The Best Things to Do in Budapest: An Insider's Guide From Two People Who Lived Here
The essential things to do in Budapest during your stay in the Hungarian capital.
Our love affair with Budapest started in 2005, when Mark spent a week here during a gap year that was supposed to end somewhere else entirely.
Back then, Budapest was gritty and still shaking off decades of Soviet occupation. The famous beauty was there, in the thermal baths, the grand boulevards, the ornate facades slowly crumbling into the Danube, but it was faded, half-hidden, waiting.
Mark wrote in his journal at the end of that week: "I could live here."
Fourteen years later, we did. In 2019, we packed up and moved to Budapest's Jewish Quarter, settling into a neighbourhood that would become one of the most formative places either of us has ever lived. We stayed for two and a half years.
Budapest is a city of two halves - Buda and Pest, separated by the Danube and first joined in the late 1800s by the elegant Chain Bridge.
Repeatedly invaded over the centuries by the Ottomans, Habsburgs, Nazis and Soviets, the city has been devastated and rebuilt multiple times within the last century alone, after WW1, after WW2, and again after the anti-Soviet uprising of 1956.
What this history produces is a city with genuine depth and a particular kind of resilience. It might lack the fairytale prettiness of Prague or the endless grandeur of Paris, but Budapest is realer than either, and in our opinion, considerably more interesting once you scratch the surface.
The thermal baths are extraordinary. The ruin bars are unlike anything else in Europe. The food scene, built on Hungarian produce and a culinary tradition that deserves far more international attention than it gets, is exceptional. The Jewish Quarter buzzes with a creative energy that comes from a neighbourhood that has survived the worst and rebuilt itself on its own terms.
This guide covers everything worth doing in Budapest, from two people who spent two and a half years living, eating, drinking and wandering its streets.
We hope it's useful, and if you want anything we haven't covered, find us on Instagram.
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BUDAPEST TRAVEL GUIDE OVERVIEW
TOP THINGS TO SEE | Fisherman’s Bastion, Hungarian Parliament, Buda Castle, Chain Bridge, Jewish Quarter
WHAT TO EAT | Goulash, Paprikash, Lángos
WHERE TO STAY | 5th & 7th District
BEST TIME TO VISIT | September
CURRENCY| Hungarian Forint
HOW TO GET AROUND | Walk, e-scooter, bike, Budapest Metro
PLAN YOUR TRIP TO BUDAPEST
WHY VISIT BUDAPEST?
Budapest is one of those cities that consistently surprises people, and then keeps them coming back.
It doesn't have the marketing budget of Paris or the fairy-tale polish of Prague, but it has something more interesting: genuine depth, a complicated and fascinating history worn openly on its streets, and a creative energy that comes from a city that has rebuilt itself multiple times and emerged each time with something new.
The thermal baths alone are worth the flight. The ruin bars are a cultural phenomenon unlike anything else in Europe. The food and coffee scene is exceptional and chronically underrated.
The architecture, from Gothic to Art Nouveau to Communist-era Brutalism, is endlessly photogenic. And it remains, by Western European standards, affordable.
We lived here for two and a half years. It is, without question, our favourite city in Europe.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT BUDAPEST?
Budapest is worth visiting in every season, but as with every destination, timing matters.
Below is a season-by-season breakdown to help you plan your visit:
SPRING (April and May) is our personal preference. The city is warming up, the crowds haven't arrived yet, the outdoor terraces are open and the light on the Danube in the early morning is delightful.
Prices are reasonable and the city feels like it belongs to those who live there rather than those passing through.
SUMMER (June to August) is peak season - busy, hot and lively. The outdoor baths are at their best, the ruin bar scene is in full swing and the city's festivals calendar is packed.
Come prepared for crowds and book accommodation well in advance. Worth it, but go in with the right expectations.
AUTUMN (September and October) is the other sweet spot. The summer crowds thin, the temperatures are comfortable, the food markets are excellent and the city takes on a golden quality that suits its architecture perfectly. Our second favourite time to be here.
WINTER (November to February) is Budapest at its most atmospheric and most underrated. The Christmas markets in December are beautiful - Vörösmarty Square in particular is one of the finest in Europe.
