Budapest, worth knowing.

Fun facts about Budapest

1. 1Around 40 million bricks and about 40 kg of gold went into Hungary's Parliament building. It is 268 metres long, and its dome rises 96 metres above the Danube.Source: Visit Hungary; Wikipedia
2. 2Twin heights: St Stephen's Basilica and the Parliament are both 96 metres tall, a nod to 896, the year linked to the founding of Hungary.Source: Daily News Hungary; Wikipedia
3. 3The Chain Bridge opened in 1849 as Budapest's first permanent bridge over the Danube. Legend says its stone lions have no tongues. They do, they are just hard to see.Source: Visit Hungary; Wikipedia
4. 4Liberty Bridge opened in 1896. Look up: bronze Turul birds, falcon-like birds from Hungarian legend, sit on top of its four masts while trams roll across.Source: TripToBudapest; Wikipedia
5. 5Budapest's little yellow M1 metro opened in 1896 as the first underground railway on the European continent, and it still runs today, with Zsolnay-tiled stations.Source: BKV; Daily News Hungary
6. 6Budapest sits on 123 natural hot springs and drilled wells that deliver about 70 million litres of warm thermal water every day. No wonder it is called a City of Spas.Source: European Historic Thermal Towns Association; Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest

Things to do in Budapest

• ◦Fisherman's Bastion: seven fairytale stone towers, one for each of the seven Magyar tribal leaders. It is named for the fishermen who once defended this stretch of the castle wall.Source: Visit Hungary; Wikipedia
• ◦Wander the cobbled lanes of the Buda Castle Quarter, part of Budapest's UNESCO World Heritage site, and spot the colourful patterned roof tiles of Matthias Church right beside Fisherman's Bastion.Source: Visit Hungary; Wikipedia
• ◦Browse the Great Market Hall at the Pest end of Liberty Bridge, open since 1897 under a Zsolnay-tiled roof: paprika and salamis downstairs, Hungarian food stalls upstairs.Source: Budapest By Locals; Wikipedia
• ◦Soak in the outdoor thermal pools of Széchenyi Bath in City Park, welcoming bathers since 1913. Ride the historic M1 metro to get there.Source: Széchenyi Thermal Bath; Wikipedia
• ◦Ride the Castle Hill Funicular, running since 1870, from beside the Chain Bridge up to Buda Castle.Source: BKK; BKV
• ◦Hop on tram 2 along the Pest bank of the Danube for a rolling view of the Parliament, the Chain Bridge and Buda Castle across the river.Source: BKK; Info Budapest

Questions to bring to Budapest

From Sojourn's journeys. Ask one over a long dinner or on a slow walk, and let the place do some of the work.

Going together

• When do you feel most like yourself?
• What does rest actually look like for you?
• What is one thing you wish we did more of?

Going solo

• What is the first thing this place is showing you that you didn't expect?
• What does this version of you know that the home version tends to forget?

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