It was snowing when we docked in Budapest
I couldn’t have asked for a better finale to our Viking River Cruise than arriving in Budapest—just as snowflakes began to fall. It doesn’t get more Christmasy than that! Bundled up in my K-Way jacket, I followed the scent of roasted sugar through the streets until I found myself at the Christmas Market.
And the star of the show? Chimney Cakes. These iconic Hungarian pastries are pure magic—sweet dough spiraled around a cone-shaped spit, baked over an open flame, and rolled in crackling sugar. Warm, golden, and irresistible.
I kicked off my morning with one at the Budapest Basilica Christmas Fair (right in front of St. Stephen’s Basilica), and from there, here’s how I spent the rest of my time:
- Enjoyed apple strudel in the snow at a strudel house named “The First Strudel House of Pest”
- Saw a Buso costume for the first time (traditional masks worn during the Busójárás festival to scare away winter)
- Ate roasted chestnuts from an open fire, washed down with Glühwein
- Drank champagne in a snowstorm
Leave a Reply