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

Route: Deak square - Gerloczy - Synagogue - Kiraly street - Opera House - Liszt Ferenc ter - Nyugati Railway Station - Vasarcsarnok (Great Market Hall) - Raday street - Kalvin square - National Museum - Karolyi kert (Garden) - Cafe Central - Ferenciek square

1, We start the tour in Budapest city center, the Deak square (almost all public transport lines meet here). Take a 5 minute walk to Cafe Gerloczy for a relaxed breakfast. You can skip this point if you have already started with a breakfast.

2, Take a 10 minute walk to the Moorish style Central Jewish Synagogue. A huge synagogue indeed, the second largest in the world (room for 3,000 people). A unique place with a unique history - do not miss the synagogue guide and the Weeping Willow holocaust memorial. The ticket also includes entrance to the Jewish Museum with several artifacts, memorabilia, and more. You can learn more about the historical background of Hungarian Jews, many of whom have become world renowned scientists, artists.

3, take Kazincy street from the Grand Synagogue to get to the magnificent Opera House in Budapest. (if you want to have an early lunch, you can try the elegant Fausto's Ristorante (Fausto's Etterem) in Kiraly street, or the humble classic Klauzal eatery on Klauzal square). This inner city walk is about 0.8 mile or 1 km.

4, Opera House - fine architecture, quality performances in Budapest. Even if you are not into operas, you will appreciate to take a walk inside the building. It is truly enchanting, evoking the vibrant cultural life of the 1900's fin-de-siecle Budapest. You are close to a 'restaurant district' (liszt Ferenc ter cluster of restaurants in a 5 minute walk): Cafe Muvesz, Cafe Bouchon, Balettcipo Restaurant, Ket Szerecsen Coffee House and Bistro, Klassz Bistro (Klassz Bisztro), Menza Restaurant Budapest etc. are all nice and are all nearby, if you want to sit for a while and take a good lunch.

5, Walk to Oktogon ter, the square with 8 corners, at the meeting point of the picturesque Andrassy Avenue and the Grand Boulevard. Turn left on the Grand Boulevard (Nagykorut), and either take the streetcar (number 4 or 6) for 1 stop, or walk 10 minutes to Nyugati Railway Station. The building of the Nyugati train station is a piece of art designed by the Eiffel group - you will surely recognize the stylistic steel structure similarities between the Eiffel Tower and the Nyugati Train Station in Budapest. Signature design. Right next to the station, you can find the West end City Shopping Mall - even if you do not wish to buy souvenirs, or some other goods, you can take a walk to the rooftop of the mall to find a calm, cool, green spot.

6, a, From Nyugati Railway Station: Option A - from Nyugati station you can go to the Great Market Hall (fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, snacks in a superb building) by taking the blue metro line up to Kalvin square and then taking a 5 minute walk (or hop on the streetcar for a stop). The Great Market Hall is one of the top tourist attractions: nice building, great displays, you can take a walk on the river bank or cross the bridge to the Buda side to Gellert Spa Baths.

6, b, From Nyugati Railway Station: Option B - from Nyugati station you can go to the Museum of Applied Arts (Iparmuveszeti Muzeum). Colorful rooftop with special majolica technique makes the building stand out of the rest. The neighborhood is not much to look at, but the museum is very nice.

6, b, From Nyugati Railway Station: Option C - from Nyugati station you can go to the St Stephen's Basilica by taking one stop with the blue metro line (get off at Arany Janos street). The huge Basilica has rich baroque paintings, frescos, and a 'look tower', which is perfect for taking photos of Budapest, especially of the flat Pest side.

7, Get back on the blue line metro, and take the subway to Ferenciek tere square, which is close to the white steel suspension bridge, the Elisabeth bridge. You can have several options (walk to the Danube, shop in Vaci utca shopping street, cross Elisabeth Bridge to the Buda side, etc.). We suggest a less frequented route. Standing on Ferenciek tere square face the white bridge, and take the street on your left side (Karolyi Mihaly street). Stop for a coffee, tea, or snack at Cafe Central. This place was a major spot on the geo-historical map of Hungary: journalists, artists, tradesmen, left-wing and right-wing and centralist politicians met here to discuss their views. It was a cultural hub and an inspirational place for think tanks in Hungary. The cultural vibe died during the Big Brother socialism. After the socialist era, Cafe Central re-opened and has become one of Budapest's elegant cafes. The cafe has lost its thinking spirit status. Still it is a nice place to ponder about how Hungary can thank its independence to such formative cafes.

8, From Cafe Central, take a short walk to Karolyi Garden, which is a friendly little park with nice buildings around it and a wifi cafe (before going to the park, you may wish to have a look at one of the Serbian churches in Hungary in Szerb street - approx. 5 min to get there).

9, If you are still full of energy and have time to kill, you can take the streetcar number 2 on the Danube down to Boraros square and take a nice walk to the Budapest MoMa (Ludwig Museum displaying modern art exhibitions) and the National Theater. Once on Boraros square, you are also close to the liquor Museum of Unicum.

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