Tick It Before You Kick It

My Favorite Budapest Gems From Living There

• Alexandra Lauren | The Bucket List Mermaid • Season 1 • Episode 20

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Let's explore Budapest like I did when I was in medical school!

Read the full show notes 👉 here!

🧜🏻‍♀️Join me, Alexandra, on Tick It Before You Kick It as I unravel the magic of a city that once was my home during medical school. 

🧖‍♀️From the rejuvenating Széchenyi and Gellért Spas to the historic grandeur of Buda Castle and Fisherman's Bastion, I share my personal journey of balancing intense studies with the joys of discovering Budapest's hidden gems. 

🇭🇺Experience this charming and affordable European city through my eyes and understand why it belongs on your bucket list.

⛵️In this episode, we'll cruise the Danube River, indulge in luxurious treats at the New York Cafe, and glide across the ice at Vajdahunyad Castle. 

🍰Food lovers, prepare your taste buds for chimney cakes and the heartwarming flavors of Hungarian goulash, including a surprise culinary delight found in the subway! 

With insider tips and stories, I aim to transport you to Budapest and ignite your wanderlust. ✈️

Don't forget to subscribe for more exciting travel adventures. Get ready to be inspired and start planning your Budapest getaway!

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Alexandra:

put on your big girl pants and go to the sauna. Hey adventurers, welcome to Take it Before you Kick it. The podcast where we talk about everything that you should put on your adventure bucket list. I'm Alexandra and I am a full-time traveling RV mermaid who has lived in several countries, and I'm going to be talking about one of those countries today, which is Budapest, hungary. Now, I did an entire episode on this before, on what it was like to actually move to Budapest, hungary. Now, I did an entire episode on this before, on what it was like to actually move to Budapest, hungary.

Alexandra:

I moved here for medical school, but now I'm going to be talking about my favorite things that I actually did in the city. Now, some of these are gonna be a little bit touristy. Some of these are going to be a little bit more of the hidden gems. However, I just wanted to go through and talk about my personal favorite. Now, they are personal. Some travelers might be different. I am not like some travelers, but this is just everything that I really, really enjoyed here and that I found unique to this city while I was exploring Budapest. So let's get started Now.

Alexandra:

I have to say, before we start, when I moved to Budapest. I was in medical school. Therefore, I was in a studying black hole for the majority of the time that I lived there. However, on the times that I did get to take off my medical school goggles, I actually got to go and enjoy the city for as much as I could enjoy the city without feeling guilty that I didn't have my study goggles on. So just keep that in mind. I had to be very, very specific with my time because I just didn't have a lot of it. Now, once I started getting the inclination that I was going to quit and become a traveling mermaid, I actually started to open up a little bit and I was actually enjoying some of Budapest a little bit more.

Alexandra:

So, yeah, let's talk about all of my favorite things to do in this incredibly underrated city, and I do mean incredibly underrated. I feel like everybody thinks, oh yes, I want to go to Europe, I want to go to London and France and Venice, but it's very rare that I actually do Me. People are like oh yes, my first choice was Budapest, you know. So I think that I knew it was going to be cool. However, I don't think I was quite prepared For it to be that cool. I really, really enjoyed myself, especially while living there. No, I am a little bit biased, because I did live there. However, I thought it was great. Plus, the prices were way cheaper than other european cities. Like I could actually get a decent meal and not feel like I was selling a kidney, like I was in London or Paris.

Alexandra:

So we have to talk about one of the most massive things that you can do in Budapest. I know this is probably going to be one of the most touristy things you can do, but, oh my gosh, is it worth it and that is the baths. Now, budapest is setting on a lot of natural springs water and they have a plethora of spas and baths that you can go to, and I have been to my fair share of hot springs. We have a few here in Colorado. My favorite is the Glenwood Springs. I've been to Bogosa, however.

Alexandra:

This one was very similar, except it just added a little European flair, like it was just beautiful. So my two favorites. I'm not even gonna try to pronounce it. Okay, I have learned my lesson with this podcast. I have been humbled by trying to pronounce all of these words. It starts with an S.

Alexandra:

It's the most beautiful touristy one, it's like Shenyeni or something along there. There's a lot of group tours that you can go with. Most of them offer Palinka attached to it and I thought that this one was amazing. I really, really enjoyed the outdoor bit. The indoor bit was amazing.

Alexandra:

I don't care what they tell you, but the best part of this spa, which I could literally sit in there for hours, is this little tiny sauna area. No one knows it. People know it exists but it's not well marked so you have to be vigilant in finding it. But the whole thing smells like chamomile tea and it just is this giant sauna and I thought that I was alone. But then I actually went back to Budapest after I quit med school and my best friends went with me and they thought the same thing. She was like I would pay the entrance fee just to go in this chamomile sauna. So anyway, that one was my favorite, so loved that one. It's great. I did meet another American who said that she hated it because she thought it was dirty. And maybe I'm just a dirty adventurer. Put on your big girl pants and go to the sauna. I'm sorry, if it's a little dirty, just deal with it. Win in Budapest.

