If you are visiting Cyprus and are in the mood to travel, I really recommend you to rent a car and to drive to awesome places. Cyprus is full of nature reserves, which are beautiful villages where you can spend days exploring,

The big advantage of travelling in Cyprus, is that this is a pretty small island, so the distances are short from one place to another. You can reach a lot of places even if you travel only for a few days.

Driving there on the opposite direction can be a little bit intimidating, but you will get used to it pretty fast. If it’s still frightening to you, then you can travel there by taxies or buses.

No matter where you land, if it’s Larnaca, Paphos , Limassol and Nicosia, you can reach every place that I mentioned here in maximum 2.5 hours by car.

Akamas

Located about one hour driving from Paphos.
In the west part of Greece, Cyprus, Akamas is one of the most spectacular landmarks in the island of Cyprus for people who want to see nature.

The reserve is beautiful and there are a lot of walking trails, and also an amazing blue lagoon. The reserve is about 260 kms. You can find there are many types of animals.
The Aphrodite trail is considered to be the most difficult trail there is because it involves an uphill climbing in order to reach the top. But the view from there is so awesome that it is definitely worth it.

There are also easier trails, like to the lagoon.
Another cool option in the reserve is to rent a bagi and to travel with it. So even if you are less in the walking mood, you will have another option there to do.

The entrance is free. In the entrance there is a map that shows the types of trails and distances.
Aphrodite’s trail duration is about 4-6 hours and you can do a longer trajectory if you add the blue lagoon to it.

This reserve is a great place for people who are looking for treks in Cyprus.
If you are hungry after travelling there, you can eat in the restaurant in the entrance. They have a varied menu and reasonable prices

Bridge Tzelefos

Beautiful Venetian bridges located 440 m in Pafos forest. They are located on the way up to Troodos Mountains so it’s worth visiting them on the same day that you are travelling to Troodos Mountains. The bridges are located at an about one hour drive from Limassol to Pafos, and from Larnaca about one hour and a half.

Gefiri tou Tzelefou is the biggest stone bridge that was built in Cyprus.
You can travel between the bridges by car or by foot. In the first bridge there’s an option to climb up the hill to a viewpoint. About 10-15 minutes climbing up by feet.

When we came to the bridges there were many photographers who took pictures of them because there are really beautiful.

Troodos mountains

The largest range of mountains in Cyprus. On the mountains there are many villages, monasteries, churches, of which nine of them and one of the monasteries were announced as a World Heritage Site by the Unesco Organisation.

Troodos Mountains are very popular among tourists and in the winter  there’s a small ski site which has four elevators.
So if you are travelling in winter to Cyprus and want to see snow you can go there.

But Troodos Mountains are worth visiting all year long because they are full of picturesque villages, restaurants, taverns, coffee shops, stalls, and shops. The most famous is the Omodos village. About one million tourists visit it per year. In the village they produce wine and every August they have a festival there. You can visit the Afames monastery and enjoy the best atmosphere in the taverns

You can also visit the Platres village and eat there in a nice restaurant called “Skylight:
Address F825, Pano Platres, Cyprus

Nicosia

If you want to do some shopping or visit a modern city full of trendy restaurants, coffee shops, branded shops, and historical sites, Nicosia is a city worth seeing.

We ate in a very good vegetarian restaurant. We ordered laganne and kish and they were very delicious. The name of the restaurant is Inga’s Veggie Heaven.

Opening hours: Tuesday- Saturday 09:00-17:00
Address: 2 dimonaktos
I recommend this restaurant even if you are not vegetarian.
There are also coffee shops where you can play backgammon

Old city Limassol

In the old city you can visit in an impressive castle and enjoy wandering around in a great place with a unique atmosphere and great coffee shops, restaurants, and bars.

We stayed in a great hotel there called “Mediterranean Hotel Beach”
In order to read more about Limassol visit my post “Vacation in Limassol”.

Lefkara village, Larnaca and natural reserve in Ayia Napa

Lefkara village is a picturesque village that is famous for its lace industry. You will see many lace shops there as well as restaurants and coffee shops.

Cape Greco is an amazing natural reserve that is suitable for easy hiking and picnics, and also just for relaxing and to enter the clear blue water.

The entrance is free.
Larnaca is a harbour city with great cocktail bars, restaurants, and historical sites.
We stayed in an apartment hotel called Elenore Hotel, which was cheap, clean, and in a great location.
To read more about Lefkara, Larnaca and Cape Greco visit my post “Larnaca things to do”

We have had an amazing time in New York and I decided to write the itinerary we followed for 3 days. Every day was posted originally as a separate post but I merged them all into the first one to make it easier for you to read: part 1

We have had an amazing time in New York and I decided to write the itinerary we followed for 3 days. Every day was posted originally as a separate post but I merged them all into the first one to make it easier for you to read: part 1

We have had an amazing time in New York and I decided to write down the itinerary we followed for 3 days. (Originally I posted every day as a separate post during my trip, but I have merged them all together now to make it easier to follow)

This itinerary is packed with a lot of things to do in each day. If it’s too intense for you, you can split it into more days. We started our days at 08:00 and finished around 01:00 the following night 🙂
So let’s begin…

Tips before traveling to New York City

SIM card

I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.

Car rental in New York City

I think this is the most convenient and fun way to travel. Car prices are low and the roads are easy to drive.

You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

Attractions in New York City

You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attractions site is tiqets the second is Get your guide and Viator.

Where to stay in New York City

You can search for places to stay in New York City via Booking.

