Budapest Parliament Building
Day 12:
Uniworld River Princess docked overnight in Budapest, therefore we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast buffet in the restaurant before meeting our guide for the morning city tour. While in Budapest, Uniworld offered passengers the choice between two included shore excursions – the Regular Budapest Panoramic & Walking Tour or the Choice Budapest Parliament & Walking Discovery Tour.
Did You Know?… Budapest:
After speaking with Cruise Manager Heiner Schmidt a few days earlier, he advised us to take the Choice Tour, it included a guided visit of the Budapest Parliament Building, and would show us some new-to-us sights from our previous visit to Budapest in 2008.
Budapest Tour Guide Oliver Rakaczky
At 9:00 a.m. we met with two fellow passengers (essentially for a private tour) and local tour guide, Oliver Rakaczky, and walked the short distance from the ship to where the tour van and driver were waiting.
Vaci Utca Main Pedestrian Boulevard
Sites Visited During the Choice Tour:
As the four of us in our little group were strong walkers, we were able to enjoy a fair amount of strolling from one site to another in between being driven to various sites. Getting an early start on a Sunday morning was also ideal as there was very little traffic on the roads, even though it was the height of summer.
Note: A visit to Budapest Central Market (Nagycsamok) and St. Stephen Basilica are typically part of the 3.5-hour Choice Tour, but as we visited Budapest on a Sunday both were closed. The included Regular Tour normally also includes visiting the market but that was not possible during this visit either.
Vorosmarty Square in Budapest
Budapest – Top 6 Must See:
Cafe Gerbeaud
Budapest Millennium Underground Railway
Heroes Square – Hősök Tere
Dracula Castle – Vajadahunyad Castle
Budapest Zoo
Széchenyi Medicinal Bath
Budapest Opera House
We returned to River Princess for lunch in the restaurant and then had the remainder of the afternoon to ourselves – we decided to skip the optional tours. After lunch we strolled back into the city and wandered around until we found an outdoor patio along Váci Utca to enjoy a beer and watch the world go by.
Szechenyi Lanchid – Chain Bridge
Note: We later learned from fellow passengers that took the optional afternoon excursions (Hungarian Puszta & Equestrian Show, or the Jewish Budapest Tour) that they were thrilled with them.
All aboard time was 5:45 p.m. and shortly after River Princess set sail for Bratislava. We made sure to be up on the Sun Deck for the sail away – views of Buda and Pest were spectacular.
After Heiner’s port talk in the lounge it was time for another delightful dinner in the restaurant.
Ham & Melon Appetizer
Handmade Potato Gnocchi Entree
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Port Wine Jus
Apple Strudel Dessert
If You Go:
Continue Reading WAVEJourney’s Uniworld Eastern Europe Explorer River Cruise Review:
Cruise Overview | Bucharest | Peles Castle | Bran Castle | Bucharest City Tour | Uniworld River Princess | Giurgiu: Embarkation | Rousse to Varna & the Black Sea | Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanassi | Captain’s Welcome Gala | Vidin, Belogradchik & Baba Vida Fortress | Iron Gates | Donji Milanovac | Viminacium Archaeological Site | Sava River | Belgrade City Tour | Deck Dining | Vukovar & Osijek | Cruising the Danube to Budapest | Budapest City Tour | Budapest Parliament Building Guided Tour | Gabcikovo Hydroelectric Dam and Lock | Bratislava City Tour | Captain’s Farewell Dinner | Vienna City Tour |
Notes: WAVEJourney travelled from Bucharest to Vienna as guests of Uniworld River Cruise Collection from July 25 to August 8, 2012.
March 2019 Travel Tips and Tales Newsletter By WAVEJourney Greetings! Spring is here in the Northern Hemisphere and WJ has big travel plans! How about you? Chat with us and let us know where you’re going, what you’re doing, and ask for the advice and travel tips you need to enhance your adventures. After a […]