Day 23 - Down the Danube to Budapest

After breakfast we quickly checked out of our hotel and rushed down to to International Passanger Terminal on the river. We needed to get there early because we had being having trouble booking with the company running the hydrofoil service between Bratislava and Budapest.

Another hydrofoil in a lock on the Danube.

The Basilica in Esztergom, the largest church in Hungary. Hungary's first king, St Stephen, was born in this town on the Danube bend. It was the capital from the 10th to the 13th Centuries.

Fortunately, we managed to check in ok, and we chatted to a very pleasant American woman also waiting for the hydrofoil - which arrived late. Once onboard the craft the journey was comfortable enough. There were some interesting sights along the way in both Slovakia and Hungary.

The hydrofoil dropped us off at the passanger terminal on the Pest side of the river, in the middle of the city. We walked along Váci utca, probably the most touristy street in Budapest, to the metro station at Vörösmarty tér. Unfortunately one of the wheels on David's bag had decided to give up, making it very painful to drag along.

The ticket officer at the metro station didn't understand any English, but with a few Hungarian words and lots of pointing we were able to buy two Budapest cards, which gives discounts to museums and other attractions, and also free travel on public transport.

The M1 line, also known as the Milleniumi Földalatti (Millennium Underground) is interesting. Dating from 1896, it's the second oldest underground train in the world, after the London Underground. Most of the stations have been restored to their appearance at the turn of the century. One of the most remarkable things about it is that it runs just under the surface. We got off at Bajza utca (you can hear the poker-machine-sounding announcement) and our hotel, the Radio Inn, was just around the corner.

A train pulls into a historic station on the metro.

It was a pleasant surprise after all the other European hotels we'd stayed in to have not just a bar fridge but a small kitchen! Finally, we could make our own breakfast and even a cup of tea. In fact the room, really an apartment, was quite spacious. Unfortunately the beds were uncomfortable, but the location was great. Just off leafy Andrássy út and in the diplomatic district.

After resting, we went to dinner at the irresistibly named Marquis de Salade. The restaurant specialises in Azerbaijani dishes and the food was delicious, fresh and suited the warm weather perfectly (the cool cellar the restaurant was in also helped). The waiter was exceptionally polite.

Afterwards took the metro back up to Hősök tere (Heroes' Square) and wandered down Andrássy út to the apartment building where David's family once lived.

The Millennium Monument (to mark Hungary's thousandth anniversary in 1896), in Heroes' Square at the end of Andrássy út.