The thermal baths feel exactly as they should in cold weather. Prices drop considerably and the city is almost entirely given over to locals. If crowds and heat bother you, this is your window.
HOW MANY DAYS DO YOU NEED IN BUDAPEST?
Three days is the minimum for a first visit or weekend getaway, enough to cover the essential sights, the Buda side, the Jewish Quarter and a proper evening out. Five days is the perfect amount. A week or more is when the city really opens up.
For a complete downloadable itinerary, our Budapest City Pocket Guide has everything planned out.
Here's the broad shape of how we'd structure three days:
DAY 1 - PEST | Morning at Szechenyi Baths before the crowds arrive. Lunch in the Jewish Quarter — Kazinczy Street for options.
Afternoon walk through the Jewish Quarter, the Dohány Street Synagogue and the ruin bars. Sunset drinks at a rooftop bar. Dinner at one of the Jewish Quarter's best restaurants.
DAY 2 - BUDA | Cross the Chain Bridge early. Fisherman's Bastion at sunrise — the best light and the thinnest crowds. Matthias Church and the Castle District. Funicular back down. Lunch on the Pest side.
Afternoon at the Hungarian Parliament exterior or a guided interior tour. Evening in the 5th District for dinner and drinks.
DAY 3 - DEEPER BUDAPEST | Morning at the Great Market Hall for Hungarian produce. St Stephen's Basilica. Walk to the New York Café for coffee and the interior. Afternoon at Rudas Baths.
Margaret Island for a sunset walk. Farewell dinner in the Jewish Quarter.
FIVE DAYS | Add a day trip to Szentendre (45 minutes by HÉV train), a night at the opera, a proper exploration of the House of Terror and an evening dedicated entirely to the ruin bar crawl.
WHERE TO STAY IN BUDAPEST
Budapest has accommodation options across every budget, concentrated mostly in the 5th District (downtown Pest, close to the river and Parliament) and the 7th District (the Jewish Quarter, where we lived - our strong recommendation for first-time visitors who want to be in the heart of the action).
A few of our top picks:
LUXURY | Matild Palace: a restored 19th-century palace in the heart of the city, one of the finest hotels in Budapest
BOUTIQUE | Aria Hotel Budapest: a music-themed boutique hotel in the 5th District with a rooftop bar and genuinely exceptional design
MID-RANGE | Prestige Hotel Budapest: well-located, stylish and excellent value by European capital standards
BUDGET | Maverick City Lodge: our pick for budget travellers, well-located in the Jewish Quarter
For the full breakdown across every budget and neighbourhood, our Where to Stay in Budapest guide covers everything in detail.
IS THE BUDAPEST CARD WORTH IT?
For most visitors spending three or more days in the city and planning to visit multiple attractions, yes, it is definitely worth it.
The Budapest Card covers unlimited public transport, free entry to most of the city's major museums and galleries, and 20% off entry to the thermal baths, including Szechenyi.
For three days of serious sightseeing, it pays for itself quickly, and the public transport alone is worth having for the convenience.
If you're only in Budapest for a day or two and planning to focus on one or two attractions, it's less compelling.
THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN BUDAPEST
RELAX IN BUDAPEST’S EXQUISITE BATHS
Is there another city in the world with such an extraordinary array of thermal baths? We've looked, and we don't think so.
Budapest sits atop one of the largest thermal basins in the world, 40,000 cubic metres of mineral-rich water spring to the surface every day. The Romans were the first to harness it. The Ottomans arrived in the 16th century and built their hammam-style complexes on top.
What remains is a collection of bathing houses unlike anything else in Europe, each with its own architecture, its own character and its own distinct crowd.
A few things worth knowing before you visit: towel and swimwear rentals are no longer available at Szechenyi, so bring your own. Children under 14 are not permitted in the thermal pools at any Budapest bath under the 2025 health regulations.
The Budapest Card gets you 20% off entry at all municipal baths. And fianlly, Gellert Baths, the most beautiful of them all, is closed for renovation until 2028.
SZECHENYI BATHS
The one everyone visits, and for good reason. Built in 1913 over healing hot springs, Szechenyi is a Neo-Baroque palace of bathing with 18 pools across three outdoor and 15 indoor options.
