• Home
  • About Rebecca
  • SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER
  • @RebeccaOver60 on YouTube
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Me

Baby Boomster

Active Women Over 50

Shop with me - My product recommendations

  • Recipes
  • Travel Planning for Seniors
  • Old Lady Product Reviews
  • Visit My Amazon Storefront
You are here: Home / Senior Women Travel / World Travel for Baby Boomers / Hungary / Budapest: A City of Gleaming Splendor
Privacy Policy This post may contain Amazon and other affiliate links. If you click and purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Budapest: A City of Gleaming Splendor

by Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski Leave a Comment

Our AmaWaterways river cruise on the Danube began in Budapest, Hungary. The Hungarian capital glows on the Danube with magnificently grandiose buildings that are golden in the dark.

Find a local guide in Budapest, here.

Read other posts from this trip:

  • Poland Travel Photo Gallery
  • Austria Travel Photo Gallery
  • Germany Travel Photo Gallery
  • The Czech Republic Travel Photo Gallery
  • AMAWaterways Travel Photo Gallery
  • Christmas Markets

We stayed at the Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel which overlooks the River Danube.

It's a beautiful hotel but was a bit of overkill.
Hotel Sofitel Chain Bridge in Budapest

In general, we prefer small locally owned boutique hotels, but since we were here to board a river cruise, it was convenient and quite comfortable. The view of the river from the hotel is stunning and we enjoyed their sumptuous breakfast buffet.

The Great Market Hall

One of our first stops in the city was the Great Market Hall. It’s the largest indoor public market I’ve ever seen and the largest in Hungary. Built in 1897, it was damaged in WWII and remained closed for many years.

It was restored to its original splendor in 1990. The market is 3 stories high and over 10,000 square meters in size. You don’t want to miss it if you are in Budapest.

Click on the images below to view them full size.

Boomer Travel | Budapest | Great Market Hall
Great Market – exterior
Paprika Gifts – Great Market Hall
Paprika – Great Market Hall
Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | Great Market Hall Hungarian Paprika - Budapest
Paprika and garlic at the Great Market
Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | Great Market Hall Budapest - Meat and Sausages
Meat and Sausages in the Great Market
Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | Great Market from Upper floor - Budapest
Upper Floor view of the Great Market
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Great Market Hall
Great Market – Exterior
Paprika and Garlic Great Market Budapest
Garlic and Paprika
Boomer Travel | Travel Tips | Budapest Grand Market food vendor
Budapest Grand Market food vendor

Hungarian State Opera House

We took a tour of the Hungarian State Opera House, which is a magnificent Neo-Renaissance building that was commissioned by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1884.  It’s known for its marvelous acoustics and is decorated with frescos, marble sculptures and gold leaf everywhere. Tours are available during the day.

Click on the images to view them full-size in a gallery.

Boomer Travel | Budapest | Hungarian State Opera
Exterior Opera House
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Hungarian State Opera
VIP Boxes Opera House
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Hungarian State Opera
Hallway arch Opera House
Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | Hungarian State Opera House - Budapest
Staircase and arches at the Opera House
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Hungarian State Opera
The ceiling and Windows Opera House
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Hungarian State Opera
Gallery and Bust Opera House
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Hungarian State Opera
Ceiling Detail Opera House
Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | Hungarian State Opera House - Budapest
Inside the theatre Opera House
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Hungarian State Opera
Ornate ceiling Budapest Opera

Old Town Buda

Our river cruise company took us on an excursion to Old Town Buda. It included the Seven Towers of the Fisherman’s Bastion built between 1895 and 1902 in the Buda Castle walls and the Matthias Church. The church was originally built in 1015 but was destroyed by the Mongols and reconstructed in the 13th century.

It’s the 7th largest church of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom. The church was extensively restored in the 19th century. We also had time to walk around the Old Town.

Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | Matthias Church - Old Town Buda
Matthias Church Buda
Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | Lord's Street Building Buda - Budapest
Lord’s Street building old town Buda
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Street in Old Town Buda
Street in Old Town Buda
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Statue - Xlince Papa - Old Buda
Statue – Xlince Papa – Old Buda
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Walkway in old town Buda - Bartok poster
Walkway in old town Buda – Bartok poster
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Statue - Buda - Orszaghaz Utca Castle Hill District
Statue – Buda – Orszaghaz Utca Castle Hill District
Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | View of Old Budapest
View of Buda
Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | Fisherman's Bastion - Old Town Buda
Fisherman’s Bastion – Old Town Buda
Statue of Saint Istvan Fishermans Bastion Old Town Buda
Boomer Travel | Budapest | Statue of Saint Istvan Fishermans Bastion Old Town Buda
Statue of Saint Istvan Fishermans Bastion Buda
Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | Fisherman's Bastion - Budapest
View of Pest from Buda at the Seven Towers of Fisherman’s Bastion
Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | View of the Danube from Buda - Budapest
View of the Danube from Buda

Budapest on the Danube at night

The view from our ship at night was spectacular as all the building glow on the river.

Baby Boomer Travel | Hungary | Parliment - Budapest
Parliament building in Pest

Signs on shops in Buda

I love quirky things like old signs and doors. Here are some shop signs from Old Town Buda.

Save this image for later on Pinterest

Boomer Travel | Budapest | Shop signs Old Town Buda
Shop signs in Old Town Buda

I wish we could have spent more time in Budapest and other parts of Hungary but we only had part of the day when we arrived and the next day to go on a whirlwind tour of the city.

Check out top things to do in the area here.

Share this post:

Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn

Filed Under: Hungary, Photo Galleries Tagged With: Baby Boomer Travel, cruise ships, Europe, hotel, photos, Public Market, river cruise, Tours, Travel Over 50

Join my newsletter and receive new posts weekly

About Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski

Rebecca Olkowski is a travel/lifestyle blogger and founder of BabyBoomster.com, for active older women over 50. She is a purveyor of all things fun, loves to venture out in the world, is a foodie, and lives in Los Angeles.

Leave a comment and tell us what you think Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contact Info

  • About Baby Boomster
  • Send a message
  • Media Kit
  • Writer’s Guidelines

…………………………………………..

Rebecca Forstadt Olkowski
rebecca@babyboomster.com
Los Angeles,  CA 91001

Honors and Awards

Top 100 Baby Boomer blogs

Intellifluence Trusted Blogger

Search for a topic

Legal Stuff You Need to Know

  • Disclaimer
  • Disclosure
  • Please read my Privacy and Cookie Policy

Amazon Program Info

Rebecca Olkowski is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program, and the Amazon Influencer Program. She earns commissions from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Other affiliations are listed HERE.

INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN |  PINTEREST |  THREADS |  YOUTUBE |  FACEBOOK |  AMAZON


BabyBoomster.com is a travel, fashion, beauty, wellness, and lifestyle blog for Baby Boomer women over 50. | Los Angeles, California

Copyright Ⓒ 2025  | BabyBoomster.com  |  All Rights Reserved

Privacy and Cookie Policy