Alexander Zhidchenko

Budapest — Bratislava

Hungary and Slovakia. 2 cities in 1 weekend

Fonts by «ParaType»

Photograph Alexander Zhidchenko

© Alexander Zhidchenko, 2018

© Alexander Zhidchenko, photos, 2018

Express reference book for those who can fly in the first acquaintance with two cities, the main attractions which can be visited in one weekend.

ISBN 978-5-4493-3401-5

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Contents

1. Budapest — Bratislava
2. Introduction
3. Departure
4. Part 1 Budapest
   1. ARRIVAL
   2. THE WAY TO METRO
   3. METRO STATIONS
   4. EXIT TO THE CITY
   5. DEAK-FERENZ-TER
   6. HOUSE WITH THE HOSTEL
   7. HOSTEL “CAPTAIN B”
   8. 10-people MIX-RUM
   9. COMMON SPACES
   10. VIEW FROM THE BALCONY
   11. Explore the city
   12. Szent István Bazilika
   13. INTERIOR OF THE BASIL OF THE HOLY ISTWAN
   14. Szent István ter
   15. STREET Deák Ferenc
   16. Vörösmarty tér
   17. ANOTHER McDonalds
   18. MONUMENT OF VÖRÖSMARTY
   19. Streetart
   20. Dormition Cathedral
   21. Danube embankment
   22. TRAM RAILS
   23. THE BUDAPEST TRAM
   24. HOTEL MARIOTT BUDAPEST
   25. Shakespeare Monument
   26. VIGADO
   27. GIRL PLAYING WITH THE DOG
   28. TRISHAW
   29. LITTLE PRINCESS
   30. Sofitel BUDAPEST
   31. Eötvös József báró szobra
   32. MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF HUNGARY
   33. IKARUS
   34. ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF HUNGARY
   35. DANUBE
   36. Shoes on the Danube Bank
   37. Kossuth Lajos tér
   38. THE BUILDING OF THE HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT
   39. FACADE OF THE PARLIAMENT BUILDING
   40. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
   41. ETHNOGRAPHICAL MUSEUM
   42. Kossuth Monument
   43. József Attila-szobor
   44. MONUMENT ISHTWAN TISA
   45. HUNGARIAN CANDIES
   46. OLD PEST
   47. COMEDY THEATER
   48. BRIDGE MARGIT
   49. ON THE STREETS OF BUDA
   50. CHURCH OF THE HOLY ANNA
   51. Szilágyi Dezső téri református templom
   52. ROYAL PALACE
   53. QUAY FRIEDRICH BOURNE
   54. CHAIN BRIDGE
   55. Budapest-Keleti
   56. NIGHT BUDAPEST
   57. End of Day
   58. DAY 2 BREAKFAST
   59. DEPARTURE FROM THE KELETI STATION
   60. A TRAIN
   61. HUNGARIAN LANDSCAPE
5. Part 2 Bratislava
   1. TROLLEYBUS
   2. NEW BRATISLAVA
   3. Beblaveho
   4. Old town
   5. CHURCH TRINITARIUM IN BRATISLAVA (Kostol sv. Jána z Mathy)
   6. Michalska
   7. THE MICHALSKY TOWER AND THE MYKHAL GATES
   8. STREETS OF MICHALSKA AND VENTURSKA
   9. FLAG OF SLOVAKIA
   10. Hviezdoslavovo Namestie
   11. MONUMENT OF ORSAG GVEZDOSLAV
   12. HOTEL CARLTON
   13. NATIONAL HOLIDAY
   14. SLOVAKIA NATIONAL THEATER
   15. JOY MEETINGS
   16. SEGWAY TOURS
   17. LAURINE GATES
   18. Primatial square
   19. Kostol Loretánskej Panny Márie
   20. THE CHURCH OF THE WELFARE
   21. MONUMENT OF SLOVAK NATIONAL REBELLION
   22. CATHEDRAL OF THE HOLY MARTIN
   23. SCHOOL Saints Cyril and Methodius
   24. Museum of Clocks — House of the Good Shepherd
   25. LIFTING TO BRATISLAVSKY GRADA
   26. NEW BRATISLAVA
   27. Bratislavský hrad
   28. Svyatopolk monument
   29. BRATISLAVA TRAM
   30. THE COLUMN OF THE HOLY TRINITY
   31. QUAY VAYANSKOGO
   32. MONUMENT TO PETRO MIHAIL BOHUN
   33. REDUTA
   34. SLOVAK MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
   35. ENGINEERING SCHOOL
   36. Eurovea mall
   37. RASTISLAV STEFANIC MONUMENT
   38. Х13
   39. SLAVIN
   40. ROAD TO THE CENTER
   41. Grassalkovich Palace
   42. FOUNTAIN “PLANET OF PEACE”
   43. FACULTY OF MACHINERY IN SLOVAK TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
   44. BACK, in BUDAPEST!
   45. EVENING BUDAPEST
   46. DAY 3
   47. HUNGARIAN CAFES
   48. BUDAPEST POST-SOCIALIST
   49. THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE
   50. METRO “ASTORY”
   51. HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM
   52. THE INTERIORS OF THE MUSEUM
   53. EXPOSITION OF THE HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM
   54. ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL
   55. XVIII — XIX centuries
   56. HUNGARIAN SCHOOL OF THE XIX CENTURY
   57. HUNGARY IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR
   58. POST-WAR DEVELOPMENT OF HUNGARY
   59. APARTMENT OF THE HUNGARIAN FAMILY, 1960-ies
   60. Calvin’s Square
   61. Fővám tér
   62. Corvinus University
   63. Liberty Bridge
   64. AND AGAIN BUDA
   65. HOTEL GELLERT
   66. THE MONASTERY OF PAULINS
   67. LIFTING TO THE MOUNT OF GELLERT
   68. TRAM
   69. CHURCH OF THE HOLY CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIAN
   70. Várkert Zrt
   71. MONUMENT TO THE HEROES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
   72. Várkert Bazár
   73. THE STATUE OF THE SAINT VIRGIN MARY
   74. STATUE OF PRINCE EVGENIY SAVOYSKY
   75. Sándor-palota
   76. FUNICULAR
   77. MONUMENT TO SOVIET WARRIORS
   78. The Soviet Autoprom
   79. PROSPECT ANDRASHI
   80. RESIDENTIAL STREET
   81. HEROES AREA
   82. Széchenyi Gyógyfürdő és Uszoda
   83. Vajdahunyad vára
   84. CONCLUSION

