Budapest is one of my favorite cities in Europe as a winter destination, its gorgeus buildings being so beautifully decorated for Christmas that my mother always tells me, that Budapest is even more beautiful than Vienna. We visit them together as often as possible for the Christmas Fairs. This is our treat, every beginning of winter, without exception, we go to a Christmas Fair, for the atmosphere, to enjoy local food and mulled wine, for some shopping, for the streets that resound with carols, for the specific agitation of the holidays winter, which fills you with life. Responsible travelers, both of us, we huddled in the crowd with a mask (N95 always) on our nose, we took it out sometimes on the terraces where we ate, but in general we tried to follow the protection measures (disinfectant to the wearer, etc.). In Budapest, the mask is mandatory in the winter of 2021 in all enclosed spaces, and on the street it is not mandatory. But remember, Hungarians are strict in terms of "protection measures" so inside it would be good to have it.
3 were the Christmas markets in Budapest that we visit his year. We started with Vorosmarty Square, which hosts the biggest Christmas Fair in Budapest every year. Not to be missed are the photos of the huge Christmas tree, the stands with absolutely delicious and moderately expensive Hungarian food, the mulled wine that entices you in every corner, the stalls with decorations, hand-made things, jewelry and all kinds of products made in Hungary. The pandemic has left its mark on the Fairs in Budapest, first of all they are smaller than in other years, then as a peculiarity, in Vorosmarty Square you can pay only with the card for absolutely everything you want to buy. I would have liked to have this information earlier, not to be with pockets full of HUF (hungarian forints). We didn't linger too long in the market, we took some photos, we ate a very good fried Hungarian sausage, we had a mulled wine and we went around the stalls. Lots of people, you could hardly find a table to sit at, everyone wanted to eat something from the fair and enjoy a cake and a drink.
The entrance to the fair, was made with the green certificate, the guys at the entrance are nice, you flutter their document a bit and you're done, you entered the fair.
The next day I visited the Christmas Fair in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral, very beautiful and offering as photo / video images. Here I met a Hungarian determined to be strong, who did not allow me to film before I showed him the green certificate, for which I said a couple of courses in Romanian, that made his colleague, who knew my language, blush. I took out the certificate and lined up again, but at the other "controller" who was dead laughing. He invited me inside in my language, after checking my green certificate and ID card.
Also here, fewer stalls than in other years but you can find delicious and diverse food, mulled wine, sweets, gifts and hand-crafts. Prices, about 700 forints for a mulled wine, just over 2000 forints for a spicy fruit or sausage (quite big).
Before actually entering the square, you cross a street full of stalls and terraces where we also drank a wine under the heaters on the terrace and we were invited to sit and warm ourselves inside. Very friendly staff, full terraces and payment is made by card or cash, as you wish. It was an opportunity for me to get rid of some forints.
On the same day we went to Szentendre, the picturesque village 20 kilometers from Budapest. For me, there is no visit to the Hungarian capital without Szentendre, where I enjoy going every time. It has a main street, Bogdanyi utca, full of handmade shops, seemingly detached from the past: tablecloths, woven fabrics, lace, clothes, felt handbags, hand-painted hand-crafts, gorgeous, globes and tree ornaments from which you should definitely buy. They are not very expensive and you will not find them anywhere else, so they are the most suitable souvenirs. Prices from 700 forints for small ones to several thousand forints for larger objects, but really worth it, these decorative objects or for the table, will remind you fondly of Budapest, over the years. Otherwise, food stalls, specific langoustines with cheese and garlic, prapika strings, a gentleman dressed as in the 1800s, who sells roasted chestnuts.
You can also visit the Marzipan Museum, the Ferenczy Museum or the Museum of Christmas Decorations, which is open all year round.
Tourists and vendors have seen this year what they have never seen in their lives, my T-REX Reptar, blindfolded and needing everything from the stalls so I suddenly became the attraction of the fair. The salesmen were up to their ears and while I was walking, the young people were smiling at me and taking pictures of me, so I took them by surprise with my nasty dino, who still took his head out of his bag from time to time. For those who don't know, T-Rex Reptar is the last dinosaur left on the planet, a tricksy toy that accompanies me on all my travels.
At Szentendre, cinnamon tea costs up to 300 forints, mulled wine, 800 forints, and 900 forints a "good" langos. The entrance is probably made with COVID certificate but no one asked us about "health" in the few hours, how long we lingered in this charming village.
MUST be visited in Budapest:
• Parliament
• Chain bridge
• Citadel
•Szentendre
Prices for a weekend start from 100 euro per person in trips organized by tourism companies with the bus that includes one night of accommodation, and on your own, it depends on how long you want to stay in terms of nights of accommodation. Of course, from the western part of the country you can go to the Christmas Fairs in a single day, but my recommendation is to take at least one night of accommodation, because Budapest by night is extraordinary. I also give you an idea of accommodation at a 4-star hotel located in the center of Budapest, in front of the Parliament. It is a good value for money hotel, a rich and tasty breakfast, comfortable rooms, and a 24 hour reception.
You can find it by accessing this link:
The Christmas fairs in Budepesta, Hungary, are open until January 1, 2022.