Day 1

Breakfast at Soho in Balthazar restaurant

Balthazar restaurant is considered as one of the top restaurants for breakfast. The food there is amazing and the service and atmosphere are great. My brother recommended us this place (he works in Manhattan). Roman ordered eggs benedict and we both agreed that it was the best we had ever eaten.

The eggs were cooked perfectly and the sauce was delicate and creamy. I ordered toast with guacamole, tomato, and eggs which was a great dish but the eggs benedict were my favorite.

Chinatown

After breakfast we continued by foot to Chinatown. When we arrived there we certainly felt like we had arrived to China. We decided to buy bubble tea and to wander around. China town is full of Asian restaurants, shops, and has a great atmosphere. Because we had a very, very long flight (we travelled from India to NYC and it was a 16-hour flight) my neck and back hurt a little so I decided to have a Chinese massage for 15 minutes for my back and head for 10 USD. We saw it while we walked in Chinatown and it sounded like the perfect solution for my pain; and it was. The massage really released my muscles and I felt like a new person. I definitely recommend this break for a massage especially if your back hurts.

The place where I had the massage is called “Foot reflexology & body work”.

Best ramen soup

After two hours of walking, Roman got hungry. We passed near a Ramen restaurant  Bassanova ramen and saw an article in google that says that it’s one of the best places for Ramen soup in Manhattan. So, of course we had to try it.

The waitress recommended us the Ramen with lemon and black pepper. It sounded interesting so we took it and for a starter we ordered a dumplings dish. The dumplings were crispy and really good and the soup was wonderful. It was so delicate in its flavors and the lemon and black pepper added a sour and spicy twist to the taste.

It was so good that we thought about ordering one more soup but we wanted to leave room for the cheesecake.

One of the best cheesecakes in Manhattan

I looked again in google where the best cheesecake in Manhattan is, and I found several options. One of them was close to Chinatown and the reviews about it were amazing so we went there.
We walked to Little Italy and there was the bakery Eileen’s Special Cheesecake

There was a big variety of flavors and everything looked so good. I chose the salted caramel cheesecake and Roman chose the coconut cheesecake, and we ordered two cappuccinos. Both of the cakes were so delicious, they were in the right size (not too small and not too big). It’s definitely one of the best cheesecakes I have eaten.

The salty caramel added to the flavor but the cheesecake itself was so tasty. The price is very reasonable: it cost 3.5 USD for a cake.

9/11 memorial

After the cheesecake we continued by foot to the 9/11 memorial. It was about 30 minutes walking. The monument is so impressive. I think one of the most impressive memorials I have seen.

There is also a memorial museum. The line there was too long so we decided to spend our time watching the monument and to think about what happened in that place. I think that this place is a must to visit. Even if it’s for only a few minutes.

Central Park

From the 9/11 memorial we continued by subway to Central Park. This is the most famous park in Manhattan and it’s so huge. You can spend hours there just sitting and enjoying the park, without even having to do a picnic. You can also rent bikes and travel in the park with them. 

American museum of natural history

After the park we went to the AMNH museum which is a few minutes from where we were. We paid 22 USD per person for a ticket but you can also pay as much as you want. We arrived at the museum around 16:00 and it was closing at 17:30 so we were disappointed we didn’t have enough time to be there, because there are so many things to see.

We tried to check out as much as we could. And of course we didn’t give up on the last floor where the dinosaurs reconstructions. I was very impressed by this museum. No doubt that you can spend half a day there and even more. It is suitable for kids and adults.

Cocktail break at Jacob’s pickles

After the museum we felt that a cocktail would be great so we found a place not too far from where we were (about 20 minutes walking) which was very popular. When we arrived they had a table outside, but after 30 minutes the place was crowded and people were waiting in line for a seat.

We ordered two sangria, four types of pickles (their specialty), and a corn dish. The service was great. Roman really liked the sangria but I thought it was ok, nothing more.
When the waitress asked me about it, I told her that it’s not for my taste and she offered to replace it with another cocktail. She brought me a sour cocktail that was really good.

The pickles were great and also the corn dish. This is a great place for hanging out. Great vibes, tasty food, and good cocktails. The bill was about 65 USD (including the tip).

TIMES SQUARE

We took a subway to Times Square. We walked a little bit there and watched a street show. Because Roman is very tall (1.97m) the moment they looked for volunteers from the crowed they saw Roman and requested him to participate in the show. It was funny 🙂

Dinner at Spotted Pig- in the West Village

We took a subway to the West Village in order to meet my brother at the Spotted Pig restaurant. This restaurant has a Michelin star for its hamburger.

We ordered for starters deviled eggs, ricotta dumplings, and mushrooms on a toast. Everything was so good, but the ricotta dumplings were my favorite. For main dishes we ordered a scallop dish and the hamburger, of course. Both of them were amazing, but the hamburger… Wow! I’m still thinking about it. 😉 The bun was the same size as the burger. The burger had blue cheese and was cooked perfectly. It was an amazing ending for an amazing day.

Day 2

Breakfast at Johny’s Luncheonette

A really good American breakfast at a reasonable price at Johny’s Luncheonette. Considered as one of the best breakfasts in Manhattan. Roman ordered a typical American dish of pancakes with sausages and omelette. I ordered poached eggs with Spanish roasted pepper, Bulgarian cheese, and crunchy pita bread on the side.

We also received free coffee with it. My dish was so good. I really liked the crunchy pita and how the Spanish pepper was cooked; it was a light dish and a great way to start the morning. Roman was also very satisfied with his dish and it was pretty big, even for him. The bill was 16 USD so it’s a really good option for a tasty, fast breakfast.

