After our time in Turkey, we had two weeks to pass on the cheap, before our final destination on this trip – Italy.  So we thought, “Let’s go to Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary.”  It actually seemed like a crazy plan, but we did it anyways. We took an overland route from Istanbul to Budapest, spending only a couple of days in Bulgaria and Serbia; then ending up in Budapest for 10 long days.

Belgrade, Serbia was awesome (a few pics here). It is a charming city with great food and many sights to be seen.  We rented bikes, saw a fortress, ate at some nice places and relaxed.  I would definitely recommend visiting Belgrade, but make sure to go in the spring or summer when you can sail and enjoy the views.

Budapest is an amazing city and with a lot to offer. I must admit though, we were on a really tight budget, feeling tired of being tourists, and ready to go home. We did however do some pretty cool things. Budapest is known for its public baths and I made sure we hit one up. The one we went to had 18 pools of different temperatures, saunas, steam rooms and medicinal areas (think aromatherapy). It was the best thing to do on a freezing cold day.

The buildings around Budapest are truly stunning and it was easy to get caught up in the scenery. The Hungarian Parliament is one of my favorite buildings we have seen on our whole trip.

Another of Budapest’s draws is its ruin pubs. We went to one if the coolest bars I’ve ever been to, Szimpla Kert.  It is hard to describe, but  is kind of like an abandoned building that has been casually transformed into several rooms with some of the coolest hang out spaces ever. You have to experience it yourself.