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Things to Do Around Easter in Budapest |
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Sightseeing Tips Sightseeing Tips in Budapest for the Easter HolidayThe Castle District Budapest has historic sights and fine architecture at every corner. You can easily explore the top attractions during the Easter Weekend.
The Castle District forms the centre of historic Budapest and some of the most important cultural monuments stand in the area, like the Royal Palace and the Matthias Church.
The narrow cobbled streets are ideal for romantic walks. The district has some fine restaurants and cafés. The Litea Bookshop and Tearoom on Hess András tér, opposite the Hotel Hilton has a very relaxed atmosphere with books in English and fine teas. In the House of Hungarian Wines you can taste delightful wines from the country's wine regions. The Cable Car (sikló) takes you down from the hill to Clark Adam tér in a few minutes.
Vörösmarty Square and Váci Street Walk down along the river on the Danube Promenade and turn onto Deák Street at the Vigadó Hall. The street takes you to Vörösmarty Square, the heart of Budapest. The white carrara statue of the famous 19th century poet, Mihály Vörösmarty, dominates the square. The prominent Gerbeaud Café flanks the side of the plaza. Sit in for a cup of fresh café with a slice of delicious Hungarian cake and absorb the traditional coffee house aura.
The famous pedestrian and shopping street, Váci utca opens from the south end of the square. The street together with Vörösmarty tér is a centre of social and cultural happenings that attract both tourists and locals throughout the year. Fancy boutiques and chic cafés line the sides of the street, that mainly target tourists. You can have better bargains at the Great Market Hall at the south end of Váci utca. Splashing in Budapest Spas After long hours of walking refresh yourself in Budapest Spas. In the famous Gellert Bath you can admire the fine interior while you relax in the hot water. The grand Széchenyi Bath belongs to the largest spa complexes in Europe. The water in the outdoor pool is hot enough to enjoy bathing even in cold weather. The baths are open on Easter Sunday according to their Sunday schedule. On Easter Monday all baths are closed.
Walking in Parks If you have time and long for lots of green, trees, fresh air take a walk in one of Budapest's parks, the largest is the City Park with Zoo and other amenities. Margaret Island is another peacful gem of Budapest, between Margaret Bridge and Árpád Bridge.
During the Easter weekend there'll be some great parties in Budapest, so you won’t be bored at night either. Where to Stay at Easter in BudapestMost Budapest Hotels offer special Easter packages. Note that you should book your accommodation well in advance, because a lot of tourists visit Budapest at Easter every year.
Stay at a 5 or 4 star downtown hotel and everything important will be within easy reach. Price of Easter packages in 5 or 4 star hotels is around 300 €/double room/2 nights. Click here for the widest choice of Budapest hotels deals and reviews by travelers. Some Hungarian Easter Customs
A 40-day lent precedes Easter, when people rarely eat meat. Some have meatless meals only on Fridays. Women clean the whole house, wash the windows and a few days before Easter they start baking cakes and pastries and prepare kocsonya, a rich jellied soup cooked with pork meat, smoked meat and spices. Egg painting is practiced mainly in the villages. On Good Friday afternoon religious people go to the church to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The church bells will remain in silence until Sunday, the day of resurrection. On Holy Saturday the religious commemoration continues with a procession. Traditional Easter Dishes Saturday evening marks the end of the Lent and people have traditional dishes: smoked ham with pickled horseradish, hardboiled eggs and fresh white bread or milk-loaf. On Easter Sunday morning the Easter bunny brings presents for the little ones. The master or the mistress of the house takes a basket packed with ham, eggs, horseradish, milk loaf and a bottle of wine to the church where the priest blesses the food. The content of the basket varies slightly from region to region. The family eats all the blessed meat for breakfast, not a crumb should be wasted because the blessed food considered to possess magical powers. For example the crumbs of the milk loaf are given to the hens so that they lay more eggs. Mainly meat dishes (poultry, pork, lamb, rabbit) dominate the traditional Easter Sunday lunch with various garnishing. Many housewives bake beigli (pastry rolls with walnut or poppy seed stuffing) not just for Christmas but for Easter too. See our Hungarian Easter Recipes. Easter Monday On Easter Monday morning boys and men sprinkle women with parfume or with cold water, for which women give chocolate eggs or some change in return. Men of course gather strength with a shot of pálinka (Hungarian fruit brandy) and they spent the rest of the day with more boozing. |
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