Budapest Travel Guide
- margauxgathy6
- Jan 30, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: May 31
When the flights to Amsterdam for a long weekend were looking a bit expensive, Skyscanner said “how about Budapest instead”? The Hungarian capital had always been on my list to explore, and it turned out to be the most incredible few days away. The architecture is stunning and the city is full of unique places to see, from the famous Ruin bars and thermal baths to small streets and cafés. We stayed for 4 days and 3 nights, but it is definitely possible to see it all in less time: I would recommend 3 days and 2 nights to get the full experience and not feel too rushed!
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Budget
Budapest is incredibly affordable. I would recommend budgeting between £30 and £40 per day for food and activities if you want to make the most of your time in the city. If you don’t eat out, you can drop this to £20 - £30 very easily. I have included more details about how much things cost below!
Logistics
The airport is located slightly outside of the city, but it couldn’t be easier to get into the centre. Right in the arrivals hall you will find a public transport desk where you can buy bus tickets into the city and a public transport pass for the duration of your stay. This will get you on all the buses, trains, and trams in the city, which is definitely the fastest and most convenient way to get around. For a return ticket on the airport shuttle bus and a 72 hour public transport pass, I paid £19. The prices aren’t inflated in the airport, so don’t worry about that. Step outside the terminal and you will see the 100E bus waiting to take you into the heart of Budapest! It makes a few stops in the journey, so check which one you need to get off at depending on where you’re headed, and it takes about 40 minutes to arrive at the last stop, which is right in the centre.
The buses and trams in the city are great, they leave every 10 minutes or so, and even more frequently on the busiest routes. Any maps app on your phone will give you information on which ones to take when you’re getting around, it could not be easier.
We stayed at an Airbnb in a typical Hungarian apartment complex in District 7, right near the Astoria train and bus stops, which is one of the busiest and well-connected ones. It was a perfect location, really close to the most famous Ruin bar, Szimpla Kert, and the proximity to Astoria meant that we could get anywhere in the city within 20 minutes, most places within 10. The Airbnb was small but had everything we needed, a small kitchenette, bathroom, and bedroom upstairs. It was also not overly expensive, at around £20 per night each, and there were so many options available.
Top places to visit
Budapest is split into two sides by the River Danube, Buda to the west and Pest to the east. It makes a lot of sense to tackle one of these per day, so here are my top recommendations for things to do on each side!
Buda
The classic photos you’ve seen of Budapest are mostly taken from this side of the city and you will see why! We started our day by walking up Géllert Hill and watched as the fog over the city slowly rolled away to reveal incredible views under a beautiful clear sky. The scenery kept getting better as we walked up, with the Hungarian Parliament building and St Stephen’s Basilica peeking through the trees. The walk up is not signposted at all, but we found that as long as you were going up you would eventually reach one of the many viewpoints! After wandering around the top of the hill for a while, we eventually stumbled across a viewpoint not obstructed by trees and could see the whole city from up there.
We slowly made our way down the side of Géllert Hill, which is largely residential, and headed in the direction of Buda Castle. On the way, we walked through parks and streets and found ourselves in a gorgeous little garden near the Varkert Bazaar. Again here we had a lovely view across the river of the Pest side. From this garden there is an escalator that takes you up to the walkway to Buda Castle. Be prepared for more views from this walkway! Entering the castle will cost you a different amount depending on where you’re from - you will find this is the case for most attractions in the city, where EU citizens get a discounted rate. Luckily for us, we visited on a national holiday and entry to the Castle and other national buildings was free! There are plenty of exhibits in the Castle, but we headed up to the dome at the top to see the Hungarian Parliament right across from us. If you’d rather not pay to go up to the dome (there is an additional charge on top of the galleries), you will get a similar view from a lot of other places so don’t worry!
Leaving the Castle, we headed to Fisherman’s Bastion (Halászbástya). In my opinion this is the highlight of the Buda side. Unfortunately, this is also the opinion of every other tourist in Budapest, so be prepared for crowds and get up for sunrise if you want to avoid them! The fortress is incredible and such a unique feature of the city, and Matthias Church right behind it is equally as impressive. Get lost in the streets around the Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion, the buildings are so colourful and really picturesque. However, beware that this is a touristy area so restaurants and souvenir shops are overpriced!
Head down toward the river and Margaret Island for the evening. It’s a much bigger island than you’d expect, but there is a bus that will take you the length of it. Most of the island is a park and it’s really nice to walk around in. There are plenty of cafés to get a snack or drink, and you can rent bikes and Tuk Tuks too which are really fun. On our first afternoon a local couple told us about the musical fountain on the island which has a free show four times a day. Unfortunately for us, the fountain was under repair, but if you can get down there for an evening show it’s meant to be amazing!
