A charming and elegant city sitting astride the River Danube, Budapest offers a mouthwatering mix of history and culture. It is known as the City of Spas and is also very much a city of the 21st Century, having changed significantly in many ways since the Communist era.
The Hungarian capital is one of the largest and most historic in Europe, and it is no surprise that millions of tourists visit the city every year. Lying in Eastern Europe on the banks of the Danube down the way from Austria, Budapest has long been an important city in terms of the relationship between East and West, and the city was also an important power base in the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires.
Today the city is widely recognized as one of the most beautiful, interesting and cheapest cities to visit in Europe, and it is well worth spending a weekend trip or longer period here.
Getting to Budapest
Find cheap flights with Skyscanner, several low cost airlines fly here from various UK/European cities.
Weather and When to Go
Expect warm or very warm summers and cold winters (November – March), with relatively little sun. Snow is quite frequent most years. Any time of year is great to visit Budapest, this city also always represents good value for money.
Budapest Tours
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Where to Stay in Budapest
Budapest is actually two cities Buda is situated on the hilly side of the Danube, and Pest on the flat plain. As a cosmopolitan city catering to all manner of visitors, you can find accommodation ranging from the basic hostels up to luxurious hotels.
Staying in one of the many fab hostels or cheap hotels in Budapest makes for a great base from which to explore this historic city on a really small budget. Costs are among some of the cheapest in Europe compared to other capital cities in the continent.
I recommend staying in the Pest part of the city, the architecture will take you back to pre-war Europe, and you can imagine yourself taking part in a spying drama.
Shantee House in Budapest is my top pick. A small place run by a Hungarian backpacker that had traveled the world, and recommended to me by word of mouth back in the day while traveling through Eastern Europe.
This small hostel isn’t the best located in the city and it definitely doesn’t have the most inspiring name but it is a special place for other reasons. I’ve never been to a hostel where I’ve felt at home the instant I walked in the door until I arrived at Backpack Guesthouse.
Located down a quiet residential street in a converted house, the hostel isn’t the easiest to get to or best located in Budapest but it is definitely worth the journey. The attention to detail is great and everything in the place has been done up to perfection from the murals on the wall to the sitting area in the back. There are even photo albums scattered around the common room featuring trips taken by staff members (owners?) to Africa and various other places.
It’s really hard to describe a ‘vibe’ or to determine how a hostel has managed to achieve it, but Shantee House has managed to create the perfect backpacker vibe and the people staying at the hostel all seem relaxed, open, and up for a chat and a good time. It’s a great place to come if you’re travelling alone because you’re bound to meet loads of people. I think it’s impossible not to!
There was always a fun crowd, and I ended up staying there 3 times. It had everything a traveler would want, and always felt like a home away from home.
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Getting Around
Getting around the city is quite straightforward, with a good network of buses, trams and a metro system that are easy to use for visitors. Most of the main tourist attractions are located centrally and can be reach on foot.
The Danube is often used by container ships and for the transportation of goods, but in the summer there is also a hydrofoil service up the river to Vienna, for those looking to explore a little further.
Although it caters for only a very short journey, there is a funicular railway that can take passengers up the castle hill, and offers some great views back across the city.
As there is so much to see in this city and if you are on a quick trip, there is the hop on hop off bus service which is touristy but recommended. Prices are very reasonable and you can tour the city at your leisure. The price usually includes a boat trip on the Danube that could be taken the next day. So there is no rush to fit everything in.
But make sure you remember which company you are using. There were two operating when I was there, and I witnessed many other tourists asking why they could not board the wrong bus.
The bus route will take you around both parts of Budapest, and you are free to drop off and explore the many interesting and historic sights. There are too many to mention them all here, but in the Pest side of the city, the Heroes Square is a stunning piece of architecture, and well worth hopping off the bus.
Find the best city sightseeing tours & attraction tickets on GetYourGuide or Viator.
Best Things to See and Do in Budapest
Attractions in Buda and Pest
Ensure that you explore both halves of the city with their very different characteristics, which were only joined together as one in 1873.
Buda has a rather detached, imperial air and is built on a series of hills. Amongst its many delightful buildings are a number of gems such as the Royal Palace, Mattias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion – the series of ramparts facing the river – named after the traditional defenders of this stretch of the walls. From here the views over the River Danube and the Pest side of the city are superb.
In contrast Pest is flat, busy and buzzing, containing the majority of the city’s shops, restaurants and bars. Sites of particular interest here are Heroes Square, St. Stephen’s Basilica and the glorious Parliament building by the Danube.
Linking the two parts of the city are various bridges including the Chain Bridge which looks particularly spectacular when illuminated at night. Close to the Chain Bridge on the Buda side of the river is the Gellert Spa and Baths, one of many spas to be found throughout the city.
On the Buda side of the Danube the historic Castle Vajdahunyad is a must hop off, built in 1896 to celebrate 1000 years of Hungarian history, it stands in a stunning 12 acre park.
Szechenyi Baths
The City of Spas, as Budapest is otherwise known, also hosts one of the biggest spa parties in Europe in the incredible Szechenyi Baths, where you can drink and dance the night away in a truly unique environment.
These “Sparties” (spa party, get it?) lure well known DJ’s and party goers from all over the world after a good night out. With temperatures in the baths ranging from 27C to 38C, they can also be enjoyed year round!
Getting Wet Playing Chess
Not only can you get an eye-watering massage in many of Budapest’s famous thermal spas, but at Gellért, a neo-classical wonder which opened its doors in 1918, you can also checkmate a local on a floating chessboard.
