2022, Budapest--Capital of Hungary, a City Very Friendly to Chinese, Coronation Site of Empress Sisi
Budapest, with Buda on the left bank of the Danube and Pest on the right bank. On the left bank, Buda has the Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church, which are actually one attraction. Matthias Church is the coronation site of successive kings and also the coronation site of Empress Sisi. Buda Castle is worth a visit. We arrived at the castle square at noon and happened to catch a performance lasting over half an hour, featuring soldiers and local folk customs. The Parliament Building looks majestic and magnificent whether viewed from the Fisherman's Bastion across the Danube or from the Parliament square. At the Millennium Monument, we were lucky to see a Chinese dance rehearsal. Seeing such a scene in a foreign country moved us and made us feel homesick...
Food: Chinese cuisine—Chinatown has many Chinese restaurants. For breakfast on the first day, we ate meat buns, sesame balls, soy milk, etc., in Chinatown. Around Calvin Square, there are also many Chinese restaurants. 'Daily Noodle' had a wide variety of dishes online, but when we went, the owner had too many takeout orders, and we were in a hurry, so we didn’t get to eat there, which was a pity. Calvin Square also has Vietnamese and other international restaurants.
Accommodation: We stayed at Hotel 12 Revay, which includes breakfast. The hotel service was good, the room was clean and tidy. Breakfast was served from 7-10 AM, and checkout was at 10 AM. We could ask the front desk lady to extend the checkout time. The accommodation environment was okay. It is very close to the Opera metro station and not far from St. Stephen's Basilica, making travel convenient.
Transportation: The airport shuttle bus 100E can take you to Deák Ferenc Square (likely the city center). On the return trip, you can eat around Calvin Square and then take the 100E from Calvin Square to the airport. The journey from Calvin Square to the airport takes about 30 minutes. Metro tickets, bus & metro tickets, and airport bus tickets can be purchased, with prices as shown below. Very few bus stops sell tickets. Many attractions are not far apart, so if you are physically fit, you can walk. Therefore, we only bought a 1-day ticket for 1650 forints.
1. Fisherman's Bastion & Matthias Church: Take bus 16 or metro to Batthyány tér station, then walk about 10 minutes. The tower ticket is about 700 forints (RMB 12-14). We went in early August, and the exchange rate was RMB 1 = 56.7 forints.
2. Buda Castle: Take bus 16 from Matthias Church. Watching the performance and visiting the outer area is free. We were too hungry to enter. Adult tickets are about 1800 forints (31-33 RMB). The performance at the castle square is worth watching to experience the enthusiasm of the Hungarian people and their unique folk customs.
3. Hungarian Parliament Building: There are soldiers on duty; visiting the outer area is free.
4. St. Stephen's Basilica: Take metro M1 to reach it. Visiting the outer area is free; entering requires a ticket costing about a dozen RMB.