The High line

After breakfast we continued to a really cool park: its height is 9m’ and it is 1.45-miles long on an old railroad. I really enjoyed the views from there and we took many pictures as well. It’s pretty shadowed, so it’s nice to walk there.

Chelsea market

From the park we continued to Chelsea market. You can go there from the park. This market is amazing! I recommend you to go there when you are hungry (unfortunately we weren’t) because there are so many restaurants that look so good.

There is also a part with cool stalls of souvenirs, jewelries, clothes, and more. There are special things that I didn’t see in other shops. In conclusion, this is a must-see market 🙂

HARLEM

From the market we took a train to Harlem, we still weren’t so hungry, but we planned to take a tour and didn’t want to get hungry during it, so we went to Jimbo’s Hamburger and we ordered a tasty tortilla with shnitzel. The schnitzel was crispy and the tortilla was good

Harlem Tour

After lunch we went to the meeting point of the tour that we had booked in advance. We took the tour of the company Free Tours by Foot. This company offers many tours that look very interesting. We decided to take this tour because we wanted to learn more about this area and also Harlem looks very cool so we wanted to tour there.

The tour was about 3 hours and the guide was funny, fascinating, and with a wide knowledge. He combined music with his explanations which was pretty awesome. The tour is free (based on tips). I’m really glad we chose this tour.

Coffee shop in Harlem – Social Corner

After the tour we wandered around a little bit more and then we decided to sit in a coffee shop-restaurant. We ordered coffee and just sat there and enjoyed the atmosphere of Harlem.

Even if you don’t go on the tour, I highly recommend you to go to Harlem and soak the cool vibes and to check-out the restaurants, bars, and more

COMEDY CELLAR

From Harlem we took the subway to a stand-up show in Comedy Cellar (we booked tickets in advance). We arrived 45 minutes before it started, which was great, because this way we got a really good seats. It’s a pretty small place with about 30 tables.

It’s intimate and fun. In a show there are 6 comedians for about 15 minutes each. The best comedians perform there, like Chris Rock, Louis C. K., and many more. We saw Allan Havey and Judah Friedlander, which were hilarious and actually each one of the comedians was brilliant.

I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s a high-class stand-up and it’s a great way to spend your evening; this pleasure cost 12 USD per person and you have to order two items from the menu. We ordered one cocktail and one sandwich each. It was one of the best evenings we had and I really recommend this show if you are a stand-up lover.

Day 3

Breakfast at Johny’s Luncheonette

Johny’s Luncheonettete, The same restaurant as in day 2. A really good American breakfast at reasonable prices. Considered as one of the best breakfasts in Manhattan.

But this time we both ordered poached eggs with Spanish roasted pepper, Bulgarian cheese, and crunchy pita bread on the side. It’s a really good option for a tasty, fast breakfast

Sight-seeing boat tour

After breakfast we took a subway to the South Ferry Station in order to do a sight-seeing tour and to see the Statue of Liberty. Even though we are less into touristic attractions like this, it seems unreasonable to be in NYC and not see the Statue of Liberty, right? 

The tour was about an hour which was the right time in my opinion. It was a really nice experience, although it started to rain really heavily the moment we arrived in front of the Statue of Liberty 😉 but we still had a good time.

Broadway show- The Book of Mormon

After the tour, we took the subway to the Broadway area and we went to the cashier to take out tickets to The Book of Mormon. We booked the tickets in advance and it’s better to do so as soon as possible, because the prices are very expensive.

Especially for the good seats. The cheapest site I found was tickpick and our tickets cost 150 USD per person in the front rows. The show itself was incredible! So funny and so beautiful.

I can’t explain how good the show was. You just have to go to see it. If you are not familiar about the Mormon I recommend to read a little bit about it before going to that show

Coffee and a pastry at Bibble and Sip

After the show we wanted to drink a coffee so we walked to a bakery that looked nice from the outside and it was really good. We ordered two cappuccinos. I ordered a chocolate banana muffin and Roman ordered a brownie. They were fresh and delicious.

Brodway , Wall street

After the coffee shop we went to wander around in Broadway and Wall Street, and the sidewalks

A dinner in Hanjan

After wandering around we went for a dinner with my brother at a Korean gourmet restaurant. We ordered Makgeolli, Korean beer that was of the best drinks I have ever tried.

We ordered a spicy calamari dish with noodles, a seafood pancakes dish, and a long time cook meat. All the dishes were so tasty and surprising in their flavors. It was a modern Korean meal. We sat on the bar and the service was excellent. If you are a Korean food fan, you should go there.

There are endless attractions and things to do in Las Vegas. I tried to write as many options as possible and the best things that we’ve done in Las Vegas

One of the best things was

One show- Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil show

We weren’t certain which show to see of Cirque Du Soleil. But after we read many reviews and because of the fact that we love Michael Jackson’s, songs we decided to choose this show. And I’m so glad we did.

It was undoubtedly the most amazing and exciting show I had ever seen. The combination between the dances, acrobatics, and Michael Jackson’s songs was absolutely hypnotizing.

The show brought him back to life and it’s something I never thought I would experience.
I can’t say enough to describe how good it was. I can just recommend it and say you must go see it.

The show is in the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
We ordered from the site Vegas.com. On the day itself there’s a 14% discount. But you need to take into consideration that maybe there won’t be any good seats left


Casino

Obviously this is one of the main attractions in Las Vegas. For all the fans of lucky machines, poker games, roulette, and more, Las Vegas is the place to go to. Everywhere you look you will see a casino. I recommend to budget the amount you are willing to spend there. Otherwise you might lose a lot of money (or win a lot of money, of course ;))

Wandering around between Las Vegas Hotels

The hotels in Las Vegas are crazy!! Words can’t describe the huge size and luxury of each hotel. Every hotel is like a city. You can move from hotel to hotel for many days and still not see all. Many hotels have themes like Paris, New York New York, Venice, and more.

