Our bus from Kraków reached Budapest Kelenföld bus station a little before 6:00 AM. Most people immediately walked towards the Kelenföld vasútállomás subway stop. I bought a 24-hour Budapest-travelcard. I took the M 4 and M 2 metro from Kelenföld vasútállomás to Deák Ferenc tér. I made a pit stop at Starbucks Fashion for some quick breakfast. After that I took the M 1 metro from Deák Ferenc tér to Széchenyi fürdő to visit the Széchenyi Spa Baths.
The Széchenyi Spa Baths in Budapest is one of the best and largest spa baths in Europe with its 15 indoor baths and 3 grand outdoor pools. I bought the morning ticket with locker and went in. The main changing area was common and had big and small lockers. They were activated by a plastic key which I wore like a watch around my wrist. There were also small cabins which could be used to change (or even rented out instead of lockers). This common hall led to gender-segregated shower rooms and that opened up into the main indoor hall.
The main indoor hall had multiple pools of varying temperatures, between 18 to 38 °C (64 to 100 °F).
The outdoor pools (swimming pool, adventure pool and thermal sitting pool) were 27 to 38 °C (81 to 100 °F).
Since I had travelled overnight by bus from Krakow, I didn’t have access to freshen up and shower like on the train. So after spending a couple of hours enjoying the various pools, I headed back inside and had a nice shower and was ready for the rest of my day. I took the M 1 metro from Széchenyi fürdő to Deák Ferenc tér and walked to Elizabeth Square
to join the Free Budapest Walk
🔗 at 10:30 AM.
The tour ended at the Fisherman’s Bastion and from there I walked down to Saint Anne Parish. This was just across the river from the Hungarian Parliament Building and a nice spot to take some pictures.
From there I took the 19 / 41 tram from Batthyány tér M+H to Szent Gellért tér. I saw the Castle Garden Bazaar, the Vigadó Concert Hall and the Elizabeth Bridge on the way.
I walked across the Liberty Bridge. I crossed the Central Market Hall and headed back towards the Lion Fountain. I had something to eat at the McDonald’s close by and joined the Communism Walk 🔗 at 4:00 PM.
The tour ended at the Hungarian Parliament Building and from there I walked along the waterfront to the Cipők a Duna-parton, a waterside shoe sculptures memorializing those killed at the river by a fascist party during WWII.
I spent some time there on the banks of the Danube with great views of Castle Hill across the river.
I walked back towards Széchenyi Square and saw the Count István Széchenyi Statue.
The day was coming to an end and I took the M 2 metro from Deák Ferenc tér to Keleti pályaudvar and went to Istanbul Kebab for dinner.
After a nice day in Budapest it was time for me to start my return journey to Prague. Based on seat61.com I had decided to take the overnight train, a time-effective option which saved a hotel bill and also got me to my next destination. I booked it for €34 on the Czech Railways website.
| Train / Service | Depart | From | Arrive | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EN 476 | 20:25 | Budapest | 08:07 | Praha hl.n. |
I was in the last coach and I boarded the train and got to my compartment. I was the only one assigned to it and I had it to all to myself, which was great, a private little hotel room on wheels.
The lower berth was setup for me. The compartment had a small wash basin and mirror. It had some storage place for luggage and also a small rack to hang up clothes. There was a toilet and shower at one end of the coach.
The train left on time and it was already dark so there was not much to see outside. We crossed Slovakia and had quick halt at Bratislava (which I got an opportunity to visit a few months later). Around midnight our train then crossed over into Czech Republic and at Břeclav our coach was separated from the main train which continued onto Prague. Our coach would be attached to another train going to Prague after a few hours and reach at a more decent time giving me the chance to sleep in just a bit and also have a shower and get ready for my day in Prague.
🚇 Kelenföld vasútállomás to Deák Ferenc tér
🍽️ Starbucks Fashion
🚇 Deák Ferenc tér to Széchenyi fürdő
🚇 Széchenyi fürdő to Deák Ferenc tér
🚊 Batthyány tér M+H to Szent Gellért tér
🍽️ McDonald’s
🚇 Deák Ferenc tér to Keleti pályaudvar
🍽️ Istanbul Kebab