Budapest October 23

October 23 is almost here, and you are staying in Budapest, Hungary. What should you know about October 23? Why is it a national holiday? What does it mean for you if there is a public holiday in Budapest? Is there anything to do on holidays?
Many legends go around the world wide web, like Oct 23, 'Oooh gosh everything will be closed in Budapest'. This is not true. Basically only the shops are closed, the rest are open as on weekends.

1956 Monument Budapest, lost revolution against the Soviets - Lassi Kurkijarvi Photography Top 5 things to do on October 23 to feel a bit like a local:
1, visit the 1956 Monument just by the City Park, and feel a bit of the lost revolution against the mighty Soviet troops and tanks.
2, avoid the rallies in Budapest: lots of political demonstrations on the political scenes, like the Hungarian Parliament, and often at Heroes Sq too.
3, forget about Oct 23, and enjoy your visit in Budapest as usual. Many museums are open, sights can be visited, cafes can be enjoyed and even the baths in Budapest are open. See useful links below. Yes, being apolitical and not giving a damn about Oct 23 is also very local. Many choose to enjoy the day off and celebrate with family picnics and tours.
4, walk by the river from the Technical University in Budapest at the Liberty Bridge up to north on Bem Square. This is a Buda side walk, scenic, and it is where the whole thing began as a peaceful demonstration
5, talk to locals about what happened on this day, clink your glasses to the heroes of the revolution, show your respect to the 1956 revolutionists by trying some wines and palinka in a good Hungarian pub or bar. In many ways, the noble essences will make you feel the strength of life, and the deep inner instinct of saying 'no' to oppression of any sort. When the revolution was lost and branded as 'anti-revolution' by the ruling Communist party, many of the people in the opposition sank into a personal alcohol induced revolution, the silent resistance.

Here are some great sources of information about Oct 23 in Budapest:

October 23 Budapest: opening hours, events on Oct 23 in Budapest
October things to do in Budapest
October 23 in Hungary
Rallies on Oct 23 in Budapest - yes, not everything is shiny and happy, but all in all, this is still a good day in Hungary.

Budapest Tram 2 Gets into Top Ten World List

I think we can say it without exaggeration that many Hungarians are quite proud of the river views and the riverfront in Budapest (it is also part of the UNESCO world heritage). No wonder there are so many scenic sightseeing boat tours in Budapest.

What is less known is that there is a nice tram route right parallel with the river Danube, the riverfront route of Tram 2 / Streetcar number 2. This tram runs between the northern and the southern bridges, with many stops along the Danube. National Geographic has picked Streetcar 2 in Budapest among its top ten panoramic streetcar route list - in the world. While in the world list Tram 2 ranks as number 7, according to the travel and nature magazine of National Geographic, In Europe the humble Budapest tram 2 got number 1, the best! Congratulations to the 19th century urban designers of Budapest!

Number 1 tram route: 501 tram, Toronto Canada
Number 2 tram route: George Benson Waterfront Streetcar, Seattle, US (the service ceased a few years ago, but will be restored in another ten years or so)
Number 3 tram route: St. Charles Streetcar (yes, the original Streetcar named Desire!!), New Orleans, US

Budapest Number 2 Tram by the river Danube You can easily get on it and go down to Lagymanyosi Bridge where the Palace of Arts and the Ludwig Museum can be found, get to the most famous Budapest Market Hall, by the Liberty Bridge, reach Vaci street from the tram stops at the Erzsebet Bridge or at Chain Bridge, and reach the nice green Margaret Island by getting off at Jaszai Mari Square stop. A streetcar named City Views, a streetcar named Budapest Desire. The tram cars are sort of heritage streetcars. Taking the tram 2 along the river is one of the top things to do in Budapest, and if you are travelling as a couple, take the panorama tram to enjoy the romantic Budapest.


By the way, tram 2 in Budapest at Christmas time gets all fancy.

Bike Travel Pass in Budapest

Bike Travel Pass in Budapest is less known than the standard travel passes you can choose from (24 hour, 72 hour, 1 week, 2 week, monthly, and even yearly travel passes).
But if you are an expat in Budapest and you like riding a bike in the city, you can actually use this cheap bike travel pass quite well. Please share it with your friends and cycling mates who are residing in Budapest to get the word out.
Happy riding!

Bicycle travel pass on BKV Budapest Public Transport