In the very big hotels on the main strip, there are many restaurants, bars, attractions, shops, and casinos. When you go into the Paris hotel you feel like you flew to Paris in a second and in the New York hotel you will get confused and for a moment you really can think you are there.

In some hotels there are trams so it’s really convenient to transfer between the hotels. If they don’t have a tram you can transfer by foot or by bus. You can but a one-day pass for it.


Attractions in Las Vegas hotels

One of the most familiar attractions in Las Vegas is

the Bellagio fountain

(in front the Bellagio hotel). It’s the most impressive fountain I have ever seen. The fountain’s show hours are Monday to Friday 15:00-24:00, Saturday and Sunday 12:00-00:00
The show is every 30 minutes and after 20:00 every 15 minutes.

Eiffel tower in Paris hotel

You can go up the tower with an elevator to get an amazing view of the city. We bought our tickets through Groupon so the price was reasonable. You can watch the Bellagio fountain from there. You will have a 360 degree city view so it’s awesome. The height of the tower is 540-foot

Roller coaster in the New York hotel

A roller coaster for the brave of you. When we went there the line was too long so we decided to skip it. The cost was 14$ a ride

Huge Arcade area in the New York hotel

It’s a huge and fun arcade that is suitable for children and adults. You can lose track of time while playing the games there.

Ancient Rome in Caesar’s Palace hotel

The hotel was built as an imitation of ancient Rome and it has so many spectacular statues from Greek mythology. It also has a big entertainment and shopping center called “The Forum”

Sailing in a Gondola in the river in the Venetian hotel

A romantic sail in the river to feel like you are in Italy.
There are so many other attractions in the hotels like a circus and there is a huge wheel that you can see all Las Vegas from it.

An Illusions show

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on Las Vegas shows, there are many discounts and coupons for simpler shows. After spending our budget for shows on one show we decided to look for something cheaper and in Groupon we found the illusions show of The Mentalist. The show was about an hour and he did some cool stuff that I personally didn’t understand how. The ticket cost 21$.

Ice bar in Las Vegas

A really cool and freezing experience. A bar with minus 5 degrees. The entire bar is made from ice and even the glass of the drinks is made of ice. And the chairs and everything. When you enter you get a coat and gloves, but I really recommend you to go there with thick socks and closed shoes because it’s really cold there. I personally didn’t succeed to stay there long because I froze but it was a unique experience. And again we bought tickets from Groupon at half the normal price.

I recommend you to check this site because it has many discounts to attractions in Las Vegas, as well as to go on a Helicopter to the Canyon and for tours and more.

Pool in the hotel

Because what can be better than to be in a pool with a good cocktail on a hot day in Las Vegas?

Go to parties

Las Vegas is known for its crazy clubs and amazing pool parties. Famous DJs from all around the world come to perform there. The easiest way to. know about all the parties during your stay is to sign with a public relations person who will update you every day what the parties are on that day and you can sign up for them.

On the first day we met a public relations person and he was dressed with an elegant suit ? We gave him our whatsapp number and every day he updated us about the parties and we told him to which parties we wanted him to sign us up.

His details: name: Dag phone 1(480) 395 7667

Recommended restaurants in Las Vegas

Japanese restaurant Yusho– in Monte Carlo hotel.

A good restaurant that experts in Ramen soups. We took two types of soups and both of them were awesome. If you want something filling, tasty, and at a reasonable price, this is a great option
Opening hours: every day 17:00-23:00

50 five Pizza in Aria Hotel

A thin pizza with a lot of cheese and a great combination of toppings. You can also take a slice take away instead of sitting in the restaurant if you want to save money and time (they make their specials also in take-away).
Opening hours 11:00-00:00

Gordon Ramsay Burger

looking for a great hamburger? It is definitely worth eating there. We ordered hamburgers from the special menu, they both were excellent. We ordered chips with parmesan which after a few bites filled us, but was very tasty, and we ordered 2 cocktails. I didn’t have high expectations for the cocktails in a hamburger place, but they were so good.
Opening hours Sunday-Thursday 11:00-00:00, Friday-Saturday 11:00-02:00

If you are looking for cheaper options you can eat in food courts in hotels like Monte Carlo, Mandely Bay, and more.

Recommended hotel in Las Vegas – Aria

We stayed at the Aria Hotel which was great. It’s a new, modern hotel in a central location. The rooms are of the highest standard anyone can ask for. We were in the 48th floor with an amazing view.

For more reviews you can read here reviews of Aria.
There are so many restaurants of all types, bars, Jewel club, many pools, shops, gym, and a tram.


Budapest is a great destination in Europe that you will fall in love for. The ancient buildings, a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, bars, special atmosphere, and everything is cheap but high-quality.

We visited Budapest in February and it was freezing! But even though it was really cold we enjoyed it a lot.
We didn’t wander around like we are used to, but still we succeeded to visit enough places and have a great time

We definitely plan to go there again in a warmer weather, but if you visit Budapest in the winter I’m sure that my recommendation can be useful and most of them are also suitable for warmer months.
By the way, if you are looking for a cheap lodging option AirBnb is a great option. We stayed in the center for a really cheap price.

Search for other accommodations

Things to do in Budapest

Skating on ice (winter attraction) and visiting the castle

If you like skating, in the winter in Budapest there is a huge area where you can skate on ice outside, with music, and a musical atmosphere. This attraction is suitable for adults and children’s.
Part of the magical experience is that you skate in front of an impressive castle.

