BUDAPEST | DAY TRIP FROM VIENNA WITHOUT A CAR

My solo travel to Budapest from Vienna.

Getting There 🚂

Traveling from Vienna to Budapest takes approximately three hours by train. I booked my tickets through Omio. Unfortunately, my train encountered some issues, extending the journey to four hours. Luckily, I still managed to see everything I wanted, which just shows that most of the main attractions are pretty close to each other.

Getting Around🚃🚇

I bought a one day pass through their transport app “BudapestGO” and their trains are really straightforward just like Singapore. Using Google Maps, you should have no trouble finding your way around.

Central Market Hall 🍝

I started my day at Central Market Hall since I got there around lunchtime. I tried their famous beef goulash, which is a bit like ragu pasta, and it was delicious! The market has a lot to offer: the ground floor is filled with fresh food, meat, and chocolates (great for souvenirs), while the upper floor has food stalls and shops selling things like bags and magnets. It’s also a good spot to hide from the rain, which I ended up doing for a bit.

Shoes on the Danube Bank 👞

This memorial is along the riverbank as you head back towards the city center. There are sixty pairs of iron shoes lined up to represent the thousands of Jews who were forced to remove their shoes before being shot into the river during World War II. It’s a powerful yet sobering sight.

Fisherman’s Bastion 🏰

From the Danube Bank, I walked towards Buda Castle and caught a bus to Fisherman’s Bastion. The bus doesn’t drop you off right at the Bastion, so I had to walk up some (kinda steep) slopes and stairs. The views from there are stunning! You get to see the whole city from the Buda side, with the Danube River and all the landmarks. You can explore most of the place for free, but there are a few areas with even better views that require a small fee.

Overall, you can cover most of the must-see spots in Budapest in a day. I wish I had more time, though, because I wanted to check out the Széchenyi Baths. Since it was also a impromptu trip, I did not manage to change any cash and went about paying with my Youtrip card. For the most part, besides some stalls in the central market, most shops and restaurants allow you to pay using card.

#budapest

#solotravel

#daytrip