Wandergliding: Buda Castle, Houdini's House & Cruising the Danube

October 16^th, 2026

I awoke to a beautiful blue sky, so it was definitely the day to walk down to the Danube and see some of the main sights of Hungary’s capital city. However, before heading out, I spent a few hours planning my next few weeks, deciding where to go and booking accommodation and train tickets. Then I realized that I was cutting it close with one of my plans for the day, which was to see the changing of the guards at the Royal Palace at noon. The guards change every hour, but I’d read that there was more pomp and circumstance at midday.

I briskly walked down to the Danube, getting my first glimpses of Europe’s second longest river, as well as the infamous Széchenyi Chain Bridge, which is the first permanent bridge across the river in Budapest and was completed in 1849.

Buda Castle

After crossing the bridge, I climbed up about 150 steps to reach the Buda Castle, which was formerly called the Royal Palace and was first completed in 1265, but the Baroque castle that occupies the site today was constructed between 1749-1769. It was severely damaged in WWII but was rebuilt again and it now houses the Hungarian National Gallery, the Budapest Historical Museum and the National Széchenyi Library.

I liked the look of tunnel, aptly named the "Buda Castle Tunnel".

My first views of the Danube from up on the hill where the Buda Castle is situated.

What is that interesting round balloon in the distance? Well, I would find out tomorrow.

I arrived with about 15 minutes to spare before the changing of the guards. I got a little duped as there were two sets of sentries, one on the side of the Sándor Palace that faced the Buda Castle, and another pair around the corner on the long side of the building. It was hard to tell which was the main entrance, so I gambled on the second set. They did do a little marching back and forth around 11:50, but it turns out the main show was on the short side and by the time I clued in, there was a fair-sized crowd in a semi-circle waiting for the main show.

The sentries on the long side of the building.

Their "little show" at 11:50.

Right on time at noon, a commanding office followed by a drummer and eight soldiers walking in pairs marched out and performed a short military parade before switching out the sentries and heading back to wherever they came from.

The "real" entrance.

Here they come...

A closer view of the action.

The commanding officer had a wicked, red mustache.

I loved the sunglasses that they all wore.

After the military ceremony, I wandered around the castle’s exterior, enjoying the views of the Danube and the city.

Looking down the funicular rail line towards the Chain Bridge. I climbed the stairs instead of cheating.

Checking out the amazing view of the city.

The Hungarian Parliament.

The main dome of the Buda Castle.

I loved that at the base of the castle was a full on bar. Hungarians do have a liberal view on the consumption of alcohol and it's fine to walk down a public street with a drink in you hand.

The "backside" of the castle.

I couldn't get enough of the view, especially on such a beautiful autumn day.

Looking the other way down the Danube.

There was a bride and groom having a photo session on the castle's grounds. Those two dogs must be theirs as the bride came over to calm them down as they were barking. Perhaps they thought that they should have been in the photos too!

Now it was time for lunch! I found a restaurant with an outdoor patio and ordered a burger and beer. There were four ladies in the 60s sitting at the table next to me and I overheard them guessing whether the bridge below the castle was the Chain Bridge. I couldn’t help but confirm their suspicion and from their accents, it was obvious that they were from Scotland, specifically Edinburgh. They were delighted to hear that I had visited their fine city earlier this year. We chatted on and off as I consumed my lunch. Very friendly ladies who were on a 3-day long weekend visit.

Cheers!

I think this is the first time I've seen this...a Roomba for the lawn

My next place of interest was just across the street, which was the “House of Houdini”. Born Erik Weisz (the same last name as Naomi, who knew he was Jewish but not that she shared his last name), he was born in Budapest but he spent most of his life in the US. He became fascinated with magic thanks to the influences of French magician Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin. He changed his first name to Harry in homage to American magician Harry Kellar and took part of Robert-Houdin’s surname and added an “i” to it.

His magic career started with card tricks, but he wasn’t the most skilled sleight-of-hand artist. He began experimenting with escape acts, and that is what made him famous, becoming a household name.

The tour began with a young woman, Emily, guiding us through a small museum of many artifacts, props, posters and other memorabilia about or from Houdini. It was just me and a couple in their 40s from South Carolina. I found out that they had come to the House of Houdini since they had seen it on the “Amazing Race”, which supposedly influenced a number of the trips abroad. I couldn’t help but mention that I’d been on the “Amazing Race Canada” which they thought was pretty cool, even though they didn’t know it existed.

One of the straitjackets that Houdini escaped from.

Some of the handcuffs that he used.

Next, we had a short, yet quite impressive magic show by a magician named Alex. He performed some mesmerizing card tricks and sleight of hand with a piece of red rope which he turned into two pieces, then put them back together, made knots slide around or disappear, etc. He was impressive. I tried to figure out how he was doing his tricks, but to no avail.

The Magician Alex.

In case you're wondering, that's a fanned out deck of cards that he's holding.

After the House of Houdini, I walked to the “Fisherman’s Bastion”, one of Budapest’s best-known historical monuments. It is a fortification that was once part of the Buda City Wall that now offers a unique panorama of the city. The reason for the name is that the guild of fisherman who lived nearby were entrusted to defend that section of the city walls in time of war. The view of the Hungarian Parliament, the Chain Bridge, the Danube and the rest of the city was gorgeous.

Some fancy fountain and building nearby.

Matthias Church, also known as "The Church of the Assumption of the Buda Castle".

I guess he was somebody important at some point.

Once again, the amazing Hungarian Parliament.

The Fisherman's Bastion.

Almost like something from a Disney movie.

Back to that awesome tunnel.

And the Chain Bridge again.

For the evening, I had booked a 75-minute boat tour with a company called Floating Lotus Cruises starting at 6 pm. I walked down, crossed the Chain Bridge and located the boat along the river. I still had almost an hour to kill so I found a place to sit and have a drink while looking over the Danube.

Before going for the drink, I made sure I knew where my boat was.

Cheers!

It was dusk as I boarded the boat and received my complimentary glass of white wine (of which I’m not a big fan). It was actually a “booze cruise” with unlimited Aperol, beer and one or two other types of drinks.

All aboard!

Looking towards Buda Castle with my Aperol...one of Naomi's favorite drinks and maybe the first time I've had my own.

Once again, the lovely Chain Bridge.

Buda Castle.

Looking towards Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion.

The boat cruised towards the Hungarian Parliament and by the time we reach the massive, ornate building the sky had darkened, and it was beautifully lit up by hundreds of lights.

Hey look...a different bridge! This is Margaret Bridge, and in the darkness behind it is Margaret Island.

This is the "VIP" section at the front of the boat. It costs about 20 extra Euros and maybe you received better drinks, had cooler lighting and fewer people...but it seemed like the regular folk where I was were having a better time.

I just can't get enough of this building!

This couple danced during the entire cruise. At the end I spoke with them and they were from the Detroit area, she was a nurse and he was a soccer coach...so we know who was the bread winner! They were good dancers.