Skates rental prices
For an hour – 800 huf ~2.5 euro
For two hours 1500 huf ~4.8 euro
For three hours 2000 huf and for four hours 2400 huf.

Opening hours
In the winter (end of November- end of February) but can be changed
Monday-Friday 09:00-13:00 and 17:00-21:00
Saturday 10:00-14:00 and 16:00-21:00
Sunday 10:00-14:00 and 16:00-20:00

Address
Budapest, Olof Palme stny. 5, 1146 Hungary

Vajdahunyad castle

Regardless of skating on ice I really recommend to visit the castle. It’s a huge and beautiful castle. There is an option to enter its museum as part of the complete payment.
The entrance to the castle yard is free

Museum prices:
Adult 1500 huf
Child 550 huf

Opening hours
To the castle’s yard every day, any time
To the museum
Saturday-Sunday 10:00-17:00
Tuesday-Friday 1st of November until the 31st of March 10:00-16:00, 1st of April until 31st of October 10:00-17:00
Address
Budapest, Vajdahunyad vár, 1146 Hungary

Thai massage

In my opinion there is nothing more fun than a massage in the middle of the day. Especially after wandering around all day.
We looked for good recommendations for a Thai massage (since we had one in Thailand we are addicted).

We found several recommended places but we tried to call them all and only one of them had a free space for the day that we wanted. We went to this place “Spirit Thai massage” hoping that it would be good, and it was so good that three days afterwards I went there again 🙂

Prices:
8900 huf for 60 minutes of a traditional Thai massage (that’s what I did)
9900 huf for 60 minutes of a Thai massage with oil
They have also regular massages with oils like a Swedish massage and the price range is 11000-12500 huf for 60 minutes. You can also do 30 minutes massages.

Address (they have two branches)
The address of the branch that we’ve been
Dessewffy u. 47, 1066
Phone: +36 70 653 4387
Opening hours every day 10:00-21:00
Another branch
Address
Váci u. 39, 1056
Phone +36 70 524 6836
Opening hours every day 10:00-21:00

Jewish quarter tour

A fascinating tour and also very sad one. It’s definitely a highly recommended tour even if it’s very cold outside.  Regardless of the tour, the Jewish quarter is amazing and full of cool places, but the tour itself added to the place a deep understanding of what happened there during the Second World War.

Because the weather was so cold when we did the tour, instead of a group tour, we were (me and my husband Roman) the only ones taking it. We had a wonderful guide (Jorje) he had a comprehensive knowledge and we really liked to talk with him.

During the tour we passed through three synagogues, and one of them was the Dohány Street Synagogue (the second largest synagogue in the world). We didn’t enter it but after the tour you can go back and do so (it costs 10 euro per person). We took the free tour (based on tips) from the company Original Budapest Tours.

You can sign-in in advance for the tour or just show up at the meeting point.
The tour is every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11:00

Meeting point outside Starback
Starbucks @ Budapest, Deak Ferenc u. 23, 1052
They also have other tours like the sites of Budapest that are every day at 11:00, 12:00 and 14:00 at the same meeting point.
There are more companies that offer free tours but we really enjoyed our tour

Great market hall

The largest market in Budapest. It’s huge, with a lot of sausages, meat, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, spices, and more stalls (we bought Hungarian paprika) 🙂
In the upper floor there are a lot of souvenirs and also a big area with food stalls. I recommend you to arrive hungry there because all the smells will make you drool.

I tried the langos; it’s a deep-fried pancake with toppings, there is a salty version or a sweet version. For this stall there was the biggest line so I decided that I had to try it, even though I don’t like deep-fried food (cause when I’m traveling I like to try the local food). I took the salty version with sausages. It was nice and if you are a fan of deep-fried food, I’m sure you will love it, but for me it was too oily 🙂 Roman tried food from another stall and had a traditional sausage and potato and was very satisfied

Address
Vámház krt. 1-3, 1093
Opening hours
Sunday it’s closed
Saturday 06:00-15:00
Monday 06:00-17:00
Tuesday-Thursday 06:00-18:00

Drinking wine in bars

If it’s winter you should order only hot wine. It’s so good and warm in your body 🙂
One of my favorite drinks in the winter in Europe is hot wine. They serve it almost everywhere.
It’s tasty and it costs about euro and a half.

There were two bars that we really liked – actually three, but in the third they didn’t serve hot wine (but I will still recommend it because it’s a really cool bar)

Szimpla Kert bar

A ruin bar that all the locals recommend. It’s a very big bar with several areas, a big yard and a cool design. It has a great vibe and a lot of people.

It suitable for a hot wine/beer in the middle of the day, or for a great hang out in the evening. They also have a varied food menu.
It’s located in the Jewish quarter

Address
Kazinczy u. 14, 1075
Opening hours
Sunday 09:00-05:00
Saturday-Thursday 12:00-04:00
Friday 10:00-04:00

Potkulcs bar

A cozy ruin bar with a nice yard (in the winter it’s less significant). They have a small variety of food so it’s less recommended to go there hungry. But if you want chips or a meat dish, they have those. Sometimes there are live shows there as well.

Address
Csengery u. 65b, 1067
Opening hours: everyday 17:00-01:00

Prince of darts

A bar without a wine bar, but it’s so much fun there. I always saw movies with people that play darts in bars and I wanted to try it also and finally I had the chance to try it.
And it was the best game ever 🙂

In the bars there are many darts targets. We arrived there in the afternoon so we were alone, but usually in the evening it’s full of people.

