Day 1 - things to do on Day 1 in '3 days Budapest' - a weekend getaway in Budapest, Hungary

Route in Budapest: Heroes square - Andrassy Avenue - Oktogon - Vorosmarty square

1, early morning dip in Szechenyi spa bath (mixed hot water and cold water baths, massages. Take your towel and slippers, don't take valuables).

2, take a 10-15 minute walk to Heroes' square (Hosok tere) & have a nice coffee with cakes in Gloria Jean's Cafe (check out the interior of a noble 19th century residential building, read, play scrabble, etc.)

a, visit the Museum of Fine Arts on Heroes' square (exciting temp exhibitions) - approx. 1-3 hours (depending on your culture-vulture scale)

b, or visit he City Park for a refreshing walk (also hosting the Museum of Transport and the Museum of Agriculture - the latter is in a beautiful eclectic building called the Vajdahunyad Castle)

c, take the underground or walk through Andrassy Avenue, up to a piece of communist history: the House of Terror Museum on Andrassy (docs, tools of Nazi and Soviet dictatorship at the former HQ of the Hungarian Secret Police)

3, take the underground up to Oktogon square (great lunch time restaurants on Liszt Ferenc square)

4, hop on the underground again, or keep walking up to Vorosmarty ter, take a coffee in Cafe Gerbeaud (many mouthwatering desserts too), and walk through the pedestrian shopping street, Vaci utca, full of nice stores, specialties, antique tidbits, and valuable pieces etc.

5, walk over the recently renovated Liberty Bridge, to the foot of the Gellert Hill (you can take the streetcar too, of course)

6, take a look at the Gellert Spa Bath (or enjoy the hot water now, if you did not start your day early morning with the Szechenyi bath)

7, walk on Gellert Hill, to the Citadel to take great photos of the Danube, the Parliament on the Pest side, etc. walk down to the Elisabeth Bridge (you will see the Gellert Monument too)

8, rest your feet on the terrace of the 'Platan Pub' just at the foot of the Elisabeth Bridge (officially known as the Elisabeth Bridge Pub, i.e. Erzsebet Hid Sorozo). Unfortunately, the catering is far less good than the view from the pub. The terrace of the pub is great to watch the world go by with a beer or lemonade and some snacks.

9, take bus number 7 back to the Pest side and get off at Astoria - walk to the pub called Szimpla kert to enjoy the night life of Budapest.

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