The outdoor pools are the main attraction: two thermal pools (30-38 degrees), a 50-metre lap pool, and the extraordinary yellow building wrapping around all of it. On a winter morning, with steam rising off the water and the architecture glowing in the cold light, it is genuinely one of the best experiences Budapest offers.
The indoor pools are worth exploring beyond the first few; some of the lesser-visited rooms have a quieter, more atmospheric quality than the main outdoor area.
Our advice is to go early. The outdoor pools fill up by mid-morning in peak season, and the skip-the-line option is worth the small premium.
THE DETAILS
Where | Állatkerti krt. 9-11
Hours | Daily 6 am to 10 pm (indoor pools close at 8 pm)
Cost | From 13,200 HUF weekdays, 14,800 HUF weekends (around €33-37). 20% discount with the Budapest Card.
Note | Bring your own towel and swimwear - rentals are no longer available
Read more | Our complete Szechenyi Baths guide
GELLERT BATHS - CLOSED UNTIL 2028
Gellert is the most beautiful bath in Budapest - Art Nouveau stained glass roofs, grand columns, turquoise Zsolnay mosaic tiles and an outdoor pool with a wave machine that has been delighting visitors since 1927.
It is incredible and worth adding to a future Budapest itinerary.
It is also, as of October 2025, completely closed for renovation. The expected reopening is 2028. Remove it from your planning for any visit before then and head to Rudas instead.
THE DETAILS
Where |Kelenhegyi út 4
Opening Hours | 9 am - 7 pm daily - NOTE Gellert Baths are closed until 2028
Cost | HUF 10,900 - 20% discount with the Budapest Card
Related | A traveller’s guide to Gellert Baths
BOOK | Skip the line tickets to Gellért Baths
RUDAS BATHS
With Gellert closed until 2028, Rudas has become the essential Buda-side bath, and honestly, it deserves more attention than it typically gets.
The centrepiece is a 16th-century Ottoman dome, dark and steamy and unchanged in its essential character for 450 years. The main octagonal pool beneath it, surrounded by smaller dip pools at different temperatures, is one of the most atmospheric spaces in the city.
Beyond the Turkish section, the complex extends into modern therapy pools ranging from 10 to 42 degrees, and the rooftop panorama pool, looking directly out over the Danube and the Pest skyline, is one of the great views in Budapest. That said, it’s popular.
Night bathing on Fridays and Saturdays (10 pm to 3 am) is worth doing at least once. The rooftop at that hour, with the city lights reflected in the water, is a wonderful sight to see.
A few quirks worth knowing: the Turkish bath section has gender-restricted days (men only Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings; women only Tuesday; co-ed Friday afternoon and weekends). Bring your own towel - rental costs 6,600 HUF.
THE DETAILS
Where |Döbrentei tér 9
Opening Hours | 6 am to 8 pm daily, Night bathing: 10 pm to 3 am, Fri and Sat, Turkish bath: Men only Mon, Wed - Fri (until 1 pm), Women only, Tues, Co-ed Fri from 1 pm, Sat - Sun
Cost | From 12,000 HUF weekdays (around €30). Night bathing 15,000 HUF. 20% discount with the Budapest Card
HISTORICAL BUDAPEST
Budapest has more history per square metre than almost any city in Europe, and most of it is visible rather than hidden away in museums. Here's what's worth your time.
ADMIRE BUDAPEST FROM FISHERMAN’S BASTION
After two and a half years living in Budapest, Fisherman's Bastion is still our favourite view of the city - the Hungarian Parliament across the Danube, the four main bridges, Gellert Hill, Margaret Island and the whole sweep of Pest laid out below.
Built between 1895 and 1902 in Neo-Romanesque style by architect Frigyes Schulek, the bastion comprises seven towers representing the seven chieftains of the Magyar tribes.
The architecture is a fairytale - turrets, parapets, sweeping staircases, and the upper terraces give uninterrupted 360-degree views across both sides of the city.
With the popularity comes the crowds. So our advice is to go at sunrise. The hoards haven't arrived, the light in the Parliament is soft and gorgeous, and entry to the upper towers is free before 9am.
Late afternoon in summer is the second-best option - the sunset over Pest from here is worth staying for. The middle of the day in peak season is the one time to avoid entirely.