Budapest-Bratislava

Two cities in one Weekend

Introduction

A trip to two eastern European capitals — Budapest and Bratislava, is, perhaps, one of the most memorable trips. The desire to go to Slovakia and Hungary for many years did not give me a generation, and the key moment came when one day I found a budget variant of flight — airline tickets through Wizz to Budapest and back for only 11 thousand rubles.

Yes, the price for a lowcoster is not as low as it is, but given that it is often difficult in Hungary to buy a ticket for 15,000 к roubles, I was pleased with the purchase and booked an inexpensive hostel in the center of Budapest via Hostels.com.

After that, I checked the possible options for moving from Budapest to Bratislava and back for one day, and it turned out that the most inexpensive and convenient option is a train that travels just 2.5 hours, and costs some 16 euros round-trip. But I did not manage to buy it on the Internet, and I decided to do it at the ticket office at the station, thereby not having lost.

My trip took place on October 8—10, 2015. It should be noted, October is the ideal time to visit the countries of Eastern Europe, especially if you are lucky with the weather. When I was lucky with the weather, I can confidently recommend going to these dates for an unforgettable vacation.

Departure

Departure of my flight was planned at 10—05 am from Sheremetyevo airport. And then something interesting began!

When you fly the airline Wizz, be careful of their cunning rules. When I went to the front desk, I was asked for a boarding pass. By habit, I never print a boarding pass, even if I register in advance. Somehow I prefer not to bother. And then there is such a surprise — you need a ticket already printed, otherwise you need 2 600 rubles. In the same situation as I was the majority of passengers on my flight.

Not to pay this money there was no chance, there was not much time left before the flight. I already learned later that they had detained the plane for 2 hours. Scandal was also useless. And in general, my advice to all people whose rights at the airport are violated, not scandal at airports. The airline staff will call security, you will be late for the plane, and nothing good will end there. It is better to ask at once all the details, collect as much as possible all information about the violation of your rights, find out the names of the employees, and tell them about where all these materials will be sent, and what awaits unscrupulous carriers. There are, indeed, a lot of structures, where you can then turn to collect what is due.

But in my case it did not work, because I bought a ticket through an intermediary company — Aviakassa, which was supposed to warn me that if a passenger did not register in advance, he would pay a fine. So, Aviakassa worked very well — they registered me in advance for the flight and sent me a boarding pass with a window seat. Of course, the staff at the front desk knew this, but there was nothing to tell me, forcing me to pay money. I missed this letter with a boarding pass. I had to pay a large sum, but at the same time the place was not at the window.

You know, such events can often cloud all the mood before any trip. I think many will agree with me that this behavior of the airline is simply unacceptable.

In the waiting room, girls of the student sat next to me, and one of them called Mama on the phone and cried, saying that these two and a half thousand rubles paid by her were exactly half of what she took with them on the trip, and did not know how now to be.

In general, we put two to WIZZ on a ten-point scale!)

Part 1 Budapest

ARRIVAL

The first thing on arrival was to exchange a few euros for the forints to buy a bus ticket at number 200E and the subway. At the airport of Ferenc Liszt, the rate was rather profitable (as shown by comparison with exchange offices in the city).

The bus takes you to the final station of the Budapest subway — Kyobanya-Kishpesht.

It should be noted that there were a lot of passengers on the bus, almost all of them were carrying suitcases and bags, which means that there were very few places on the bus. We drove about half an hour.

THE WAY TO METRO

From the final bus stop to the terminal metro station it was necessary to walk about 200 meters. I do not know with what it was connected, with a temporary repair or with a plan originally planned for such a route, but my first impression of Hungary fits into this distance.

Budapest Underground

The first sensation from the entrance to the metro of this European capital is “you got to Moscow”.

The idea of building a metro appeared here in 1870, and the first line was opened already in 1896, that is, 39 years earlier than the metro in Moscow appeared. Then it was the first subway on the continent.

Today the Budapest Metro iclude 4 lines and 52 stations, and the average passenger flow exceeds half of the city’s population.

What reminds in this Hungarian subway about Moscow is the rolling stock. Here, so-called letter cars of the type “Ev” are used. Today in Moscow you can see cars of this type, but a similar model of the “Hedgehog” on the Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya metro line. They are also called “Hedgehogs”.