Going to a Ruin Pub in Budapest

On July 16, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Hungary4 Comments

Ruin Pubs are bars that have been opened up in dilapidated buildings that were partially destroyed during WWII. They are usually decorated with random furniture and decorations that have been gathered from anywhere that they can find them. The decorations are colorful, whimsical, and don’t follow any particular themes other than uniqueness. Because of their popularity, they can be quite busy, noisy, and sometimes a little rowdy. We went late afternoon to early evening and stayed away from the late night crowds.

The original Ruin Pubs opened in the Jewish Quarter of Budapest, which is now a center of wonderful restaurants and shops, as well as the pubs. Although some of the pubs serve food, the beer, wine, and mixed drinks are the real focus of the Ruin Pubs. We went to the original Ruin Pub called Szimpla Kert, often just referred to as Szimpla, which definitely lived up to the reputation. It was quirky, fun, and a little noisy, especially as more and more people came to the pub. To be fair, it isn’t the cleanest of environments, but you don’t go to a Ruin Pub expecting an elegant experience, you should expect it to be a little on the rough side.

Today there are over a dozen Ruin Pubs in Budapest and there are several companies that will take you on a guided pub crawl. Obviously, you don’t need a guide to do a Ruin Pub Crawl as you can find plenty of maps online that will show where each of the more popular pubs are. Even if you’re not into bars and drinking, visiting a Ruin Bar to see the eclectic decorations and experience the unique atmosphere is at least worth a visit. Many of the Ruin Pubs don’t open until at least 5:00 pm, so be sure to check on the hours of the pub you’re planning on visiting before heading there.

Heroes’ Square in Budapest

On July 2, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Hungary3 Comments

Heroes’ Square, or Hosok tere in Hungarian, is one of the main squares in Budapest and is located next to the city park. It was created in 1896 to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of Hungary. Sitting in the middle of the square is the Millennium Monument and the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Art sit on opposite sides of the square. At the time that Heroes’ Square was created, Hungary was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and some of the statues in the square today replaced those that paid tribute to the Austrian Hapsburg dynasty.

We took the underground to the station that is across the street from Heroes’ Square, which is the easiest way to get to the square and city park from downtown. On the day that we visited the square, there was a demonstration going on advocating for peace. The colorful flags surrounding the tomb-like Memorial Stone, which is not an actual tomb, but meant as a tribute to all of those who died protecting Hungary over its 1,000 year history.

There are a series of statues on either side of the Millennium Monument. On top of the columns on the left is a male statue that represents a symbol of war and on the of the columns on the right is a female statue representing peace. In between each of the columns are statues of historic figures in Hungarians history along with a mural below their statue meant to represent their major accomplishment. In addition to the columns with their statues, the base of the monument also has statues depicting the seven chieftains of the tribes who originally founded Hungary.

Visiting Heroes’ Square is definitely fascinating on its own, but we would highly recommend that you combine it with a tour of the city park. The weather wasn’t quite warm enough on the day that we were there, but there are paddle boats that can be rented to go out onto the lake. There is also the Vajdahunyad Castle and the Budapest Zoo are also located in the park. It is also just a nice place to spend a couple of hours walking the paths and enjoying the scenery. Depending upon how much you decide to see while there, you can easily spend an entire day at the park.

The Cave Church in Budapest, Hungary

On July 1, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Hungary3 Comments

Located at the base of Gellert Hill, the hill that the Citadella (fortress) sits atop, is a system of caves. One of the caves was converted into a chapel in the 1920’s and even served as a hospital for the Germans during WWII. Known as the Cave Church, it was certainly one of the most interesting places that we visited during our time in Budapest. A cross on top of the hill denotes the location of the church, which is also located near the famous Gellert Baths where people gather to enjoy the therapeutic thermal baths.

The atmosphere within Cave Church is interesting due to the lack of natural light and the rugged cavern walls. After its conversion to a hospital by the NAZI army during the war, it returned to serving as a church until 1951 when the Soviet Union had it shut down. The chapel was raided by the Soviet Army, the monks arrested, and the cave sealed up until Budapest regained their freedom in 1989. Today, the monks of the Pauline Order continue to operate the church and hold religious functions on the site as well as maintain it as a tourist attraction.

Walking into Cave Church from the Entrance

There is a nominal fee in order to enter the church and walking through the cavern will take you about thirty minutes to fully explore. In addition to the statues and artwork inside of Cave Church itself, there is also a small museum with additional historic artifacts. Exploring the church and understanding its history is certainly worth the effort of walking along the Danube below Gellert Hill. We combined it with our visit to the Citadella, which sits high above. It may not be the most well-known site in Budapest, but if your itinerary allows, we would recommend visiting.