So this may not be how most people travel, but I usually do very little research before visiting a new place.
Why? Maybe because I know I’ll have Google Maps at my fingertips, and I take that for granted a little.
But, I enjoy walking around the first day, seeing places that I like the look of and saving them all to my map (but not before checking the reviews). There’s no way to visit all these places at once, or even subsequently, so creating this little list and then being able to refer back to it is great.
I do also do my due diligence and search for places to see and eat at - but usually all based on location which is really important when you’re in a foreign country and aren’t necessarily planning to make an hour’s trip outside of where you’re staying for an exquisite meal.
So, underneath are some photos of the places I visited after seeing them, looking them up and starring them to my list. The food in Budapest blew my mind, and by the last day I was in a panic about how to squeeze everything in - at this point, I bought some pastries which I consumed at the airport (who wants to eat Burger King when they can have a local delicacy?)
Brunch isn’t the done thing in Hungary, but when we turned up to Cirkusz on a Sunday morning, the queue was at least 50 people. This was a little heartbreaking, but we did return on the Monday and my god was it worth it.
No food photos here, but Pizzica was evidently a local hidden gem - it was about a fifth of the size of my house, but it did indeed house some amazing pizza combined with powerful, and I assume local, art.
Whilst this place is notoriously famous, I was a little unsure about visiting in case it was a ‘tourist trap’, however G maps reassured me it’s worth a visit - and so it was. The setting was otherworldly and altogether worth it.
This little cafe was on a street with lots of noisy construction work going on, but when you enter it, you’re transported to a completely different era. Hard to believe it’s in the middle of Budapest.
And so, these are the things I love sharing. I want to let other tourists/travellers know of these little hidden gems, spotted by us when walking around. We visited these places based on the atmosphere they seemed to exude, and the people inside, as well as interior.
Although they say to not judge a book by its cover, impressions matter and aesthetics are all around us - but good ones will make your experience that much more pleasant.
And I can confidently say that the above visited places were brilliant, and slightly off the beaten path - which is what I want for other visitors. To experience their visit in an authentic way, not just by visiting restaurants where a waiter outside has dragged you in - but the places that the locals rush to, queue for and have a quiet weekday coffee in.