For spring break, I took a bus to Budapest, Hungary. I visited Budapest in 2004 when family friends were on a year-long sabbatical there. I remembered bits and pieces but was excited to go again. With three whole days to explore, I packed in as much as we could. My plans were slightly hindered by Easter Sunday and Monday, which are taken very seriously even in secular European countries. A lot of places were closed but I still found things to do.

I started my first day with one of the free city walking tours that took us to the St. Stephen’s Basilica, across the Chain Bridge, to the castle district, and ended at the Matthias Church. After a cold and windy walk around the city, I spent the afternoon in the thermal baths at the beautiful art nouveau Gellért bathhouse.

On my second day, it was much warmer so I explored the ruins and park on the Gellért hills. Then I decided to take advantage of another free walking tour. There were ones on Communism and the Jewish Quarter tour, but I obviously did the one on urban street art around the city. Public art in Budapest is exclusively state commissioned and unsanctioned art is tightly controlled, so it was really interesting to see examples of both. Plus, I love street art.

Of course, a trip to Budapest wouldn’t be complete without visiting the infamous Ruin Pubs. A significant portion of the city was destroyed in World War II, leaving many abandoned buildings, especially in the Jewish Quarter. In the early 2000s, the crumbling structures began housing bars decorated with eclectic, second-hand furniture. These ‘ruin pubs’ became immensely popular and started popping up all over the city. Modeled after the original, Zsimpla Kert, there are now over 200 throughout Budapest, but most are in the Jewish Quarter/main party district.

Since there are so many, I wasn’t really sure which one to go to. Everyone will tell you to go to Zsimpla of course, but I wanted to see a variety. Luckily, the same tour company that runs the free walking tours also offers ruin pub tours every night for €15.

Apparently, Monday isn’t a popular bar hopping day (shocking, I know), so I was the only one to show up. I ended up having my own private tour with Judith, one of the managers of the tour company. She was a great tour guide/drinking buddy and took me to four of her favorite ruin pubs, including the famous Zsimpla and El Lato Taqueria. She was only a few years older than me and taught me all about the local culture and student scene.

On my last day, I went to the Great Market Hall and the Vajdahunyad Castle before ending my trip with a wine-tasting cruise on the Danube river. While ruin pubs are popular, Hungary is also well known for its wine regions. Growing up in Walla Walla wine country, I was excited to learn more about local wine in Hungary. I got to try several regional wines while sightseeing along the river.

Overall it was a great spring break! Budapest is a beautiful city full of history and culture that’s definitely a must-see place in Europe.

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Spring Break in Budapest