The drive from Vienna to Budapest was pretty uneventful. Went via Bratislava where we stopped for lunch, took a little longer as we avoided the Slovak toll roads and took the scenic route. The Hungarian Vignette was done online so it was quite a breeze on their toll roads. It had been many years since I had been been to Budapest and whilst it still had the beautiful architecture the City is quite a bit more run down than I remember. We stayed at the Budapest Novotel Centrum which is on the Pest side of the Danube and right in the centre of town. The streets were fairly filthy with litter everywhere and a strong urine smell in a lot of places. A lot of beggars and homeless were sleeping on the streets and whilst most were harmless there were a few around our hotel and the river promenade that appeared intoxicated and were hassling passers by. Our first port of call to the Szechenyi Baths for a relaxing dip that really hit the spot and soothes some aches and pains. We had teed up a night cruise on the Danube with the hotel but the only one available was at 2215 so we had plenty of time to grab a bite to eat along Vaci Utca at one of the many eateries, prices were on par with Vienna rather than the cheap prices I remember. Boat cruise was pretty good and the sights at night were stunning. We got back to the hotel at around midnight and made the decision that instead of staying 2 nights we would move on the next morning and have a night in Zagreb instead.
Some pics courtesy of my wife, for some reason her Samsung galaxy takes far better photos than my iPhone especially at night
Budapest Castle
Left Budapest mid morning yesterday and drove past some beautiful scenery in Hungary especially the Lake Balaton area. Stopped and had lunch at a great little place called “Panorama Restaurant” which overlooked the lake. I had the Hungarian mixed grill which was huge and wonderfully tasty whilst my wife had a Paprika chicken dish. Washed down with a couple of the local brews each and it totalled an amazing 18 euros.
Lake Balaton
Was hoping to arrive into Zagreb at a decent time but border control was a bit slow due to the excessive number of caravans and people on vacation and it took us close to 90 minutes to cross into Croatia. Unlike most of the countries we had visited Croatia doesn’t have a Vignette system but rather a series of individual tolls paid at booths along the way. The toll from the border to Zagreb was 47hrk or around 6 euro for the 90km journey. Had a quick look around the town but Zagreb was basically a stop over on our way to Bled, Slovenia where we currently are. Stayed at the Sheraton Zagreb which was ok but without being great.
First time I’ve ever been to Budapest, but I didn’t find it particularly dingy.
It hasn’t been renovated all that much since the extreme dinginess of the Soviet era, unlike cities in East Germany like Dresden and East Berlin.
We went to the House of Terror, just to gain a little extra hatred for the Soviets. Can’t remember the name of the hotel but had a relatively famous New York Lounge with fancy drinks and cakes, on one of the main streets.
Edit…think it was the Boscolo Hotel…some name like that.
Stop it, you guys! You’re making us jealous.
Budapest, Zagreb, Prague etc. Some of my favourite places right there!!!
BTW, @aceman, how on earth did you get a shot of the Danube looking so still in front of the Budapest Parliament building? There’s a boat of some description going past there every nanosecond. Can only assume it must’ve been either late at night or very early in the morning.
The wife took those photos. We could only get on the last tour which was scheduled for 10:15pm and we didn’t depart until about 10:30. The boat first headed up that way but there was a couple of other boats up near the castle so the pilot turned around and headed the other way first. We got back up there at about 11:30 and was the only boat past the chain bridge. The water was like glass infront of Parliament House
The Slovenian border is very close to Zagreb and the border crossing took about 15 minutes compared to the cars coming the other way who were apparently on about a 3 hour wait at the time. Picked up my Slovenian vignette from a servo just before the border and made our way over. The road from Zagreb to Ljubljana is simply stunning and this was the first time I had done it in summer and can’t believe how picturesque it was. Only a short drive and this time didn’t go into Ljubljana but headed straight for Bled. Traffic from when we got off the motorway to Bled was horrendous and took a good hour to do a few km’s but once we finally arrived there the lake met us in all it’s glory. Absolutely stunning and we stayed right on the shore at the Grand Hotel Toplice. Real old hotel full of pomp and grandeur and our room had stunning balcony views of the lake. Was still 36 degrees so after lunch went for a dip in the beautiful waters and spent several hours sunning on the hotel lounges. All in all a beautiful day and really wished we had booked more than 1 night but unfortunately it was booked solid.
Room with a view
Lake Bled
Left Bled fairly early for the drive up to Salzburg as there were reports of a crash in the Karawanken-Autobahn tunnel and delays of up to 3 hours, luckily it was only a bus that broke down and it was cleared after about an hour so the delay probably only cost us a bit over an hour. In addition to the Austrian vignette they also hit you up with tolls for some of the tunnels, we had to pay €7.20 for the Karawanken tunnel and €11 for the Tauern tunnel so the cost builds up. We took a slight detour about an hour away from Salzburg and headed to a little town called Hallstatt that a friend had recently visited and recommended. Was a fantastic recommendation as this place was postcard perfect. The town is wedged between a lake and sheer mountains and is stunning.
Hallstatt
We drove across the US in 2010, from New York to San Francisco via Niagara, Cleveland, Chicago, both Springfields, Oklahoma City, Amarillo etc and the tolls certainly mount up there…or they do take their toll.
Just left Giza where we stayed in a hotel overlooking the Pyramids. Incredible atmosphere. Sometimes waking up 3am and looking outside…just to make sure the pyramids were still there.
Currently in Cairo about to go the the Museum. In 2 days time we go to Hurghada for a 3 week stay in luxury. Whilst there will go and see the Valley of the Kings. Been a dream trip wanting to see the pyramids all my life.
I am here with my wife and it is absolutely fine. You get hassled a lot by street people asking for money and damn difficult sightseeing at the pyramid. Just as an example the security guard took us in to one of the tombs and allowed us to take photos which is prohibited but afterwards wanted money. This happens all the time. I left the pyramids site with empty pockets. But next time I will pay for a reputable tour guide which would hopefully minimize the hassle. In any case it was worth it. Just carry 5 dollar bits with you and hand them out as needed and you should be fine. The hotel we stayed at was called The Pyramid Inn Hotel Giza. Not top class but great service. If you ever go I’ll put you on to a couple of souvenir shops nearby that we found to be the most authentic and relatively honest. we purchased 2 x busts one of Limestone and other of Basalt for 100 dollars USA. Every where else was double or triple the price and lesser quality.
Lots of tourists Gnik. Its really not that bad. I have been living in Abu Dhabi for 7 years with my wife and feel safer in Abu Dhabi than Melbourne. It is an amazing place. Very respectful and clear with the laws. You follow the laws and you are as free as a bird. I had some reservations about traveling to Egypt but asked a lot of Egyptians living in Abu Dhabi about coming here. Everyone was assuring me it was safe. Of course you don’t want to stray too far from your tourist destinations only because you may not know the culture and areas so well. But come as a tourist with known respected tour companies and you’ll be more than ok.
Smog is as bad as anywhere that doesn’t have strict laws on the state of their cars. The hot weather doesn’t help. But if you are here for a short time you put up with it all and enjoy the ride as it is a great experience.
I’ve also stayed in that hotel - have a pic taken from virtually the exact same location!!
Also you get a fantastic night view of the pyramids from there.
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