We decided day 2 of Budapest was our explorathon / walking tour day – from Margit Island to Andrassy Ut and out to City Park.  Our central location meant the island was an easy stroll in the sunshine away.

Our first stop was the amazing Music Fountain, which was not playing music at the time but still so impressive.  It’s difficult to convey in photos, but it is more like ballet in water form than an ordinary flowing fountain, shifting formation in the blink of an eye.

Once we’d spotted the pedal carts we knew there was only one way we’d be seeing the rest of the island – so fun!

We made it back to the Fountain intact, despite a near-miss with a massive bus, and were charmed to find the Fountain dancing to the sweet sounds of Andrea Bocelli’s Con te partirò (Time to Say Goodbye).

We eventually tore ourselves away from the water ballet and headed for Andrassy Ut, Budapest’s iconic street that was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002.  This beautiful tree-lined boulevard has some of Budapest’s most stunning buildings, and leads from the central Elizabeth Square to the City Park.

We stopped for lunch along the way and were amazed to see a pedal-bar, aka a beer bike, come swerving past.  Apparently quite popular with the stag nights, these contraptions allow you to drink AND see the sights – genius?!  Somewhat at odds with the “Don’t Drink & Drive” message that was so drummed into us in New Zealand, but apparently they do come with a sober driver and the beer is limited to the keg.  Whew.  The guys looked like they were having a lot of fun anyway!

Our next stop was a sobering one (sorry, couldn’t resist) as we visited the House of Terror.  Now a museum, the building was witness to “two shameful and tragic periods in Hungary’s 20th century history… being the party headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis in 1944, and then the residence of the notorious communist terror organisations between 1945 and 1956.” 

Although I was of course aware that Hungary took part in the World Wars, I had no real concept of what had occurred within the country.  The museum illustrates this in meticulous detail, and then goes on to explain the terror of life under the Hungarian communists, including the atrocities perpetuated within the walls of the building against Jews, anti-Communists, the disabled, and many more.  Although its subject-matter was truly awful, the museum was eye-opening and I would definitely recommend a visit – it is modern and extremely well-presented, with resources to explain and inform in every room.

At the end of Andrassy Ut is Heroes’ Square, the entrance to City Park.  The massive sculpture in the middle is the Millennium Memorial, which depicts the leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary in the 9th century and other Hungarian historical figures, and is topped by a statute of archangel Gabriel.

Into the park we headed, and quickly spotted yet another unusual vehicle – a floating Volkswagen!

The grounds of Vajdahunyad Castle are beautiful, but our favourite part was undoubtedly the very official-looking security patrol – he definitely had his nose to the ground!

Our final stop of the day was the markets by the Deak Ferenc ter metro station on Karoly Korut for yummy treats – the perfect fuel after a long day of walking!

Central Budapest is easy to walk around, thanks to there being no hills on the Pest side, and we discovered interesting architecture and historic sights at every turn.  It was the perfect way to set ourselves up for a day at a traditional Budapest bath – more to come on that soon!