A four day city break between Christmas and the New Year to Budapest was our plan. It started well, driving to Manchester and checking in for our Air France flight to Budapest via Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. Our flight to Paris was delayed which resulted in a tight connection at Charles de Gaulle. Thankfully, there was just enough time for us to reach the gate to board our Malev flight to Budapest but when our luggage didn’t appear on the baggage carousel we realised it hadn’t travelled on the aircraft with us. We were assured that our luggage would be delivered to our hotel the following day and in the meantime we were issued with One World amenity bags containing toiletries and a T Shirt to sleep in. It was late evening so there was no opportunity to go shopping for essentials that night.
So, minus our luggage we took the train into the city centre crossing the Danube which looked beautiful in the moonlight. After purchasing the train ticket one needs to validate it in a machine on the platform before boarding the train. Some friends of ours had visited two years earlier and having bought their tickets did not notice the validating machines and just boarded the train. When the guard inspected the tickets they were issued with fines, even though they had their tickets as proof of payment.
Buda Castle Hotel was , as the name suggests, located near the castle on a cobbled street. It proved to be a good choice, modern rooms in an old building with friendly staff. We enjoyed a light supper in the hotel then it was time for bed, dreaming of exploring beautiful Budapest in the morning.
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Love Travelling Blog 
Such beautiful imagery in that country. So detailed in your report too.
Nice job.
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Thank you for your kind words, it’s so pleasing to read that you enjoyed my posts.
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Man, I want to go to Europe so bad. Good to know about the train.
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I do hope you get an opportunity to travel to Europe soon as I’m sure you will enjoy your visit.
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I’m lucky to be old enough and adventurous enough to visit Budapest when it was behind the Iron Curtain. In 1978, it was THE party center for Eastern Europe. I met Poles, Bulgarians, Russians, etc., all packing bars to drink the Egri Bikaver (Bull’s Blood), Hungary’s national wine. One thing I remember: Hungary, even under communism, had the most underrated food in Europe. Tangy without being too spicy. I fell in love with chicken paprikash in that town.
John Henderson
Dog-Eared Passport: http://www.johnhendersontravel.com
@JohnHendeRome
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Lovely to read about your past travels,
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Shame your trip got off to a rough start with the luggage! Budapest is just incredible, so hopefully the rest of the trip goes smoothly.
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I do like Budapest. But travelling through Paris is a nightmare! Once they lost my friend’s luggage for days – she kept having to call the airline daily and describe what was inside over and over again. She got her suitcase the day before we were leaving Nairobi! Thank goodness we are about the same size, so she was able to borrow my clothes throughout our stay.
These days, if I have to transit in Paris, I always pack an extra pair of clothes in my hand luggage, makeup and toothbrush just in case they mess up at CDG!
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I’m sorry to hear about your luggage. I hope you get it back soon!
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Budapest just seems like a magical city. One of these days I need to visit. I have never been Europe before, and it would be, certainly, one of the first places I visited.
A shame so much went wrong, however. What can you do, though.
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Yes, I’m sure you will enjoy Budapest and many other beautiful cities in Europe. I’ll look forward to reading some of your posts too. Happy New Year!
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