Pest
The Pest side is landmarked by the incredible Hungarian Parliament building. Take a walk around it to see it properly, and then head inside. As it is an extremely popular place to visit, you need to book tickets to enter the chamber several days in advance. There are limited tickets available on the day, but you have to be there very early to be in with a chance of getting those. We made the mistake of not booking, and so unfortunately could not go inside, but it looked very impressive. Again, the entry fee depends on your citizenship status, and you'll get an extra discount if you're a student.
Close to the Parliament building is the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial, created to honour the Jews who were killed by the Hungarian militia during the Second World War. It is an incredibly moving memorial that I highly recommend visiting as you make your way along the river bank. If this piece of history interests you, I suggest visiting the Terror Museum to learn about the atrocities of WW2 in Hungary. The museum was really well put together and we found it fascinating.
You can wander the streets of the Pest side until you find yourself at St Stephen’s Basilica, a stunning basilica both inside and out. You can buy separate tickets to go inside the basilica itself and to climb all the way to the top of the dome to see the city skyline, and I am so glad we did both. The main street leading to the Basilica is full of restaurants, bars, and cafés and makes for a great photo of the Basilica too. I recommend Best Bagel Basilica for a quick but very tasty lunch on this street!
The view from the top of St Stephen’s Basilica
From behind St Stephen’s, you can get a bus to Heroes Square and take some time to walk around the monument. Right behind it, you will find Vajdahunyad Vara, a castle surrounded by a lovely lake and park. It may not be as popular as Buda Castle but it is beautiful nonetheless and definitely worth visiting, especially if you are heading to the most famous thermal baths in Budapest, Szechenyi Thermal Baths, which are a 5 minute walk away!
You can’t visit Budapest without visiting one of the many thermal baths that are scattered around the city. They are all unique in their own right and a great way to relax in a beautiful surrounding. We went to the Szechenyi baths and, although it was busy, loved the experience. You’ll need to book in advance for the day you want to visit, and you can select to have a private changing cubicle or locker. There are two main baths and both are very warm, turned up even higher in the winter months, so you won’t get cold once you’re in - we actually had to move to the cooler one because the first was so hot! You can stay as long as you like, and the spa had showers, hairdryers, and a swimming costume drier for when we were done.
Also on the Pest side is the Central Market Hall. It is a little further out of the way but easily accessible by bus or by walking down the city’s main shopping streets. This place was incredible - it was enormous and had three floors full of stalls. The basement and ground floor sell mostly food, and the top floor is where you’ll find all kinds of souvenir shops (both authentic, handmade goods as well as the typical tourist souvenirs), restaurants, and food stands selling typically Hungarian dishes such as goulash and langós. The colours were stunning and it was so much fun to walk around.
Food Recommendations
Some of the best places to get food and drinks in Budapest are the Ruin bars. These are scattered all over the city and are such cool places, rustically designed with lights, plants, and unique decor. Each one is different and our favourite was Szimpla Kert. This bar is huge, it has two floors, courtyards, several different rooms, multiple bars, a place to order food, and a main floor area that turns into a dancefloor later in the night. We spent so much time hanging out there in the evenings and it is so reasonably priced, with beers between £2 and £3! As one of the most popular bars, there was a queue to get in, but this never lasted more than 5 minutes and entry was free.
Mazel Tov was also a great Ruin bar, but this one was more of a restaurant, perfect for a nice meal out. It was a lot more expensive than Szimpla Kert, and more formal. I’d recommend booking a table in advance otherwise you risk queuing outside for ages and not getting one at all!
Langós, deep fried flatbread topped usually with sour cream, cheese, and sometimes either meat or vegetables, is a traditional Hungarian food that we had to try, so we headed to Retro Langós right in the centre of the city. It might have partly been down to the fact that we were starving, but these langós were insane! Some of the tastiest things I’ve ever eaten. The restaurant is incredibly popular, and tables are limited, so be prepared to wait a while to get one, but you will be so glad you did! They also have vegan friendly langós (complete with vegan sour cream and vegan cheese), one of the only places offering them in Budapest (they also have vegan ones in the Central Market Hall). See my vegan food guide to Budapest for more recommendations!
If you are after fast, reasonably priced food with a great atmosphere, Karavan is a perfect option. Right next door to Szimpla Kert, this setup includes loads of food trucks selling everything from Hungarian goulash in bread bowls and langós, to Mexican food, a grill, and vegan burgers. It comes complete with two bars where you can try all the Hungarian beers, and dessert stands. The whole area is covered by a tent and has both standing tables and areas to sit and enjoy your food. Karavan was really popular and was the place to be before going out. The vibes were immaculate.
You can’t leave Budapest without having a chimney cake! You will find plenty of stands around the city (mostly on the Pest side); be prepared to fill them with ice cream, apple pie filling, and so much more. Yum.
I was so pleasantly surprised by Budapest, it was a really fun city with so many things to see and do. The crowd is generally young, which makes it a great experience and I could not recommend it more highly. Enjoy your trip there and let me know how it goes!
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