Aside from having *super* crappy weather, my sister and I SO enjoyed our time in Budapest and Vienna! Budapest is an amazing city, full of gorgeous architecture, great food, and really helpful and kind people. Our home base was the Corinthia Hotel Budapest and we absolutely loved it there, especially the pool and jacuzzis after a long day of sightseeing. The main attractions in Budapest are the Parliament building (second largest in Europe), St Stephen’s Basilica, the Hungarian State Opera, taking a stroll through Buda to see the Fisherman’s Bastion, and a trip to one of the amazing bath houses. We started our first day with Parliament and St Stephen’s.

{outside Parliament}

{on our way to St Stephen’s}

{the Basilica – we went up to the top but the weather was so bad!}

After Parliament, we made our way walking through Pest to the Opera House – the most GORGEOUS opera house I have ever seen!

On Day 2 in Budapest, we ventured across the Chain Bridge over to the Buda side of the city. You take a little funicular up to the top and then walk through the cobblestone streets – it’s like being in a completely different city!

The Fisherman’s Bastion had sweeping views of the city and was definitely a tourist mecca. :)

{inside the Matthias Church in Buda}

{the view of Parliament from the Fisherman’s Bastion}

Then it was time for our favorite activity in Budapest, a trip to the Szechenyi thermal baths – there are TONS of bath houses in Budapest, but this is by far the most popular, the largest medicinal bath in Europe, and each pool is a different temperature – it was awesome! We loved our afternoon here and when I go back to Budapest, I want to go to a bathhouse every day! :)

Sadly, the next day it was time to leave Budapest, but we were excited to explore Vienna! Vienna is seriously beautiful. Every building looks like it’s cut out of icing on a cake or something! It’s so detailed. We visited the Hofburg Palace, toured the opera house (the most famous opera house in the world), visited Kaisergruft (the Imperial tombs), walked down Mariahilfer Strasse and through St Stephen’s Cathedral, visited the Leopold Museum and the Albertina, ate a Sacher torte, and enjoyed our ONE day of sunshine the entire trip. We stayed at the Hotel Das Tyrol and it was in a perfect location. We enjoyed the amenities and location of the hotel but neither of us slept well – not sure if it was the bedding, the temperature (she’s a warm sleeper and I am a cold sleeper, but neither of us were comfortable), or what, but I might pick a different hotel in the same area if I find myself in Vienna again.

{all above, at the Hofburg}

{Mariahilfer Strasse}

{St Stephen’s Cathedral}

{left: enjoying a Sacher torte, right: our cute little garden restaurant for dinner}

{some of the crazy crypts at Kaisergruft}

{Vienna opera house – beautiful, but not nearly as pretty as Budapest, in my opinion!}

So there you have it, our whirlwind time in Hungary and Austria! Have you ever been to Budapest or Vienna? I’m dying to take my husband to Budapest (I truly loved it there), and to go to Prague. Anyone planning a trip to either of these places let me know – happy to help out with any advice I can offer!