Vienna to Budapest

We continue our Danube journey by train, about a 3 hour trip from Vienna to Budapest. The train carriage was great although crowded with students on their Uni' summer migration across Europe. Cheap with comfy seats and big windows to enjoy the countryside and the river. We were to learn though that a ticket to ride only allows you to be on the train, you pay a further fee for a reserved seat. After two hours some locals got on and demanded our  seats that we assumed were ours on a first-come-first-serve basis. Not so, as a local businessman sitting nearby explained; for only a few Euros extra you get a ticket with a seat number allocated. All turned out well though and we enjoyed the journey and an hours discussion on all things Hungarian with Istvan the businessman. The seat "stealers" were bit put-out and surly but we could live with that.

We loved Budapest from the moment we arrived, the architecture, the history and the friendly people.
We were to learn that it's really two cities combined, Buda on the hilly side of the river and Pest on the flat flood prone side (where all the action and nightlife happens). Every conquering army from near and far have travelled the Danube River over the past 2,000 years to capture and shape the two cities; the Celts, Romans, Austrians, Ottomans, Bulgarians and Communists have all had a hand in making it what it is today.

Heroes Square - Budapest.

We happened to pass this "beer bike" winding its way through the capital. It appears that a dozen or so drinkers get on and pedal while a nominated (and sober non-drinker we assume) acts as barman and steers the contraption. All year round apparently, in the winter time they serve mulled wine and hot cider. Our younger readers can check it out here: BeerBike, us older ones can be thankful we don't have to participate in such crazy stuff anymore!

Beautiful view, if you concentrate real hard you can see the the Danube River and the city of Budapest in the background I'm told.

We packed our bike panniers away, bought two big suitcases and hit the shops.

The Danube River through Budapest.

A couple of ex-cyclists.

Looking for a memento of our European adventure ( as if the sore legs and bruised backsides are ever going fade from memory ).

We've been booking our hotels along the way just a day or two in advance to avoid the pressure of having to pedal if the weather turned bad, problems with the bikes arose or lethargy took over. We use and recommend www.booking.com to search for the best locations, prices etc and any specials ( breakfast/wifi included etc). We've been lucky all the way since leaving Rotterdam but none more so than in Budapest.

We couldn't believe our luck when the taxi driver dropped us of at the Hotel Basilica in the heart of the city within walking distance to everything we wanted to do and see. We loved the shops the coffee strips, the market squares with live music, restaurants and food stalls. Compared to Australia, and Perth in particular, eating out is cheap in Budapest. They really do look after visitors here and getting around is easy using public transport, cultural and historical tours are well organised, the city feels safe to walk around and English is widely spoken and the people were friendly without exception.

The Basilica just outside our hotel.

The Hungarian Parliament building after being renovated and surrounded by scaffolding for thirty years.

We make no apology for sounding like travel agents, Budapest is our favourite city so far and one that we'll definitely come back to.

Next destination - Bucharest, Romania.