Budapest
Budapest, Hungary
I really liked Budapest! I think it often gets overlooked or just added onto trips because of its close proximity to other big cities, but it’s a nice city that I would gladly go back to again.
When I Went:
Mid/late October 2019
Itinerary:
2019: Prague (6 days) > Salzburg (2 days) > Budapest (2 days)
How long:
2 days
Notes:
1) Hungarian is the main language, but everyone we encountered spoke English.
2) The currency is Hungarian forint, but credit cards were pretty much accepted everywhere we went. We had to pay for our accommodation in cash.
3) Many of the more popular tourist attractions will be west of the river and most of the restaurants and shops are east of the river. The east part of town is where more people live, according to one of drivers I had.
4) Hot tip: It’s not pronounced Boo-da-pest, it’s Boo-da-PESHt.
How I got there:
I took a ÖBB train from Salzburg to Budapest Keleti.
How we got around:
It’s a walkable city, but when you need to get a ride, download the app called Bolt. It’s like Lyft and Uber, but it works with the local taxis to get rides. Highly recommend. We took them to some places when we were super tired (it was the last city on our trip) and to the airport on our way out.
Accommodations:
We stayed at a nice, centrally located, and affordable apartment at Welcome Budapest Apartments. It was close to many restaurants and a 10-15 minute walk to the Danube River.
Activities/Sights To See:
You might’ve read before that Budapest is essentially two cities, Buda and Pest. Buda is on the western side of the Danube and is where many of the historic tourist attractions are. This part is on a hill overlooking Pest, which is the eastern side of the river. I asked my Bolt driver where most people live and he said the Pest side. The Buda side is more expensive. Budapest is a pretty city so I think you’ll enjoy seeing the pretty buildings while having a variety of food to eat.
BUDA
Fisherman's Bastion - It was built as lookout towers and once you get up there, you’ll see why. It has a nice view of the Danube and Pest side of the city. The architecture is really nice. Get here early in the morning or else you will run into a lot of tourists. We got there a little before 9am and there were some people, but not that many yet.
It’s free to roam around, but I think some of the turrets cost money. There is also a cafe there if you want to eat and have a nice view.
Matthias Church - right next to the Fisherman’s Bastion. I think we arrived before it opened, but it’s pretty from the outside.
Buda Castle - We did not go in, but while you’re strolling in the area, stop by the Castle. It is pretty large and also has a great view of the city.
Buda Castle Funicular - we also did not go on this, but we were able to find a good view seeing this go up and down. It also has a good view of the Széchenyi Chain Bridge
Széchenyi Chain Bridge - there are many bridges, but this bridge is the first permanent stone-bridge connecting Pest and Buda. You can walk across it.
Gellért Hill (Gellérthegy) - large area of greenery and there is also a popular thermal spa here. You can hike up, take a Bolt or bus, but it is uphill! You can visit the Citadel (Citadella), but just keep in mind there are lots of people around. We got here around mid-day and there were lots of people already.
PEST
Margaret Island - technically this is not on either the Buda or Pest side, but right in the middle of the river. This was one of my favorite things. If we had more time, it would’ve been cool to explore more of the island, which is very large. There is a fancy fountain show with music towards the entrance from Margaret Bridge.
You can get food and drinks at some cafes and there are some thermal spas. This is an overall great place to have a picnic, chill, ride your bike, and walk around.
Central Market Hall - it’s nice to see and admire how large it is, but this is not a place for you to get ready made food. If there is some, I didn’t see it. This would be a great place if you’re trying to get ingredients to cook food.
Hungarian Parliament Building - we didn’t go in cause it was after hours by the time we got up close to it. It’s also another stunning building in Budapest. You can go in and take a tour if you’d like.
Városliget City Park - very large park on the Pest side. There’s Vajdahunyad Castle right next to a lake. When we went, the water level was very low and looked like they were draining it. The park was also hosting a few different events so it was very lively. There is also a thermal beer spa near the Castle FYI.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath - this is one of the famous thermal bathes in Budapest. It is also located in Városliget City Park.
I am a crazy person and woke up super early to get to the spa because it was our last day there and I wanted to avoid the crowds. I think I got there shortly after 6am because it was still dark out. I watched the sunrise and there weren’t that many people there. There were more people than I thought, but I think more of the locals come that early. I think getting there when I did added to the experience. I would probably hate this if it were crowded.
I paid 5,900 HUF which included a private cabin to change in and was located on the same floor as the outdoor bathes.
St. Stephen's Basilica - pretty church that you can go into for free.
Dohány Street Synagogue - the largest synagogue in Europe and second largest in the world. Very pretty from the outside and not free. The price was a bit steep for me, so I didn’t opt for the tour to go in.
Váci u - is a popular street with lots of shops and restaurants. It seemed touristy, but not overly so. I think you can probably get some less touristy food away from the area though.
Food & Drinks:
There were many good looking restaurants and unfortunately we couldn’t check out everything we wanted to, but we did go to some good ones. All the restaurants I will share are on the Pest (east) side.
Dobrumba - this was a popular restaurant and we got in at the right time. They were turning away people around 3pm on a Sunday. Their website says their cuisine incorporates flavors from the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Caucasus.
Bors Gastro Bar - very popular, small restaurant that specializes in soups and sandwiches. There is nowhere to really sit in there so it’s grab and go and people will eat right outside, but we took ours to a park. The sandwich is quite unassuming, but was very tasty.
Molnár's kürtőskalács - If you have ever been to Prague, you will have seen these and they are called trdelník. Locals there hate it because it is not a traditional Czech dessert, yet you will find it all over the city.
As far as I know, there is not the same distain for them here as they are seen as a dessert from Transylvania. Molnár’s is a popular place to get them and it’s located on the popular Váci u street. You can get it coated in several different toppings.
Mazel Tov - this restaurant was very beautiful. A+ vibes. They specialize in Middle Eastern food.
Hisztéria Cremeria - cute and cozy place that serves some pretty good gelato.
New York Café - this place is what you would call “Instagram-friendly”. The inside is very ornate and fancy looking. Is it touristy? 100%. There is even a line at the front of the restaurant, but it moves fairly quickly. It’s not super cheap, but we just stopped for a small dessert.
Farmer’s market - we passed by this on the way to Varosliget City Park and the food looked really good. It was on Andrássy út street on the way to the park, but I couldn’t find anything on it online so it may or may not have been a one time thing.
TöLTő - a small place that specializes in fancy sausages.
Karaván - this is an outdoor space comprised of different food vendors. I will say that I didn’t eat here cause everytime we passed by (it was right near our place) we had already eaten. But everything looked soooo good.
Szimpla Kert - this is a popular ruin bar in Budapest. It’s unlike any other bar I have been to before. We visited in the middle of the day so it wasn’t super crowded, but still a little hard to find somewhere to sit. This was right next to Bors Gastro Bar and the street over from our apartment. I read online that they have a Sunday farmers market too.
Budapest Bistro - we sat outside on the patio and it was on a quiet side street. I believe I had a roasted pork dish which was tasty.
Madal Cafe - cute cafe with two levels inside and a nice patio outside. They also had a delicious iced chai latte which is hard to find in Europe especially.
Stika Gastropub - this place was small and cute. There was a line shortly after got there, and there aren’t a ton of places to sit. It felt fairly American in terms of the menu. I got a matcha latte and eggs Benedict.
Enough time?
You can do two jam-packed days, but I think three days would’ve allowed for a little more leisure.