Discover Off the Tourist Trail
Hidden among the nearly six miles of natural caves and tunnels beneath Buda Castle Hill is the Hospital in the Rock Museum, which preserves the history of a secret underground hospital that was later turned into a nuclear fallout shelter. Today visitors to the museum can wander through the cramped operating theatres and machinery filled nuclear bunkers, all of which have been restored to their wartime conditions.
Culture
Museums
Budapest has a number of interesting museums and the Budapest History Museum on Castle Hill in Buda and the Hungarian National museum help to give visitors some background information on the Magyars and the relatively new country which is present day Hungary.
Another popular tourist attraction is the House of Terror Museum on Andrássy út in Pest. This innocuous building was the HQ of the Secret Police and today’s museum remembers a time when political prisoners were locked away in basement cells.
Budapest Opera House
Budapest boasts of having one of the best opera houses in the world. The Budapest opera house has excellent acoustics , and if you wish to sample some of the first class concerts and musical events it holds throughout the year, tickets can be obtained for as little as 10 Euros and less.
Churches
Two churches well worth visiting are the elegant Matthias Church on Castle Hill in Buda and the vast St. Stephen’s Basilica in Pest which houses Hungary’s most sacred treasure, St. Stephen’s mummified right hand. Climb the cupola to enjoy panoramic views of the city from the top.
Shopping
Andrássy Avenue has some of the most expensive and glamorous shops in the city and Váci Street, one of the main pedestrian thoroughfares in Pest, features a large number of fashionable shops as well as tourist shops, cafés and bars.
At one end of Váci Street is the Great Market Hall with its shops selling a colourful array of fresh fruit and vegetables, sausages, cheeses and peppers and paprika of all types. The Market Hall attracts many tourists but a large number of locals do their daily shopping here too.
Entering the Great Market Hall of Budapest you will get the feeling of the citizens’ everyday life. Seeing what the locals buy and eat, you will feel like tasting some original Hungarian specialties and then buy some souvenirs.
The Market Hall houses the city’s biggest, best and richest selection of merchandise, including everything from fresh vegetables, tasty fruits to meat and spices. The three-storey hall is the largest indoor market of Budapest, waiting the shoppers even in cold and rainy weather. It opened in 1897 and at that time belonged to the most modern markets. Beautiful Zsolnay tiles make up the most spectacular element of the building from outside.
You can buy all the famous products of Hungary such as paprika, Tokaji wine, pálinka and spices.
Eat and Drink
The bars and restaurants have some exotic names. There is the Red Pepper, and my favourite, the Blue Tomato. That particular bar serves one of the largest schnitzels I have ever eaten,and you get it with chips.
Traditional Hungarian cuisine reflects the rich and varied flavours of the many nations who have influenced the country’s history. Soups are very popular. Gulyás (goulash) is a meat soup usually made with beef or pork, carrots, and potatoes in a rich broth.
Another popular soup is Sargaborso Leves, a split pea soup – a particularly good choice in winter. Soups are usually served as starters but tend to be substantial enough to be a complete meal.
Try Hungarian lemonade – usually beautifully presented and extremely refreshing, often containing a mix of fresh orange, lime, mint, strawberries and lemons, sparkling water or even rose water.
For something a little different seek out an unforgettable folklore evening in Budapest and come to know the city’s traditional side. In one of the many a traditional restaurants in Budapest you can taste Hungarian specialties, while Hungarian folk dance performance and gipsy music provide memorable entertainment.
For a romantic experience book a dinner cruise. Enjoy delicious meals and great views on the Danube, while you glide past many of Budapest’s riverside attractions such as the Royal Castle, Chain bridge, the Parliament and the St. Stephen Cathedral, all illuminated for the night.
Nightlife
Ruin Bars are two words becoming famous throughout Europe. What started as a few young guys after a cheap night out, has now turned into some of the most lively and interesting places to drink in Budapest.
After World War II, buildings and stores in the Jewish quarter of Budapest were left to crumble and remained empty for many years. Just after the millenium, the developments started and the first ruin bar was born. Szimpla Kert (literally meaning ruin pub in Hungarian) remains the largest and most popular in the city today, while many more have popped up around the city.
Crammed with mismatched furniture, quirky paintings, bizarre ornaments and graffiti-ed walls, these bars are the coolest place to hang out while enjoying cheap drinks.
Winter in Budapest
Ice-skating at Budapest’s main skating rink, and the largest outdoor skating rink in Europe, is a must try. Műjégpálya, in operation since 1870, has an idyllic setting at the foot of Vajdahunyad Castle, surrounded by the trees of City Park.
This is where all of Budapest skates. The music coming from the overhead speakers sets the mood and keeps you going on cool winter days and nights. Another favorite ice-rink is Ice Terrace, located on a former race track next to the Arena Plaza Shopping Mall. See more ice – skating venues.
If there is enough snow to slide, head to Normafa, a popular sledding spot in the Buda Hills. With its many trails, Normafa is also a good place for winter hikes. It can get crowded on the weekends, but the scenery is beautiful and the air is crisp and clean. To get to Normafa, take bus No. 21 or No. 21A.
Best Places to Visit Near Budapest
The relaxing and beautiful destination of Lake Balaton is one of the most popular destinations in Hungary, and a must visit location.
In summer, when the water can reach 28°C, taking a dip in Europe’s largest lake is like swimming in a giant bath. This is where Hungarians go for some quality beach time.
A short distance to the north of Budapest on the banks of the Danube lies the picturesque town of Szentendre with its well-preserved 18th century Baroque townscape. Winding streets lead off the Main Square which is packed with museums, restaurants, cafés and souvenir shops.
Plan Your Trip to Budapest
If you are looking for a good European city break destination, Budapest should be high on your list.