A beautiful day in Budapest with views of the Danube River and the city that surrounds it! Photo by: Evan Berman

The first stop on my Eastern Europe trip was to Budapest, Hungary. I had a great time, exploring and learning about the history and culture while also getting some tasty food!

This review of my 2 days in Budapest is part of the Eastern European Experience. For more information on this trip, follow these links:

Intro

Flight: United Economy Class B737-800 CHS-ORD-SEA

6 Hours in Seattle

Centurion Lounge, The Club SEA, and United Club: SEA Lounges

Flight: Turkish Airlines Business Class B787-9 SEA-IST

Istanbul Airport’s Famous Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge and IGA Pop Up Lounge

Flight: Turkish Airlines Business Class B737 MAX 8 IST-BUD

2 Days in Budapest (This Article)

Hotel: Ramada by Wyndham Budapest City Center

SkyCourt Lounge, Plaza Premium SkyCourt, and Platinum Lounge (Schengen): BUD Lounges

Flight: Lufthansa Economy Class A320-200 BUD-MUC and A321-200 MUC-ZAG

24 Hours in Munich

Starkbierfest Munich

Hotel: H+ Munchen (Wyndham)

Lufthansa Business Class Lounge MUC

Flight: Croatian Airlines Economy Class Dash 8 and ATR 72-600 (Twin-Prop Plane) ZAG-SPU-ZAG-SJJ-ZAG-BEG

2 Days in Split, Croatia, the Beauty of the Adriatic

Delicious Food in Split

Hotel Vestibul Palace in Split, Croatia, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World (Hyatt)

Primeclass Lounge ZAG

6 Hours in Zagreb

Wine Tasting and Learning about Croatian Feelings

2 Days in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Restaurants in Sarajevo

Hotel Aziza Sarajevo (AABooking)

Business Lounge SJJ

Air Serbia Premium Lounge and Business Club: BEG Lounges

Flight: Swiss Airlines Economy Class Embraer E190-E2 and A220-300 BEG-ZRH-LJU

2 Amazing Days in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Food Scene in Ljubljana

Day Trip around Slovenia: Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, Bled Castle, and Lake Bled

Hotel Emonec Ljubljana, Slovenia (Rocketmiles)

Flight: Air Serbia Economy Class ATR 72-600 and A319-100 LJU-BEG-SKP

1.5 Days in Belgrade, Serbia

Restaurants in Belgrade

Hotel: Hyatt Regency Belgrade (Hyatt)

3 Hours in Skopje, North Macedonia

Primeclass Lounge SKP

Flight: Wizz Air Economy Class A321-200 SKP-MXP

14 Hours in Milan and Monza, Italy

Hotel de la Ville Monza, Italy, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World (Hyatt)

Sala Montale and Emirates Lounge MXP

Flight: Emirates First Class A380-800 MXP-JFK

Conclusion

Trip Summary:

Budapest, Hungary is known for quite a few things: During my time here, I did the following:

• Explored the cultural history, which includes the Austro-Hungarian empire, Hungary, and Ottoman Empire
• Sampled the multi-cultural food scene of Budapest
• Experienced St. Patrick’s Day in Budapest! ☘️

Flight Info:

I flew Turkish Airlines Business Class from Seattle to Budapest via Istanbul on flights TK 204 and TK 1037. The long-haul flight was just over 11 hours while the short-haul was only 2 hours. The food and seat were excellent and while the service was just ok, the overall experience was terrific and I would fly the airline again in a heartbeat!

Read more details about the flight from Seattle to Istanbul here and the flight from Istanbul to Budapest here.

Price: The one way flight from Seattle to Budapest cost 31,500 Capital One Miles (transferred to Turkish) and $267.60.

Points Earned: N/A, Award Flight

Lodging Info:

I stayed 2 nights in Budapest, both in the Ramada by Wyndham City Center. The hotel was perfectly fine– the rooms were modern and elite recognition/service was great. I was welcomed with a bottle of wine and a top floor room with a nice view, but had to ask for a swap as the room reeked of cigarettes during my visit. Stay tuned for the full review.

Price: $221.37 for 2 nights

Points Earned: 10,552 Wyndham Rewards Points (8,781 from the stay, including an extra 7,500 points for a promo that was running at the time and 1,771 from 8x earning on the Wyndham Earner Rewards Business Card). For context on how valuable this is, remember that 13,500 points is all that is required for a 1-night stay in a 1-bedroom Vacasa property!

Airport Details:

As mentioned above, I flew into BUD, the airport serving Budapest. This international airport has 72 gates, all in 1 terminal, though they are grouped in domestic or international wings.

I will review BUD in a separate article. Per Flight Connections, the main airlines that fly there are low-cost carriers Wizz Air and Ryanair. Jet2, Eurowings, EasyJet, Shanghai Airlines, and Norwegian all fly from BUD as well. In total there are flights to 124 international destinations in 41 countries and no domestic destinations.

There are 4 lounges at the airport. I visited 3 of them– Skycourt Lounge, Plaza Premium Lounge, and Bidvest Premier Lounge– before flying to Munich. Stay tuned for that review. The 4th, which appeared to be closed, is the Mastercard Lounge.

Transportation Details:

Neither Uber nor Lyft operate in Hungary. Instead, there is an app called Bolt (a rideshare app that is found in much of Central and Eastern Europe) or you can take a taxi. Thankfully, the city is fairly compact and easily walkable so the only public transportation that I took was to and from the airport as well as one quick taxi after a long day of sightseeing!

Bolt was much cheaper than the taxi, even though I went to the taxi stand and got an official price from the agent (never take a ride from someone who offers you one, it’s a great way to get ripped off or worse. My trick is to pretend I don’t speak English/any other language and ignore them until they stop pestering!). What a surprise, a private company charging less than an organization run by the government! 😉

The taxi ride from the airport was $37.41 while the return from the hotel to the airport was just $29.73.