We ordered beer and played for about 70 minutes. The darts cost 25 huf per minute so it’s about 1500 huf for an hour (5 euro).
It’s a cheap and cool place for hanging out.

Addrees
Szondi utca 5.
Budapest 1067
Opening hours
Every day
14:00-02:00

Westend city center

The second largest mall in Europe. If you are a malls lover and want to do shopping while you are visiting Budapest, this is the place to go to. You can spend hours there, or even a full day because it has about 400 shops. It’s huge/ it gave me a headache, but people who love shopping and malls will probably love it.

Address
Váci út 3, 1062
Opening hours
Every day 10:00-20:00

Budapest if full of trends and cool coffee shops. Everywhere you go you will see a nice coffee place to sit in. During our 9 days in Budapest we sat in several coffee shops, I chose my favorite ones for you, and here is the list.

Coffee shops Budapest

Alexandra coffee shop

This coffee shop is located on the second floor of a big book store.
If you want to feel that you are drinking coffee in a palace, don’t miss this place.

When you arrive to the entrance of the place you feel the luxury of it. Everyone is beautifully dressed and the design in incredibly impressive. I had never seen such a luxurious design of a coffee shop. You need to wait for a host that will take you to your table.

There many different types of coffee, chocolate drinks, and tea. There are also specials with whipped cream and different flavours. There are also different types of cakes and pastries.

We ordered a regular cappuccino with a brownie chocolate cake. And a special coffee with whipped cream and Nutella, and on the side a butter croissant. It was so delicious. Everything looked and tasted amazing.

The prices are a little bit higher than in other coffee shops in Budapest but it’s worth the money no doubt.

Opening hours: everyday 10:00-20:00
Address
Budapest, Andrássy út 39, 1061 Hungary

 

Eco Cafe

A cozy and organic coffee shop.
If you are looking for a place to sit and work on your laptop or just to come and drink a good coffee with an amazing sandwich or cake, then this is the place to go.

During our stay in Budapest, we had to work a little bit. Every time we wanted to work, we went to this place and sat there for hours. The atmosphere is very welcoming and nice, the coffee is very good, and the service is great. I fell in love with their toasted mozzarella sandwich, I think that I ate there about 3 times for lunch just because it was so good. Also their desserts are wonderful and healthy. I tried the carob orange ball.

They have a stamping ticket so every 10 coffees, one is free.

Opening hours: everyday 07:00-19:00 on Saturday and Sunday it opens at 08:00
Address
Budapest, Andrássy út 68, 1062 Hungary

 

Cafe Noe Cukraszda

A coffee shop in the Jewish quarter. We arrived at this place thanks to our wonderful guide tour Jorje, since we were online during this tour (just me and my husband), he suggested to stop at that place for a coffee and a great cake, and of course we couldn’t say no to this offer:) He recommended we try the Jewish cake flodni. It’s the signature cake of this place. We took a slice of the cake to share and 3 cappuccinos. The cake was made with layers of: palm jam, walnuts, apples and poppy seeds. It was so tasty and all the flavors combined perfectly.

It was a great recommendation. So if you are wandering around in the Jewish quarter, then stop for a coffee and a cake there. I’m sure that the other cakes are also great.

Opening hours: Monday – Friday 10:00-19:00
Sunday and Saturday it’s closed
Address
Budapest, Wesselényi u. 13, 1077 Hungary


Bite Cafe

A great bakery that serves good coffee and great pastries. Their signature pastries are rolls in flavours of: chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon. Many come there and take away, while others stay to sit there to drink coffee and to eat a roll. I tried the cinnamon roll which was awesome.

Usually I don’t like this kind of pastry, but it was crunchy and the cream on it was so good. You need to try it at least once while travelling in Budapest

Opening hours : Monday – Saturday 07:00-20:00
Sunday 08:00-19:00
Address
Budapest, Teréz krt. 62, 1066 Hungary

 

Budapest is full of high-quality restaurants, cheap prices, good service and all this with a great atmosphere. No doubts that while traveling in Budapest you will have an amazing culinary experience. You can find there are many local restaurants, varying between Asian restaurants, vegan, and vegetarian ones and actually any type of restaurant that you wish to find.

Recommended restaurants

Hungarian restaurants

Regos Vendeglo

A Hungarian restaurant designed beautifully and suitable for a pleasant dinner or for a fun lunch. In the menu there are a lot of normal dishes and also special ones. We asked from the waiter to recommend us two starters and two main dishes.

He recommended us a bean soup with meat and salty pancakes stuffed with meat. And for the main dishes he recommended type of a type of gnocchi with mushrooms and a paprika sauce, and a deer dish. All the dishes were so good. The flavors were wonderful and even though I initially didn’t want to try the deer, I ended up tasting it and really loved it.

The service was excellent. Don’t miss this restaurant.
Price range: starters 2-6 euro, main dishes 6-11 euro.
Opening hours every day 12:00-22:00
Address
Budapest, Szófia u. 33, 1068 Hungary

 

Pater Bonifac Kisvendeglot

A Hungarian restaurant close to hero’s round.
The restaurant is cozy and intimate with a varied menu of local dishes. The atmosphere and the food were great. We took a mushroom soup and goulash dish. They were very good and filling.

Price range:
Starters 2-4 euro, 4-13 euro. Most of the main dishes are in range of 4-6 euro and only a few with higher prices.
Opening hours
every day 11:00-22:00
Address
Budapest, Dózsa György út 108, 1068 Hungary

 

Vegan restaurant

Slow Foodiez

The best vegan restaurant I have ever eaten in! It’s worth to eat breakfast or lunch there. I really recommend it even if you are not vegan.

