We flew in to Budapest from Gatwick on our first day with the weather sunny and very hot, only to find that the air conditioning on our Tui Isla river boat was not functioning. As you can imagine this was not the arrival we expected and after many complaints they finally took us to a local hotel, in our case the Movenpick in central Budapest. The hotel was excellent and on the recommendation of the guy on reception we walked into the center and had a great evening with meal and drink at the Time-Out Market in the Corvin Palace. Just what we needed after a slightly stressful day at the airports and then the 'no-air-conditioning boat'.
The following day the aircon to the rooms only had been fixed so we returned and spent the day in Budapest. Our first option, usually when we don't know somewhere and have limited time, is to take an open-topped Bus tour which we did. The bus was late due to traffic delays but eventually arrived and we travelled as far as Heroes Square where we got off before eventually taking a later bus back to the boat. The bus ride was also a bit unpleasent as too many were allowed to board and consequently all the gangways were extremely crowded and understandably difficult for people to get on and off.
The route which took us through Budapest promised a lot but meant getting off the bus often to fully appreciate the sights. We were a little short on time so stayed on until we reached Heroes Square which we did want to see. We have been here before on a coach trip (see https://www.mikeandjane.net/prague14-1.html for greater detail) in 2014. Prior to entering Heroes Square we took a much needed rest and drink at a lovely little cafe just a few minutes walk from the Square next to the Városligeti Lake (City Park Lake). On the other side of the lake was the Vajdahunyad Castle which we saw on our visit in 2014 but did not have time this year.
We also took the bus to the top of the Citadella to see the Freedom (Liberty) statue that was first erected in 1947 in remembrance of Soviet troops ending the Hungary's occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II. Since then parts of the lower section have been relocated to Memento Park and as a consequence of their freedom the inscription now reads "To the memory of those all who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary" (no mention of Russia)
One of our regrets during the city tour is that we didn't get off the bus to visit the Hungarian Parliament due mainly to the distance of the bus stop from the building but it does have an interesting history and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