Price: $75.19

Points: 226 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (3x on Travel with Chase Sapphire Reserve)

Food & Drink:

Breakfast was not included at the hotel, one weakness of Wyndham elite status compared to other chains. In all, I ended up having two main eating experiences, not including snacks. They could not have been more different!

Mazel Tov:

I was hungry for dinner after exploring Budapest all day. I was in the mood for Hungarian food (think goulash, etc.) but instead visited one of the best rated restaurants in town, Mazel Tov. This is a chic modern take on Middle Eastern food, primarily Lebanese and Israeli (hence the name!).

To start, I had a lentil cream soup and hummus, one of the specialties of the restaurant. The soup was quite tasty and the hummus was rich and flavorful. It was evident both were made with fresh ingredients. I ordered a special drink that is no longer on the menu, a gin-based cocktail that was decent if unremarkable.

For the main course, I ordered the shakshuka with feta cheese. Shakshuka is a classic middle eastern dish with fresh tomato sauce and eggs, the perfect cold weather dish. Unfortunately, this rendition was not seasoned adequately, meaning it was a bit bland and way too hearty for me and I could not finish the dish. I also had a glass of white wine to pair, a mistake given how hearty this dish was. Next time, I would order a full-body red.

Overall, the food was decent, though nothing to write home about. The appetizers were great, but the main course was quite disappointing. In short, I would try another spot upon returning to Budapest!

Price: $60.35

Points Earned: 181 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (3x on Dining with Chase Sapphire Reserve Card)

Central Market Hall:

Budapest is a city in flux, as it has been for much of the village’s 1,000+ year history. In the past ~20 years, it has become a major hotspot for Brits and other Europeans to visit to party, especially bachelor/bachelorette parties (hen/stag parties since there are few Americans travelling in groups here). As such, a thriving street food culture has flourished alongside the longstanding club scene.

The oldest and most famous of the street food venues is the large Central Market Hall. Featuring 3 stories, including a below-ground level, you can buy everything from groceries to full meals. I spent an hour or more sampling various options, though the highlight was a rare sweet indulgence: a waffle, Hungarian style.

Price: $12 total

Points Earned: 36 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (3x on Dining using Chase Sapphire Reserve Card)

Activities:

The Danube River is an important part of many cities, especially Budapest. All of the activities I engaged in were near or overlooking the Danube.

St. Stephen’s Basilica:

St. Stephen’s Basilica is absolutely stunning. King Stephen was named a saint in the Catholic Church and the ruler did not scrimp on the construction of the basilica that bears his name. While this enormous church is not free to visit, the $13 that I paid was well worth it to marvel at the inside as well as ascend to the top of the dome where there are many relics, including the Holy Right Hand of St. Stephen! The stairs leading up to the inside of the dome were a bit steep and precarious but nothing too serious and there is even an elevator for those with mobility issues. In all, this is a must-see, even if you aren’t a huge fan of touring churches.

Price: 4,500 HUF ($12.74)

Points Earned: 25 Capital One Venture Miles

Hungarian National Museum:

Hungary has a fascinating history. Budapest was formed by the merging of 3 historical cities: Buda, Pest, and Obuda. The 3 cities were established around different sides of the Danube River and control has shifted from various powers over the millenia. The large museum expanded on some parts of Hungarian history I knew already (the Austro-Hungarian Empire and end of the Ottoman empire) and talked about the various time periods dating all the way back to the Romans! Definitely an interesting learning experience.

Price: 5,800 HUF ($16.50)

Points Earned: 33 Capital One Miles (2x Points Earned on Capital One Venture X Card)

Hungarian National Gallery:

If you are already visiting the Hungarian National Museum, the National Gallery is just a short walk up the hill (no more than 5 minutes away!) This side of the Danube is home to the Hungarian Parliament and Viktor Orban’s residence as the President of Hungary as well as the aforementioned museums. There are lots of soldiers, including everyone’s favorite (on horses!) and tourists abound. That being said, it’s an area worth visiting!

As you probably know from my reports by now, I enjoy exploring art museums in the cities that I visit to learn about the culture, history, and perception (especially self-reflection and the city or country’s perception of itself) of the area. The Hungarian National Gallery featured everything from a large painting of the coronation of Napoleon and French Realists to Hungarian art, the most famous of which is Pál Szinyei Merse’s 1873 work Picnic in May.

A couple of notable features of the display were the use of bright vibrant colors and very different diptychs and triptychs than we are used to seeing in the West. Culturally, Hungary is very much a combination of Central Europe (think Habsburgs from Austria and the Austro-Hungarian Empire), Western Europe (the influence of the EU, of which every country that surrounds Hungary is a part), and Eastern Europe/Turkey (from the years under rule of the Ottoman Empire). As such, it should come as no surprise that art is influenced by each of these periods and cultures.

Price: 4,200 HUF ($11.88)

Points Earned: 23 Capital One Venture Miles

Photo of the Trip:

Street art never disappoints!

Total:

Price:

Food and Drink: $72.35

Transportation: $75.19

Flights: 37,500 Turkish Miles (transferred from Capital One) and $267.60

Hotel: $221.37 ($110.68 per night)

Activities: $41.03

Total Price: $677.54

Points Earned:

Food and Drink: 217 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Transportation: 226 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Flights: N/A, award ticket

Hotel: 10,552 Wyndham Rewards Points

Activities: 81 Capital One Venture Miles

Total Points: 443 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, 81 Capital One Venture Miles, and 10,552 Wyndham Rewards Points

Budapest was quite fun, if a short visit. Next up: a review of the Ramada by Wyndham Budapest City Center, then off to Munich for the Starkbierfest!