We ordered a green shake that was very cheap and it was so refreshing. As a starter we ordered hazelnut soup (we shared it) that was creamy and with dedicated tastes. For our main dishes we chose a vegan sausage made from nuts that was served with a potato and cabbage salad on the side.

It was a filling and tasty dish in a Hungarian style. And the second dish we had was ravioli with spinach and cashew cheese and it was by far the tastiest ravioli I ever ate. So good!! I want to eat it again 🙂

For desert we took a chocolate orange cake and a mango with apricot cake. Those were excellent too.
They have special dishes every day and good breakfast. You should definitely go there.

BTW the restaurant change their menu often, so unfortunately there is a chance that when you be there, the Ravioli dish won’t be in the menu.

Price range:
starters 2-4 euro, main dishes 5-8 euro.
Opening hours
Tuesday -Sunday 10:00-18:00 on Monday it’s closed
Address
Budapest, Szondi u. 11, 1067 Hungary

 

Vietnamese restaurant
Dang Muoi Pho Bistro

From the moment you enter the restaurant you smell Vietnam’s spices: cardamom, eugenia, garlic, and other good smells. The menu has a big variety of authentic Vietnamese dishes. For starters we ordered steamed spring rolls stuffed with shrimp, egg, pork, and vegetables. It was a light and tasty appetizer. For main dishes we ordered pho soup (I must mention that the large sized bowl is huge 🙂 so ask for it only if you are very hungry).

And another dish called “bun cha” that is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes (meat, vermicelli noodles, and the best sauce ever). All the dishes were very delicious and really reminded me of Vietnam.

There is no AC in the restaurant so if it’s a hot day, you should take it into consideration.

Price range: 3-8 euro
Opening hours: every day 10:00-22:00
Address
Budapest, u 1065, Nagymező u. 51, 1065 Hungary

 

Black Cab burger

After a 3 hour tour in the Jewish quarter we were very hungry, so a hamburger was a great solution for us. I remembered that my friend had recommended me a good hamburger place so we decided to follow her suggestion.

We ordered two hamburgers: one was 220 g and the other 300 g with toppings and one side dish of French fries.
The hamburger was cooked perfectly and the bun was very good and of the right size (same size has the hamburger itself) the toppings were good, so it was a definitely a wise decision to go there.

Price range: 1.5-7 euro
Opening hours 11:00-23:45
Address
They have two branches:
Budapest, 1088, Rákóczi út 19, 1088 Hungary
Budapest, Mester u. 46, 1095 Hungary

 

Indian Restaurant

Taj Mahal

Great Indian restaurant with cool vibes and full of people. The restaurant is pretty big, but it’s full most of the time. The waitresses all wear traditional Indian clothes and the place is decorated really nicely.

We ordered two vegetarian dishes: palak paneer (Indian cheese with spinach), malai kofta (Indian dumplings), fish in curry sauce, and basmati rice. The dishes were so good. We really enjoyed our dinner there. If you are an Indian food fan you will love this restaurant.

Price range
Starters 1.5-6 euro, vegetarian dishes 5-8 euro, meat dishes 8-10 euro, fish dishes 9-13 euro.
Opening hours:
Tuesday-Sunday 12:00-23:00
Monday it’s closed
Address
Budapest, Szondi u. 40, 1067 Hungary

Roman and I went on a couple trip to Georgia Europe with the purpose of doing some hiking trails in the mountains and between villages, to enjoy the amazing nature of Georgia and also to be in authentic villages and eat local food.
We traveled there in October and luckily we had perfect weather without rain. It should be taken into account that the month of October can be rainy and then it is not possible to go on hiking trails. It is best to come to Georgia in the months of June to September.
We started our route in the capital city of Tbilisi where we arrived by direct flight from Israel.
Our trip was full of walking and in retrospect I would have added another day or two to rest.
In any case, this trip exceeded all our expectations and we are already waiting for our next trip there and this time it will be in a different lineup with our two daughters.

Tips before flying to Georgia

SIM abroad

I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.

Car rental in Georgia

I do not recommend renting a car in Georgia, there are bumpy roads and the drivers there drive really fast. It is best to take local taxis and the train. In addition, it is also possible to go on organized trips in some places or on jeep trips.
If so, you decide to rent a car then you can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

Attractions in Georgia

There are two websites through which you can find various attractions in Cyprus such as wine tours, jeep tours and more. I recommend searching on the following sites: Get your guide and Viator.

Tbilisi, Georgia

How many days to be there? 1 day- 3 days

Lodging in Tbilisi

We booked a shared room in a hostel called Nest Hostel Tbilisi in advance, and coordinated with them to pick us from the airport because we landed in the middle of the night.

The room had 4 beds and a shared bathroom with other rooms as well. It cost us 40 Lari. There is also an option to request a private room and it cost 70 Lari (I guess the prices might have changed since we were there). We were pleased with this hostel, the workers there are super nice and the location is great.

Things to do in Tbilisi

Trips and tours from Tbilisi

Book tickets to Tbilisi: City Highlights Guided Walking Tour
Book tickets to Tbilisi: Cooking Class with a Local Family
Book tickets to trip from Tbilisi: Kazbegi, Gudauri & Zhinvali Guided Group Tour
Book tickets to a Day Trip to Kakheti Wine Region Including Seven Wine Tastings

Mestia, Georgia

How to arrive to Mestia from Tbilisi?

Train to Zugdidi and then a taxi or marshrutka (minivan shared taxi) to Mestia.
The train departs every day at 21:50 and arrives at 06:30.
We booked a private car in the train. The road was cool and we slept all the way.

