Oct 12 -13 Toronto - Paris - Vienna
Oct 13 - Vienna
Oct 14 - Vienna
Oct 15 - Vienna
Oct 16 - Vienna to Budapest by train
Oct 17 - Budapest
Monday, October 19, 2026
We started our day a bit later than usual, finally heading out around 12:30 PM after lingering over hotel breakfast and starting our packing.
With our bags almost set for the next leg of our journey, we stepped out into the crisp Budapest air with nowhere to rush.
Once again, in front of the Opera House.
St. Teresa of Ávila Parish Church (Avilai Nagy Szent Teréz plébániatemplom), a late-Baroque historic church.
Our feet Google guided us back toward a spot from our past: the Corinthia Hotel.
Stepping up to the grand building instantly brought back a flood of memories from 2012, the year we stayed there. The architecture was just as breathtaking as we remembered, standing proud as a timeless icon of the city's elegance.
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As we stood outside admiring the facade, we caught a glimpse of the daily hustle and bustle that keeps the hotel alive. A large Viking River Cruises tour bus had just pulled up to check in a fresh group of travelers. It was quite a production—two dedicated luggage vans were parked out front, with staff efficiently unloading bags.
Realizing the current situation on the river, it hit us that these guests were likely being bussed all the way to Vienna. Because of the drastically low water levels, no cruise ships were allowed to dock or sail through this stretch of the Danube. Watching them go through the motions of checking into a hotel instead of embarking on their ship made us feel incredibly relieved. We felt so grateful that our own cruise line had given us the option to cancel our trip rather than dealing with the logistical headache of a "bus cruise."
It gave us an appreciation for our own travel choices.
From there, we wandered over to another legendary Budapest landmark: the iconic New York Café.
It was the ultimate reality check on how much travel has changed over the years. Back in 2012, we remembered simply waltzing right in to grab a spontaneous lunch in its lavish, gold-gilded dining room.
Today, however, was a completely different story. A massive lineup of tourists stretched out the door, all waiting eagerly just to get a glimpse inside. It was a stark reminder of how popular the city has become, and it made us appreciate those quiet, easygoing memories from our first visit even more.
Growing a bit tired of the noise and crowds along the big avenues, we decided to break away from the main tourist trail. We ducked down a quiet side street and instantly felt the atmosphere shift as we entered the historic Jewish District.
The gold or bronze strips and stone markers embedded in the sidewalks of Budapest’s Jewish Quarter are part of the Ghetto Wall Memorial project, which outlines the exact historical perimeter of the World War II Budapest Ghetto.
Between November 29, 1944, and January 18, 1945, the Nazi-backed Arrow Cross regime sealed off a small, congested portion of District VII (enclosed roughly by Király utca, Károly körút, Dohány utca, and Kertész utca), forcing nearly 70,000 Jews into overcrowded conditions.
Our exploration began with a bit of a detour. We had originally intended to stay strictly inside the inner grid, but we accidentally wound our way back around to the major boulevard intersection where Király Street pushes out toward Grand Boulevard. Finding ourselves just a short distance from the palatial façade of the legendary New York Café, we pulled up a couple of chairs at a simple, unpretentious sidewalk bar right on the corner of Király. We ordered a beer, a white wine, and a whiskey shooter for John. Sipping our drinks out in the open air while watching the city's trams and locals rush by was the perfect, accidental way to kick off our street art hunt.
This mural is titled "Wild Ties" (or Krokodil a tűzfalon), painted by Polish street artist Neves (Finer) in July 2025. Located in Budapest, Hungary (Akácfa utca 27), the 90-square-meter artwork features a stylized blue crocodile with a pink rose.
Features two Hungarian-born Nobel Prize laureates from 2023: biochemist Katalin Karikó (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine) and physicist Ferenc Krausz (Nobel Prize in Physics).
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This image shows the "Budapest Isn't So Small" mural located on a large firewall.The artwork features a map-like design of the city with a motivational message reading, "Budapest is much bigger than you think...".
The image shows a large mural of a Hungarian grey cattle (szürkemarha) in purple robes holding a spoon and bowl. Painted by street artists FatHeat and Ciripp, this 600-square-meter artwork is located on a firewall at Kazinczy Street 43.
Back on track, we ventured deeper into the quarter toward Kazinczy Street, passing the trendy, art-focused grounds of the Moxy Budapest Downtown hotel. The streets surrounding the hotel felt like a living urban gallery. Just a few paces down the pavement, we paused to admire the towering firewall art that makes this neighborhood so famous.
This vibrant mural is titled Babszem Jankó (Tom Thumb), painted in 2015 by Portuguese street artist Akacorleone. It is located at 35 Kazinczy Street in the Jewish Quarter (District VII).
This mural is located on Dob utca. It commemorates "Miénk itt a tér" ("This space is ours"), a phrase tied to Hungarian rock culture, featuring a retro band design marking 1973–2023.
This tightrope-walker mural is located on Dob Street. Created in 2021 as part of the Converse City-Forest program, the 500-square-meter firewall painting was designed by Hungarian artist László 'NikonOne' Brunszko.
This vibrant mural in Budapest honors famous Hungarian writer Mór Jókai. Created by artist Dorottya Mérges.
From there, a quick two-minute detour led straight to the intersection of Dob Street and Rumbach Sebestyén Street. Standing tall on a multi-story firewall at Dob utca 4 was the unmistakable, kaleidoscopic work of Spanish street artist Okuda San Miguel. The mural—a striking geometric, cubist portrait dedicated to Ángel Sanz Briz (the "Angel of Budapest" who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during WWII)—burst with a brilliant spectrum of neon colors that beautifully honors a powerful piece of local history.
Leaving the narrow maze of the neighborhood behind, the architecture gradually shifted from bohemian brick to grand imperial avenues as we walked west toward District V.
The bronze Sissi Statue depicts Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Queen of Hungary (affectionately known as Sisi). Created by sculptor Mária R. Törley, it stands on Madách Imre tér in the 7th district (Erzsébetváros).
The towering dome of St. Stephen’s Basilica loomed in the distance, casting long shadows across the neoclassical plaza. By the time we reached the square, the late afternoon sun was dipping low, and our casual wandering had officially worked up a serious appetite.
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Just a few steps from the grand plaza of St. Stephen’s, tucked onto Zrínyi Street, we found the ultimate spot to rest our feet: Konyha Restaurant. Known for offering a modern, unfussy spin on comforting Hungarian classics, its casual yet stylish aesthetic was exactly what we needed after miles of pavement-pounding.
Stepping out of the crisp air, the cozy, welcoming interior immediately made us feel at home. Because the boundary between late lunch and early dinner had completely blurred, we ordered a serious feast alongside a great bottle of wine. John had a huge pork schnitzel that practically was spilled over the edges of the plate, while I went for the ultimate comfort food: hearty stuffed cabbage rolls loaded with smoky sausage.
Absolutely stuffed and blissfully exhausted from a long day of walking, we finally called it an evening and headed straight back to our hotel. It was the perfect, relaxing end to a beautiful afternoon spent discovering the history, art, and vibrant streets of Budapest together.
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