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hungary day trips, from budapest

Szentendre We boarded a boat from X and paid X forint to drive one hour up the river to the town of szentendre. It is a very cute town set up for tourists with numerous gift shops and cafes. We got the train back into Budapest and we paid for our ticket whilst on the train. Siofok There are no beaches in Hungary so the next best thing was to visit the lake. There were so many visitors here soaking up in the sun rays whilst lying on the grass or paddling out through the mud to swim in the Balaton lake. There was a strip of the town which reminded me of the Gold Coast selling bikinis, souvenirs and plenty of bars and beach clubs. This is where Hungarians must come to holiday and party. Eger This old town has castle ruins which we explored and has a discounted price for those under 26 years old. We purchased some 'Bulls Blood' red wine which is produced in the local region. Miskolc We stayed in this town to make an easier connection of rail journeys to Poprad, Slovakia. We did not spend much time in the town but we did manage to get a public transport fine :( When entering the town we were able to pay the tram driver our fare however the next day when we were exiting, the tram driver wouldn't open his window for us to pay. We still stayed on board and just as we reached the last stop a ticket inspector got on. He took our passports and escorted us to the ATM so we could pay for the fine. It only cost $20 each but we were still shaken up by the experience. Because of this I would always recommend paying the public transport fare and if you can't, just get off the transport until you figure out how you can pay!

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Aguas Calientes, Peru. After visiting Machu Picchu, we got a bus down to this town to catch the train back to Ollantaytambo

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Day 4, Inca Trail leading to Machu Picchu!

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Day 4, Inca Trail

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Final night camping

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Day 3 Afternoon, Inca Trail

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Day 3 Morning, Inca Trail

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Day 2, Inca Trail

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Day 1, Inca Trail

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inca trail

The Inca Trail is challenging but definitely achievable. I was quite nervous about doing it but it was actually ok. I don't think there was any point on the trail where I felt like dying or that I couldn't do it. The porters did an amazing job of having our tents all set up by the time we arrived at camp each night and provided us with a bowl of hot water to wash our face and feet. Our food tasted awesome with a three course meal for each lunch and dinner. Happy hour consisted of crackers and popcorn with hot drink of tea or chocolate. We had three guides who were meant to be spaced out between front, middle and back however most of the time they just stayed at the back together. Despite this, they were super friendly and happy people - Jesus, Raffle & Rudy. I highly recommend going in peak season outside of the wet season to ensure you get good views. There will still be the same number of tourists and porters on the trail except when you reach Machu Piccu itself there will be bigger crowds. Zip off pants, good grip shoes and a secure backpack will make for an easier journey. We also had slings for our water bottle for easy access since it can be difficult reaching around into a backpack to drink. Day 1 The first day is a bit of a confidence booster because you make regular stops through the valley along different villages. It's pretty flat and there is only one incline. For this leg, many donkeys travel along the path so you have to step aside from them and dodge the poo. Day 2 Our 5AM wake up call had us pack up our sleeping bags and air mattresses, and then put some quinoa porridge in our bellies. We started the incline straightaway to reach Dead Woman's Pass. The incline usually takes 5-5.5hours but we managed to do it in 4 hours. At high altitude, it is quite easy to get puffed and there's no way I would have been able to do it without using walking poles in each hand. The poles were more so important when we had to decline another 2 hours after reaching the pass on the wet stone steps. Upon reaching camp around 1/1:30pm we had lunch and a siesta. Using the toilets at this camp were gross smelling and squat - it's hard to use squat toilets when your legs are sore! Day 3 This is meant to be a more scenic day with stage one incline, stage two rolling, and stage three decline. Unfortunately for the first two stages up until lunch time it was rainy and cloudy so we didn't see much but still stopped at a couple of Inca sights. The final stage decline became more jungle-y and we stopped at some Inca terraces admiring the view of the river and mountains before arriving at camp. Day 4 Our earliest wake up call was 3:30AM so that the porters could pack everything up and make their way to the station for the 6AM train. Apparently this is the only train the porters can catch until night time since all other services in the day are catered for tourists. We had to wait at the checkpoint until 5AM for it to open and complete the last part of the trail. It took about an hour to reach Sungate which was our first view of Machu Piccu. We enjoyed a sandwich here whilst admiring the view and feeling stoked that there was no cloud cover. From here, it was another hour to reach Machu Piccu itself. We got a couple of photos at the main viewpoint and then we had to leave the sight for an hour to then be re-admitted with a stamp in our passport. We had a guided tour around the site and then some free time although we were too tired to spend much extra time there. We then got the bus back down to the town of Aguas Calientes, Peru and had lunch until our train. We rode Peru Rail for a couple of hours to reach Ollantaytambo where we then got a bus back to Cusco arriving at 7PM. It was a massive day.

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ollantaytambo, peru

We drove over two hours from Cusco into the Sacred Valley to spend a night in the town of Ollantaytambo. There are a couple of Inca Ruins here and we visited the free one as a mini hike. The following morning we were picked up and taken to the starting point of the Inca Trail.

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A cafe with a purpose! Encouraging community based projects :) You must try the shakes

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The taste of home! I could eat here every day :) Don't miss it

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Cusco vibes. The most delicious cookies and cream shake at The Meeting Place cafe.

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Delicious burgers ready to fuel up for the inca trail

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I freaked out zip lining!