In Zugdidi we decided to share a taxi with another couple instead of the marshrutka, it cost almost the same. The way to Mestia was pretty stiff, I had nausea from all the spinning but at least the road was so beautiful that it helped. Also the driver stopped twice, once near a big dam and later near an amazing lake view. We arrived to Mestia at around 11:30am

How many days to spend in Mestia?

3-6 days. The trek to Ushguli takes about 3-4 days and there are other treks that you can do like one day to the cross on the mountain. It is also very nice to wander around Mestia.

Lodging in Mestia

Things to do in Mestia

I recommend you to go to the tourist center in Mestia town center. You can take maps for the treks for free and also see which other treks you can do.

Kazbegi, Georgia

How to arrive to Kazbegi?

If you get there from Mestia you can take a marshrutka to Zugdidi (around 4p, you need to check the schedule with them). From Zugdidi you can take a night train back to Tbilisi. From the train station you go to the marshrutka station. We waited there about 2 hours until the marshrutka arrived and got full.

If you go there from Tbilisi go to the marshrutka station near the train station around 8am (it’s worth checking the schedule)
It’s a ride of about 3.5 hours with a few stops.

How many days to be in Kazbegi?

3-4 days

Lodging in Kazbegi

Things to do in Kazbegi

Signagi Kazbegi

How to arrive Signagi?

If you go from Kazbegi, you can take a marshrutka from the town center to Tbilisi and from Tbilisi take a taxi.If you arrive from Tbilisi take a taxi.
We found another couple to share the taxi. It’s about 2 hours of ride.

How many days to stay there?

2-4 days

Lodging in Signagi

David Zndarshvili– a beautiful guesthouse with an amazing view and great people and food.

For more detailed information about Signagi visit our post “Signagi a town from the 18th century”

Tips and comments about Georgia

Everybody knows that Georgia is the perfect place for trekking. And if you didn’t, now you know.
But there is so much to see in Georgia and so many places to visit

I want to recommend you visit Signagi in the region of Kakheti. This is a town that is surrounded by walls from the 18th century. It’s an incredibly romantic town. It’s surrounded by wineries and vineyards. Because the town is uphill there is an amazing view from it.
There are great restaurants there, as well as markets, and unique things to do and see.

Lodging in Signagi

We stayed in David Dzanashvili’s Guesthouse Sighnaghi. We took a room on the second floor where there is a balcony that overlooks an amazing view of the ancient walls.

The room itself was big and clean and had a private bathroom (it was a big and good change for us, after the other rooms we had while trekking)

When we arrived at the guesthouse the owner (David’s wife) showed us the room and afterwards brought us bread and cheeses to the balcony. We sat there to eat the tasty cheese and enjoyed the breathtaking view.
It’s such a peaceful and relaxing town.
We arrived there after 7 days of challenging treks and this was a fantastic way to finish our trip.

Restaurant that we really loved in Signagi

Pheasant’s Tears – in the first evening we went to eat at this restaurant; what attracted us there was the fact that they have a winery in the basement (and we love wine 🙂 )
We also read that they have a tasting menu for wines and dishes, it sounded good for us.

This was an amazing choice and we had the best time.
Each dish was served with a different wine.

The wines had really strong and unique flavors. We really loved them. One of them was a red wine that smelled like blue cheese and another was a white wine with flavors of apricot but a delicate taste that was not like a liquor. We loved them so much that afterwards we bought the bottles of the two of them in order to take back home with us.

The dishes themselves were very nice and combined great with the wine. We also took a short tour of the winery.
That was an excellent dinner.

There are other great local restaurants that you can try, as well as restaurants that have BBQ. And it’s really fun to eat in the guesthouse itself. They cook great local food and, because the guesthouse is pretty big, the dinners there are with many other travelers so the atmosphere is so fun.



Things to do in Signagi

Wineries tour

On the second day we did a winery tour with David the guesthouse owner and with a couple from Spain that stayed in the guesthouse as well. David drove us from place to place and waited for us at each point. He was so friendly and nice. He stopped for us in 2 wineries, a monastery, a wine museum, and a huge wine factory. In each winery we tasted wines and had a tour. In the big factory we also had a tour and we saw the modern way they make wine. We bought 2 more bottles to take with us back home 🙂 Not everyone loved the Georgian wines because their flavors are very strong and different from the regular wines that we are used to drinking but we liked the unique flavors.

Wandering around in Signagi

just go and explore it by foot. It’s a small and really beautiful town. The people are super nice and always smiling. The town is not flat so even though it’s small, walking there can be a little bit exhausting.

Local market

In the town you will find small markets and small stalls on the street. We bought the Georgian cheese also to take back home. It’s so delicious with delicate flavors and it reminded me of a salty white cheese with a soft texture. We also bought some spices that they have. One of them was the spicy spice. It’s so good. I added it to all the dishes every time we ate.

Do a walk to the walls

The walls are from the 18th century and you can do a nice walk there and observe the fantastic view.

Get a massage

On the first day when we arrived we decided to spoil ourselves after all the trekking and find a place for a massage. We went to the Kaboni hotel and booked two massages for the both of us. I booked the sports massage which was strong and good for my muscles. I felt really loosened afterwards and it was a good way to start the vacation in Signagi.

So why visit Signagi?

Because it’s a beautiful small town with a unique atmosphere, great view, friendly people, great wineries, and food.
I definitely recommend to add this place to your bucket list in Georgia. You will feel like you went back in time and once you are there you won’t want to be anywhere else.