Budapest, HungaryCamera:
Canon M5
Lenses:
EF-M 11-22 f/4-5.
6 IS STM
EF-M 18-150 f/3.5-6.3 IS STM
EF-M 55-200 f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
Flash:
Speedlite 430EX III-RT
Port: Budapest
Arrival Time: In port all day.
Departure Time: In port all day.
The included excursion was Panoramic Budapest. We decided
before the trip to do our own. In fact, we had done most of this yesterday. We
had already booked the synagogue and Parliament tours. My initial impression of
Panoramic Budapest was a bus ride where they would slow down or stop (without
getting out) at most of the stops. It looked like the only time out of the bus
was on Buda Castle Hill. I think we made a better choice.
After a great breakfast of cold cuts and Salmon Benedict (I
think that this will be our standard breakfast), we made our way to the Dohány
Street Synagogue. We had a few minutes before it opened, so we stopped by the Rumbach
Street Synagogue. It is closed for renovation, but the outside has been
finished. I got a double espresso across the street and marveled at the façade.
When we got back to the Dohány Street Synagogue, it was tour time! We were
taken inside and our guide gave us some history on the synagogue.
He also
talked about how Jewish people made Hungary their home. When we went into the
gardens in the back, he went over how the Holocaust affected the Hungarian
Jews. We made a quick stop at the Kazinczy Synagogue. This is where the
conservative Jews pray.
Activity: Dohány Street Synagogue
Website: https://www.greatsynagogue.hu/gallery_syn.html#5
Additional History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doh%C3%A1ny_Street_Synagogue
Guide: No Guide
Reservations: Required
Cost: 16 EUR
Required Time: 1 hour
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
We walked over to St. Stephen's Basilica. Wow, it is
gorgeous inside.
Activity: St. Stephen's Basilica
Website: http://en.bazilika.biz/
Additional History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Stephen%27s_Basilica
Guide: No Guide
Reservations: Not Required
Cost: 1600 HUF
Required Time: 1 hour
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
I pre-booked our tickets for the Parliament Tour, but was
unsure that it would be worth it. There were a lot of recommendations for this
tour, so I decided to book it.
It was well worth the visit!!! If you can, go on
the tours that start on the half-hour. You will get to see the Changing of the
Guard, if you guide times it correctly. They are changed at the top of each
hour. It was the highlight of the tour. It was killing me to not take a picture
of the Crown Jewels and Rotunda!! The building is beautiful inside!!!
Activity: Hungarian Parliament Building
Website:
https://latogatokozpont.parlament.hu/en/introduction
Additional History:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Parliament_Building
Guide: No Guide
Reservations: Required
Cost: HUF 6700
Required Time: 1 hour
Recommendation: Highly Recommend
On our way up to the third deck, we passed an old man barely
making his way up the steps. I went around him and continued up the steps
quickly. I heard him suddenly talk to his wife. He said “Damn youngens –
showin’ off their mobility!!” I guess I was showing off with that burst of
speed!!
We went up on the Sun Deck to watch us pull out of Budapest.
The sun was high on the Buda side and it made it hard to get good pictures of
the castle and bridges. After dinner, the sun was setting and we again went up
on the Sun Deck. By this time, it was getting cooler.
2025-05-22