The Art of Travel: Budapest

Museum of Fine Arts - Budapest, Hungary

Where are all my art lovers at?!

In this post, the museum highlight is….

Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary

Wherever in the world I travel, I LOVE to check out art museums in the area and this trip to Budapest provides somewhat of a funny story in regards to museum planning. In preparing for any trip, I always like to have a set itinerary and leave space open for things that pop up while in country, and this was one of those times that I was extremely glad space was open to explore. Prior to this trip, I hadn’t actually researched any art museums to include in the trip itinerary. (Yes, it’s true and so unlike me!) It happened after a few days of being in Budapest that we stumbled upon this beautiful museum.

This trip was mid-November and the morning that we set out for the day was grey and cloudy, windy and CHILLY! We began at A99 Coffee Shop (always coffee first), which had exceptional coffee and great, knowledgable baristas, on the main Andrássy út, which lead us up to Heroes Square. After coffee, we walked to Heroes Square passing charming buildings and admiring the scenery. Upon entering the square, there was hardly any people due to it being off-season (great for exploring and getting some photos!), and the weather taking a bit of turn with lower temperatures, gusts of wind, and some light rain included. This didn’t make a great equation for our planned walk in the park after, but lead us to something even better instead!

After getting to the square, we noticed it was surrounded by some large historic looking buildings, one of them being the Museum of Fine Arts, which happened to have an exhibition of Renior - one of my favorite artists! After some quick photos and walks around Millennium Monument, we reverted the walk in the park to the art museum. Thankfully, it wasn’t too busy and we were able to get tickets without having to wait an extensive amount of time.

Travel Tip! The off-season, usually anywhere from October through March is a great time to travel. You get around quicker and are able to make time to see and do more due to less travelers, not as congested in the major cities, lines are shorter to all famous monuments and museums, restaurants that are normally booked you can typically get a reservation, better deals on hotels and Airbnb’s - there’s plenty more reasons but highly recommend traveling during this time. Also! For anyone who loves the Christmas season, Christmas in Europe is unlike anything I have ever experienced before - it is PURE MAGIC and definitely something you must do if you haven’t already.

Back to Budapest!

As we enter the museum, it captivates you from the black and white checkered marble flooring to the elaborate ceilings and artwork. A place you definitely do not want to miss on your trip to Budapest! We head to the Renoir exhibit, which was done extremely well. As someone who has been to many art museums around the world and witnessed various artist exhibitions, this was one of my favorites. It first took us through a gallery of Renoir’s life and provided information about the artist I had yet to discover. It was innovative, informative, and mesmerizing, being able to view some of his most famous works, which also had been sent from the Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie both located in Paris for this special exhibition.

The exhibition ended with a black and white film of Renoir towards the end of his life, which really closed out the whole exhibit brilliantly. It showed Renoir still experimenting and renewing himself as an artist, which even during this time he was still an inspiration, inspiring some of the great figures like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. The chronological and thematic structure of the exhibition was absolutely superb. Grateful for the time and open space in the schedule to embrace this unexpected gift.

Beyond the Renoir exhibit, you’ll find a plethora of other exhibitions and collections that will inspire you - you’ll never want to leave!

So, dear discoverer, as you plan your future trips leave room open in the itinerary for the unexpected blessings that come up along the way, who knows what new adventures will capture you on your next trip?!

Much love,