The first day in Budapest was full of contrasts, when we arrived at the train station the taxi drivers would still try to rip us off asking an astronomic price for the transfer to the hotel so we decided to take the subway. We got the only “working” lift that took almost 15 minutes to take us in the lower level while we were actually holding the doors together and as soon as we got underground it stopped working! The subway did not have a lift so basically Jessie had to hold Charles on the escalator which was never ending and super steep! (PLEASE DO NOT  TRY THIS AT HOME).

So the beginning was a bit traumatic and worrying but after that, as soon as we got out from the subway, the atmosphere just changed, because this capital is just an open-air Museum!

Infact, strolling around the two parts of the city: Buda and Pest, was a great experience and everything was pretty much accessible if you are on a manual wheelchair, however if you are using an electric chair you might consider to carry a small foldable ramp, because you might have some issues.

Discovering the historic city centre and getting lost just by staring at the spectacular views  of the Danube river  by crossing the many pedestrian bridges  is already worth the trip but there is soooo much else to do! If you are not willing to stroll around, the low-floor buses are a great way of visiting the city or also the Hop-on Hop-off buses. There was a beer bus offering a tour with unlimited beer but unfortunately they said we could not get on it, not sure if it was because the bus was not accessible or because they were afraid we would finished all the alcohol.

Accessible places we have visited in our 3 days staying: (please be advised that we can not list all the bars we have been to for a problem of space)

St. Stephen’s Basilica which offers wheelchair-accessible amenties, but a companion has to go up the stairs to inform the staff to open the elevator. (You will then have an exclusive view of the secret crypt located underground, that the others will not see and the access is free, yeah there is alaways something positive!)

Visiting the Parliament House or just watching it from the outside it is just shocking not only for his size, it is the 3^rd largest Parliament building in the world, but it is a magnificent building.

Margaret Island’s parkland is great to recharge your lungs

River cruises  are a wonderful way to appreciate both Buda and Pest from the water and if you have a Hop-on Hop-off ticket this activity is included in your tour (and yes they do sell alcohol on board, great especially when it becomes a bit windy and the sun goes down)

A great activity that I really recommend is catching the the “Budavári Sikló” which is the funicular that takes you on Buda Castle Hill. This is all accessible and will allow you to stand for hours on top of the city and admiring the view for as much as you want. We went also inside Matthias Church which was just one of the most unique churches I have ever visited.

The House of Terror Museum is a very interesting tour if you have a couple of spare hours, but not definitely relaxing! It contains exhibits related to the fascist and communist regimes in 20^th Century in Hungary and it is also a memorial to the victims. Once you are there the Heroes’ Square is a great spot for amazing photos and also worth the visit.

To sum up, although the initial obstacles, I had to change my mind about Budapest, definitely a stunning and quite accessible city,  a bit more challenging if you are  using an electric wheelchair but great if you are planning another trip after Vienna!