A Pest Side Story

Recently updated on September 6th, 2022 at 09:22 am

Budapest is a city of many wonders. When deciding how to tackle the many things to see and do there, you will quickly realize that the city is divided into two sides – Buda and Pest. If you are only visiting the city to see beautiful views and a castle, the Buda side is the place for you and we shared our favorite spots in this post. In my opinion, the Pest side offers so much more for a visit.

We gave ourselves a full week to explore the city and get a little more acquainted. It was nice to slow down our European travels for a few days and see a little more. Budapest quickly became our favorite city in Europe and it was fun to imagine living there while we wandered the streets and explored the different neighborhoods.

There was a lot to love about Pest, specifically district 5 where we stayed. It is such an easy city to get around via walking or public transportation. We were able to find an amazing variety of restaurants and grocery stores. It brought back the feelings from our Brooklyn neighborhood and that is one of the reasons we loved it so much.

Things We Loved About Pest

The Streets

With historical buildings on every block, I noticed something new every time we left the apartment. There are colorful murals, beautiful green parks and a stark contrast of buildings that haven’t been touched in years and those that have been renovated or restored. It’s obvious that the city has seen so much in its history.

Some blocks have walkways that cut through the buildings and are the location of some of my favorite restaurants and cafes. Walking never got old because there was always something new to stumble upon. If you are looking for these locations, punch in Blue Bird Cafe and the directions will take you to one of our favorite spots.

Make sure to also check out a few Ruin Bars while in town. We shared our favorites in this post.

The Central Market

This beautiful market is the largest and oldest in Budapest. There are three floors filled with a variety of stalls and shops. We visited multiple days because it’s located in a very central part of town. There are souvenirs, fresh produce, Hungarian snacks and all things Paprika. They offer food tours inside the market to help you get the full experience, but even if you just stroll through, it’s rewarding.

Budapest City Park

Many Budapest lists will include the Millenium Monument, but the park located directly behind that area was incredible. With museums and castles to explore, the park should not be missed while in town.

We spent a full afternoon searching for geocaches and enjoying the wide, quiet paths through the trees. There is also a popular thermal bath spot located within the park which I think was more beautiful than the others that we scoped out online.

The History

Budapest has been inhabited by different groups of people for thousands of years. Definitely no shortage of stories and events that have taken place here. There are museums, tours and historical places to visit all over Pest. There were a few that we found particularly interesting on our visit. Knowing that there is still so much to uncover, we could spend months there exploring.

The impact of WWII and the Nazi occupation is one of the most obvious to this day. Much of the city was destroyed in the war and a lot the Jewish population was either forced to leave or risk being killed. After the war, the city was under Soviet control until the 1990’s. We visited the Holocaust Memorial and also spent a really hard afternoon at the House of Terror museum.

Learning about the difficult past and struggles that these places have endured is important to us while traveling. Acknowledging the history is necessary when experiencing new places. It’s not all horrible and the stories of resistance and resilience are incredibly inspiring. I always encourage awareness because we can learn so much by studying and understanding history. Budapest has so much to teach.

Budapest – Some Extra Details

The apartment we stayed at can be found here. It was a great location and was very comfortable for the week. We talked quite a bit about how easy and wonderful it would be to live in a place just like this.

If you want a hotel, this place would be a dream come true (and probably outrageously expensive). Located in a great spot and much more affordable, check out this hotel with great reviews.

We arrived on the train. There are multiple train stations in town unlike some other European cities, so make sure you know where you are arriving and where you are departing.

Our week here was in November and the weather was incredible. It was cool and sunny which made it perfect to explore the city on foot. They were beginning to set up the Christmas markets which looked amazing.