Alexandra:

My other one that I loved was the Gellert Spa. This one was a little bit less touristy, still probably the second most touristy one in Budapest. It's actually on the Buda side, right as you cross over the bridge of the Danube, and this one just had these massive architectural structures in it that were indoor, like the pool area. Seriously, look it up, or just go to the show notes, look at the pictures. The architecture is amazing and on each side there's a different one. My dirty adventuring booty could have sat in those pools until I pruned. Okay, it was great. So, anyway, definitely would recommend checking out those. I have a full list of the Budapest spas so you can go check out. Maybe get some other options, maybe get some more hidden gems. I know the Rudis Bath is really good as well.

Alexandra:

Also, another thing that's touristy that I honestly loved was exploring Buda Castle and the Fisherman's Bastion. I think I'm saying that right, yes, but the views, especially of Parliament and the river and the rest of Budapest, are absolutely amazing, which takes me to my next point is, if you're into it, I actually did a travel photo shoot there, so I hired someone to go take pictures of me, and I know that sounds a little vain, but I just wanted to have the memory of me there and, I'm gonna be honest, I had no friends because I was in medical school and the friends that I did have would definitely not want to take their time to go photograph me in the Buddha Castle. So this was great and I was so impressed because it is so cheap. I think I paid about 90 bucks. We had the photo shoot for about three hours. I felt like a model it was so, so fun or like a travel influencer, and you know I was just posing in my little cute corset outfit and going on balconies that I shouldn't, because they were really super high and you know. But it's fine. The picture is amazing. Again, I will link all this, but if you are into those travel photo shoots, with no shame, if you are, own it and the pictures are amazing, you will have those pictures for the rest of your life. And if you are going to go to a location and you want to pay for it cheaply, budapest might be your option.

Alexandra:

Now let's talk about another thing that I did, which was a Viator tour, and I ended up going on this Viator tour because I love dark, morbid history. I was a forensic science major I have to love it and we ended up talking about all of the ghosts and vampire legends surrounding the Hungarian history. The guy was dressed up in full costume and we ended up walking around Buda Castle, the Fisherman's Bastion, all of the Buddha Hills, and it was all at night and I got to learn so much. So definitely that was one of my favorite things I did too. Another thing that I have to suggest is, if you are into medicine or anything, the Semmelweis Museum. Now, this is a shameless plug, because I myself went to Semmelweis Medical School, so it was very interesting for me to see all of these different medical devices and how they were learned and where my school was founded. So that was definitely really fun. My favorite part in there was one of the x-rays, like the early x-ray machines and then also the sunken head.

Alexandra:

Speaking of more morbid travel, if you do like more darker history, I would definitely check out the iron shoes on the Danube. I actually stumbled upon these and had no clue what they meant. I actually found out later that the iron shoes are a memorial because there's about 60 pairs of them. They're in 40s style and they're metal shoes and they're arranged along the riverbank and they're actually a tribute to the Jews who were killed during World War II, because they would basically take all their stuff and make them take their shoes off and then kill them and let them drop into the river. So very, very sad. However, I think it is a very good memorial to those who did lose their lives in World War II, so if you're a history buff, this might be a good one for you. Now let's just roll right on with history.

Alexandra:

St Stephen's Basilica this was a five-minute walk from my apartment that I was staying in with my little cat. I have an episode on that as well, how it was to actually move to Hungary with my cat from Colorado, anyway. So I wanted to go to St Stephen's Basilica and it did not disappoint. It was absolutely amazing, and one of the unique things that you can see there is you can actually see the mummified hand of St Stephen, and it's called the Holy Right Hand, and again, I stumbled upon this. I had no clue what it was, but then I actually realized and I was like, oh, that's super creepy and, you know, kind of cool. So there you go, and if you're in that area anyway, I would also check out. There's a cat cafe that's filled with mancoons. It's literally right across the street. So cute. It has really good coffee. It's a little expensive, but you get to hang around cats, so maybe worth it. It is also within walking distance of the Hungarian Opera House. So funny story my dad actually built an entire Lego version. He's super into Lego and he built an entire Lego version of the Hungarian Opera House and he had never even seen it. So going to the Hungarian Opera House was really, really fun because I got to see it in Lego form and then I got to go to the real thing. Would highly recommend the tours there and definitely seeing the Nutcracker or something very iconic, and maybe go see a show there. It is absolutely stunning inside, but, like words cannot describe how stunning the architecture is in this place, and if you don't want to take the tour, you can still admire it from the outside and you can still go inside and see some of its wonders as well.

