December 8, 2012

We arrived in Budapest around 11:30pm Thursday night, and yesterday was our full day in the city. Viking offered two included tours, one was a bus tour followed by a short walking tour, and the other one (which we decided to take) was called an up close tour. We were very happy with the tour. We started out from the ship and walked across the Chain Bridge to the funicular that took us to the top of the hill and the palace. After walking around the palace we then started down the hill into the town area, and walked around there. Then we boarded a local bus that took us all the way down to the river. After walking around there for a bit, we boarded the #2 tram that took us back toward the ship. During the tour we visited the main shopping area and the large indoor market. Lasting about 3 hours, it is well worth it if you can do that much walking. We highly recommend it.

During dinner last night, the Captain took the ship out from the dock and made a short trip along the river to let us see the city at night. It was really nice to see the buildings all lit up at night. The Parliament Building and the Palace were especially beautiful.  

We are staying in Budapest for the weekend, and because of the cost of internet usage at the hotel, I will not be posting anymore. Once we get back and settled, I will post one more time and discuss our overall impressions of the total trip. I will say however that we have truly enjoyed the trip, and Viking once again has provided their outstanding service.

Here is a picture to maybe give some encouragement to take this cruise.