Are you wondering what might be the best things to do in Budapest? Keep reading to find out and get some inspiration for your trip to Hungary’s capital city, Budapest.
Fisherman’s Bastion
No trip to Budapest is complete without a visit to this fairytale castle.
Hint: The tour buses start arriving at 9pm.
The New York Cafe
Yes it’s expensive, yes it’s busy, yes the coffee isn’t the best, but oh it’s beautiful. Book a table on-line, so you don’t need to wait for one when you arrive. I booked for coffee and cookies and had a cappuccino and apple strudel for about €21 (including service). Yes it is overpriced, but it’s so beautiful inside and I enjoyed the experience.
Kazinczy Street
A 5 – 10 minute walk from the New York Cafe is where you’ll find the cities original ruin bar. There are many ruin bars in Budapest, but Szimpla Kert was the first. A ruin bar is a bar built in a derelict/abandoned building. Also on Kazinczy Street you can find vintage clothing stores and street food stands in a place called Karavan. It’s a quirky street to explore, so keep walking the length of the street until you reach the junction. You’ll also pass by some of the Jewish Quarter and the highly rated restaurant, Mazel Tov (bookings needed).
St Stephen’s Basilica
Beautiful from every angle, no visit to Budapest can be complete without it. It’s €1 to enter and €4 to walk to to the top for views across the city. You can also get a lift to the top, which my lazy self did. I don’t usually bother paying for city views, because I live in Hong Kong, which has an unbeatable skyline, but I highly recommend venturing to the top of the Basilica.
Crowd avoidance tip: The ticket office closes for 15 minutes every other hour. Visiting just before this 15 minute period will mean that nobody new is arriving at the top for 15 minutes. They’ll be a lot less people in your way if you time your visit with the ticket office breaks. I went up 20 minutes before the ticket office closed. Slowly but surely I had the Basilica roof top almost to myself. I know it’s specific, but that is being a city tourist for you. Timing is everything.
Cafe Parisi
This beautiful cafe used to be known as the Book Cafe. It closed down suddenly in 2018 and reopened as Cafe Parisi. Nobody seems to know about it yet. I had to do some digging to find it. You can find it up the escalator on the 2nd floor of the Lotz Hall. Best for coffee and cake.
High Note Sky Bar
This roof top bar is in the beautiful Area Hotel and has unrivalled views of the Basilica. Very friendly and welcoming service, I highly recommend stopping by for a drink.
Budapest Eye
I gave this Ferris wheel a go and really enjoyed the view. No buildings in Budapest can be built higher than the Basilica and this takes you as high as you can get in the city (other than going to the top of the Basilica).
Photography tip: Lower the aperture on your camera so that the glass from the pod is out of focus.
Sunset tip: Arrive at the wheel 45 minutes before sunset. This will allow enough time to buy tickets, wait in line and enjoy golden hour. The ride lasts for about 8-10 minutes.
Sunset from both sides of the Danube
It’s worth seeing the sunset from both the Buda and Pest side of the river. Watching on the Buda side you can see all of Pest illuminated in a golden glow. While watching from the Pest side you can see the sun disappear beyond the horizon and the sky turn pink. The best of both worlds is to watch it from the Chain Bridge.
Watch the sunset from Pontoon
Right next to/underneath {insert correct preposition} the Chain Bridge is an awesome spot to have a drink and watch the sunset. It’s popular with travellers of all ages and comes to life at sunset.
Tip: Pontoon uses reusable plastic cups. You will need to pay a 300 HUF deposit with your drink purchase and they will give you a token. Once you’ve finished your drink, return the cup and the token and you’ll get your deposit back.
A Spa Day
Budapest is the spa capital of Europe, but I’m loosely recommending this one, because I didn’t enjoy the spa I visited. I visited one spa, the most popular in the city, which is the Szechenyi Thermal Spa. I found it busy and a bit gross to be so close to millions of slimy people. There were so many black bits floating in the water and lots of pockets of unidentifiable scum. It opens at 6am and is quieter in the morning, but I can’t confirm if it is cleaner as this time. There are spas all over the city, so do your research, read the reviews on Trip Advisor and decide for yourself.
Leo
Another place that has incredible views, but I’m loosely recommending it. Wherever I travel, I always check out the roof top bars on offer. Leo requires a reservation and I made mine three days in advance. I was very excited to visit Leo, but I found the service very unwelcoming which ruined the experience and I left after only one drink. Afterwards, I read the reviews on Trip Advisor and realised that bad service is what the bar is best at. Leo has absolutely amazing views over the chain bridge and I wanted to love it, but the service is so bad that it makes you feel uncomfortable. I’ve added Leo to this blog, so that you know it exists and you can decide for yourself. Check it out on Trip Advisor. Reservations absolutely necessary.
Trip
Directly opposite the Hungarian Parliament is a cool boat bar called Trip. Stop by, have a drink and take in the views.
Taxi tip:
There is no Uber in Budapest. Only take the yellow taxi’s, not the black ones. If the taxi driver says “cash only” that is a sign that you will be ripped off, because all reputable taxi drivers accept credit cards. Get out of the taxi and find another driver. I got in a taxi that had a tripped meter, thankfully I noticed the fare was speeding up at a rate of knots, I got out the cab and payed the fare. I was traveling alone, so I didn’t dispute it, because I didn’t want any hassle (and the taxi driver was about 7 feet tall). Then I found a taxi with a normal meter and paid half the price for double the journey. To recap, get a yellow taxi that accepts credit cards.
ATM tip:
Independently run ATM’s are all over the city, but they charge a bad conversion rate. Find a reputable bank to withdraw cash from. This includes Budapest airport. It’s best to get cash before you arrive in the country or when you can get to a bank in the city. I usually always get money when I arrive in a country, but I got my taxi driver from the airport to stop at a bank in the city so I could pay him. Euros are accepted all over Budapest, so arriving with a few in your pocket won’t hurt.
WiFi tip:
At both ends of the Chain Bridge and at the Hungarian Parliament, you can pick up free WiFi. Once you connect in one spot you will automatically connect to other free WiFi spots in the city as you walk around.
Alcohol tip:
It’s legal to drink on the streets, just like Germany and many other European countries. Get yourself a can of beer or Hungarian Dry sparking wine (light blue label and highly recommended by me) and sit on the banks of the Danube and watch the sunset.
Where to stay:
Anywhere near the river, this way you can walk to almost anywhere of interest. Either side of the river is ok, but I was happy I chose the Pest side, because there are more food options. I stayed close to the Hungarian Parliament at Gateway Budapest, it was an amazing apartment and I would totally stay there again. Walking through the door after a day of sightseeing felt like coming home. I also loved having a washing machine, because I’m traveling for an extended period of time. If you book direct with them they will throw in a free airport transfer or bottle of champagne.
How long should you spend in Budapest?
1 day – Go hard, then go home.
2 days – Time to rush the highlights.
3 days – Take is easy, but skip the spa.
4 days – Do all the things and throw in a siesta.
5 days – Some people call it sightseeing, I call it Sloth-Seeing.
6 days – Tumbleweed
Found this useful and want more travel tips? Then follow me on Instagram to stay updated.
Leave a Reply