Alexandra:

Now, next, another one of my favorite things to do in Budapest is go to a ruin bar. This is something that I really haven't seen anywhere else, but it's basically these old buildings that are transformed into hip, trendy bars. They're filled with eclectic furniture, often some quirky decor, and it's a very mishmash of style that just somehow creates a very unique night out in Budapest. One of my favorite is SimpliKurt. Now, when I was in med school, I had no time for this. However, when I came back and actually started living my life again, I did go out to a ruined bar responsibly, of course, responsibly. However, it was very, very fun and even if you aren't drinking, it is a very cool concept to see if you are in the city Now moving on chaotically which I wouldn't want it any other way because I thrive on chaos, but let's move on.

Alexandra:

So next, if you want to see the city without actually seeing the city, I would definitely do a cruise on the Danube. I've done this so many times. One of the most eventful times that I went on there was actually an unlimited booze cruise, which was just absolutely dangerous, but it was very fun. So I'll link that in the show notes. But just please, please, please, enjoy responsibly, but it was amazing. We saw Parliament Building, we saw that Castle Hill, we saw all of the amazing buildings that you can see right on the Danube and Budapest. So definitely a very good and cheap way to see the city, and if you don't have a lot of time to see the city, it's perfect.

Alexandra:

Another thing that I love, which I'm going to get so much hate for, because every time I would mention this to a Hungarian their eyes would roll so far back into their brain and just like spin around the other side. But I loved New York Cafe. I'm sorry they thought it was so dumb that you would spend 10 euros on a coffee, but I just don't care. It is so beautiful in there. It's actually voted the most beautiful cafe in the world. They even have like 24 karat gold hot chocolate. It is so bougie. It kind of feels like having a drink or a high tea in the middle of the Beauty and the Beast castle. So that's what kind of vibes were here.

Alexandra:

It was actually one of the first places I went to when I first arrived in the city. I got Hungarian goulash there with my mom before med school. Then I also went back with my best friends and they said that it was amazing too. So I'm glad it's not just me. I might be a dirty adventurer, but it doesn't mean that I don't love some luxury. So another thing, and again I am not going to even attempt to pronounce this, okay. Okay, let's try it. Here we go Vajahudnyad, that was terrible. This is why I don't do this. Okay, I'm sorry. Hungarian Such a beautiful language. I actually went through several Hungarian classes in med school because they were required and again, the only thing I know how to say is thank you. So it's a very, very hard language to learn and I overcompensated and overestimated my abilities for language learning when it came to Hungarian. So I still struggle. Please excuse me, but anyway, the Váda Hudniad. Okay, again, please just see the show notes.

Alexandra:

This castle is amazing. It's literally right in the city center, right by Heroes Square, and there's a lot of stuff that happens throughout the year at this castle, like, for example, when it gets cold enough, they actually freeze it and it becomes an ice skating rink. Well, it looks like a fairy tale castle. It's amazing. And that's all for the bucket list activities that were my favorite, but let's just quick talk about all of the food that you can partake in this. Now, honestly, my favorite thing that I ate is actually chimney cake, or kurtos kleklaks. Oh man, I'm just. I'm in pain with these words, but it's also called chimney cake If you go to the Czech Republic. It's like treadlek and there's actually a wide debate on where it actually originated if it was in the Czech Republic here or Romania but it's absolutely fantastic and, ironically, the best chimney cake that I've ever had was in the subways.

Alexandra:

So you know, you don't even need to go somewhere fancy. Honestly, budapest is one of those places where you just have a plethora of food options. As I said, the New York Cafe. You can get food there. Another one that I really enjoyed, one of my favorites, was the restaurant 26. I've had a lot of great Greek places there. Anywhere that serves Hungarian goulash absolutely was my favorite. So you will definitely not be short on options and, of course, I must admit I did go to a TGI Fridays when I was super, super homesick in Octagon. There's just something for everybody in Budapest. So this is just a little taste of one of the many things that you can do in Budapest.

Alexandra:

I have a couple bucket lists on my website. I have one that more covers the hidden gems of Budapest, and then I have another one which is the full shebang. So if you do want more details on anything that I've talked about and more definitely head over to the bucket list Mermaid or the show notes that I've linked in the description, and I will link everything so that you can be prepared for your time in Budapest and I just have to thank you for going to one of the lesser-known areas Europe and taking a chance on Budapest. Stop getting in your head and just go.

Alexandra:

As I said, I'm a wee bit biased because I live there and I love it. So, thank you, guys, so much for watching, thank you for listening to my personal favorite things to do in Budapest. As I said, check out that guide, follow me on socials at the Bucket List Mermaid, and we will see you next week for more adventures and more ideas on what to put on your adventure bucket list. Thank you again, so much for listening. If you did like this show, definitely don't forget to give it a subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. Maybe leave it a review and we will see you on the next adventure.