephen Basilica observation deck

    Once you make it to the observation deck, it will reward you with a 360-degree view of Budapest. I totally dig that, seeing the city from above is one of my favourite things when travelling. So I spent quite a bit of time up here and walked around the deck several times to enjoy the beautiful panorama.

    Great view from St. Stephen Basilica

    St Stephen Basilica observation deck view

    St Stephen Basilica observation deck view

    St Stephen Basilica observation deck view

    St. Stephen Basilica observation deck

    St Stephen Basilica deck

    Settled my lunch at Ez Az Bisztró right across the church. Goulash soup is a must and when I see rice variety offered on the menu, I ordered it straight away LOL! The food here is great and so is the price, while the friendly staffs and free wifi rounded up a great experience for me.

    Lunch at Ez Az Bisztró Budapest

    Lunch menu at Ez Az Bisztró Budapest

    Set Lunch at Ez Az Bisztró Budapest

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    What are your thoughts about St. Stephen Basilica? Leave a comment and share it with me.

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  • Nightfall around Szechenyi Chain Bridge

    Nightfall around Szechenyi Chain Bridge

    If there’s only one thing you can see in Budapest, let it be Szechenyi Chain Bridge (Széchenyi lánchíd). Definitely the most famous bridge in Hungarian capital for a good reason, and it’s my favourite structure in Budapest beside the Parliament Building. The Chain Bridge looks awesome all day long but its magical charm goes up by another notch when night falls.

    That’s when the surrounding buildings and streets light up along with it…simply awesome! Everywhere I turned was good photo opportunities which motivated me to soldier in the very windy and freaking cold night. Now, if only I can capture great photos like the pros…oh well… Anyhow, these were taken during the first night of wandering around the bridge.

    Széchenyi Chain Bridge of Budapest

    Lion guardian of Chain Bridge

    Walking along the Bridge

    Walking along Chain Bridge

    Buda Castle at night

    Chain Bridge upclose

    Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace

    Chain Bridge Déjà vu

    I went back to the same place again next evening, wanting to see the scenic setting that earned Budapest ‘Paris of the East’ nickname. Took a bus from Buda Old Town and alight at Széll Kálmán tér before taking the metro to Batthyány tér.

    Széll Kálmán tér Budapest

    Tram at Széll Kálmán tér

    And man, the Metro stations in Budapest go really deep into underground – I’m talking about some 10 storeys kind of depth. The escalators’ speed is kinda fast too, so hold on to that handrail else risk a long and painful tumble down!

    Underground Metro Station of Budapest

    Metro in Budapest

    The heavy downpour dashed my hope of sunset photo opportunity… sianz… So I took shelter and seek comfort food at a random Italian restaurant by the name of Pizza EATaliano. The dinner and Tiramisu turned up delicious! Nice!

    Dinner at Pizza EATaliano Budapest

    Dessert at Pizza EATaliano Budapest

    It was still pouring when blue hour appeared…it was so beautiful that rain doesn’t bother me anymore.

    Pizza EATaliano at Batthyány tér
    Pizza EATaliano at Batthyány tér

    The two-towered Church of St. Anne (Szent Anna templom) looking graceful.

    Church of St. Anne Budapest

    Managed to capture the Hungarian Parliament House (Országház) and Margaret Bridge (Margit híd) before the blue hour left…

    Hungarian Parliament House during Blue Hour

    Margaret Bridge during Blue Hour

    Awesome view from Margaret Bridge

    Then I headed to Margaret Bridge for some different views where I was pretty much drenched by then. The effort here is worth it as the overview of both river banks from Margaret Bridge is spectacular!!

    Along Margaret Bridge in Budapest

    Margaret Bridge in Budapest

    The Crown Of Saint Stephen On Margaret Bridge
    The Crown Of Saint Stephen On Margaret Bridge

    Nice view from Margaret Bridge

    Nice view from Margaret Bridge

    Buda Castle view from Margaret Bridge

    Hungarian Parliament House view from Margaret Bridge

    The Szechenyi Chain Bridge looks damn awesome from Margaret Bridge. Not wanting to end off the cold cold night yet so I went back up to Buda Castle and captured more shots of the charming Szechenyi bridge.

    Chain Bridge view from Buda Castle

    The view of Chain Bridge from Buda Castle

    The atmosphere around Buda Castle at night is nice and quiet. It’s like my very own magical place and I didn’t see anyone else until Fisherman Bastion.

    Castle hill at night

    Castle hill at night

    Matthias Church at night

    There’s this nice melody of a violin playing in the quiet night when I was at Fisherman Bastion. The music came from a lone violinist playing on the steps of the Bastion which I gladly tipped him before heading back to my hotel.

    Violinist playing at Fisherman Bastion

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    What are your thoughts about Szechenyi Chain Bridge? Leave a comment and share it with me.

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