We celebrated the New Year 2024 in Budapest, capital of Hungary. We hesitated for a long time. We had visited Prague in the Czech Republic and we were drawing a parallel. There is no need to be ! These are two very different cities. They don't have the same stories to tell. Gone away for a week, we visited Esztergom and Visegrad in the northwest of the country.
Publications in photos and videos
Daring shows off on the Buda side 
My little naked ass on the Pest side
Public flashing at the Thermal Baths and sex in the cabin
The garter belt in Esztergom and fellatio in Visegràd
The journey in a nutshell
Budapest is the union of three cities in 1873 : Historical Buda, the Pest shopkeeper and the ancient Obuda. The Chain Bridge (Széchenyi lanchid) connects Buda and Pest and spans the Danube. The capital is monumental. Buildings rarely have more than 200 years. Printing is elegance, Cleanliness and a sense of security. Hungarians are rigorous and punctual. The police are feared. Hungary was founded by seven Magyar tribes at the dawn of the year 1000 and the first king was Stephen I. Impossible to visit without hearing about it ! We learn over the course of the visits that the country has fought incessantly not to be conquered.
Reputed to be cold and closed, the Hungarians were open to discussion. We tried to learn basic words to greet (Jó Napot), thank (köszönöm), ask for water or toilets. Our attempts at language have clearly broken the ice. Language is complicated. Seeing our good will, They helped us with laughter and good humor. They appreciated that we were interested in something other than Budapest. We visited Višegrad and Esztergom – respectively former political and religious capitals -.
The cost of living is cheaper than in France. You can have fun without breaking the bank. The currency is the forint. We visited normally. We just spiced up the outings with cultural and tourist shows ! Budapest has a sulphurous reputation. You can orient your trip on sex, prostitution and strip clubs. I can't give you any advice on this point. MrSirban was not interested and on my side, I didn't care. Without looking for this type of atmosphere or neighborhood, We didn't stumble upon it by chance.
We stayed for seven days. This allowed us to come back to certain points and to spend a day outside the city. Four days are enough to see the main points. The city is not big. I invite you to book as much as possible on the monuments' websites. This will avoid queuing and allow you to choose the slots. For the Széchenyi Thermal Baths, Half-days can be booked. You can take a locker, Cabins or massages. They organize Sparty (Spa + party). We have not tested.
To get around, Your feet will be your allies. The metro is a good option. There are four lines. It is the second oldest in Europe after London. Practical and well signposted, Tickets can be purchased directly at the stations. The Line 1 connects the hypercentre of Pest to the thermal baths. It follows the famous Andrassy Avenue. The trains pass regularly (4 15 minutes away).
We didn't expect to be so charmed by Budapest. She was compared, to wrong, in Prague. The Pearl of the Danube is more monumental and the buildings are more recent. We feel rigor in the Hungarians contrasting with our Latin temperament. The cultural and tourist center is majestic. Life is not too expensive. It is an ideal destination for a city tour of a few days.
Jumble, Places of interest to visit are :
- Buda side : funicular, Buda Castle, Fisherman's Stronghold, St. Mathias' Church, statue of King Stephen I, labyrinth, Gellert Thermal Baths. A day to a day and a half is enough.
- Pest side : Hungarian Parliament, station designed by Eiffel, Andrassy Avenue, Saint Etienne Basilica, Gerbeaud Tea Room, Les Halles, them Ruins Bar of the Jewish Quarter (nice business concept to rehabilitate brownfield sites “Pop-up bars”). A day to a day and a half is enough.
- a little out of the way : Sainte Marguerite Island, Mount Gellert.