For photographers: the classic shot is through the arches toward Parliament. It's been taken a million times and still stops you in your tracks.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest, Szentháromság tér
Opening Hours | Daily 9 am - 7 pm (can be accessed outside these hours)
Cost | HUF 1,000 pp (purchased at the cash machine)
Read | Our complete guide to Fisherman‘s Bastion
EXPLORE THE HISTORIC JEWISH QUARTER (7TH DISTRICT)
We lived in the Jewish Quarter for two and a half years. It's where we shopped, ate, drank coffee, had our best nights out and walked home at 3am more times than we'll admit.
It's also, in our opinion, the most interesting neighbourhood in Budapest, and the best base for a first visit.
The history here is layered and complicated. The district has been home to Budapest's Jewish community since the late 1700s.
During WW2 it became the Jewish Ghetto - the wall still exists in parts, the synagogue triangle still stands and Holocaust memorials are woven through the streets between the coffee shops and the ruin bars.
Understanding both the history and the present simultaneously is one of the things that makes this neighbourhood unlike anywhere else in Europe.
Here's how we'd navigate it:
KIRÁLY UTCA is the main artery — hostels, bars, the renovated Gozsdu Udvar passageway with its clubs and restaurants. Tourist-facing but worth passing through on the way to better things.
KAZINCZY UTCA is where the real action is. Szimpla Kert — Budapest's most famous ruin bar — is here, along with Karavan street food courtyard and the Kazinczy Street Synagogue.
KÖLEVES KERT on Kertész utca was our favourite bar in Budapest. A garden bar with the right kind of energy — relaxed during the day, lively at night, genuinely local crowd. Go in summer
MADÁCH IMRE TÉR is where Budapest's creative crowd congregates — cool bars, independent shops and some of the best people-watching in the city. Telep and Központ are the bars worth knowing. Moto does Neapolitan pizza that's worth a detour.
ARÁN BAKERY on Wesselényi utca is arguably the best bakery in Budapest. Stop here.
For brunch, the 7th District has an exceptional offering, Franziska - Pest, Cirkusz, Dorado, Stika and Vinyl & Wood are all worth knowing. Our best brunch in Budapest guide covers all of them in detail.
One honest note: skip Mazel Tov on Akácfa utca - it's all queues and Instagram. Go to Dobruma instead. You'll thank us.
For everything else worth seeing and doing in the district, our Jewish Quarter guide covers it in full including the history, the street art, the best places to eat and the ruin bar scene.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest Jewish Quarter
Plan | Our guide the Budapest’s Jewish Quarter, The best brunch in Budapest, Our guide to Budapest’s Hipster 8th District, How to visit Dohany St Synagogue
BOOK | A guided walking tour of the Jewish District
THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE OF BUDAPEST
We walked past the Dohány Street Synagogue most days during our two and a half years in Budapest. It's impossible not to, and the twin domed towers and ornate Moorish facade dominate the corner of Dohány utca and Wesselényi utca in a way that stops you every time, regardless of how many times you've seen it.
Going inside is a different experience entirely, but essential on a visit to Budapest.
The main hall seats 3,000 people beneath gilded vaulted ceilings. The organ, which both Franz Liszt and Camille Saint-Saëns performed on, sits behind an ornate Torah ark.
The geometric mosaics, the stained glass, the sheer scale of the place: it is, by any measure, one of the most beautiful interiors in Budapest.
But the architecture is only part of why this visit matters.
The synagogue sits at the centre of what became the Budapest Jewish Ghetto during WW2. After Germany invaded Hungary in March 1944 and installed the Arrow Cross government, the systematic deportation of Hungarian Jews began. The ghetto wall ran through streets you walk today. The synagogue courtyard became a mass burial site.
The complex now encompasses the Hungarian Jewish Museum, the Heroes' Temple, the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park and the Tree of Life, a weeping willow sculpture with the names of victims inscribed on its leaves. You need time to see all of it properly, so do just that.
A dress code applies - shoulders and knees covered, men wear a kippah available at the entrance.
And book online a few days before visiting - the queue without a ticket in summer is significant and entirely avoidable.
THE DETAILS
Where | Dohány utca 2, Budapest
Hours | Summer (May to September): Sunday to Thursday 10am to 8pm, Friday 10am to 4pm, closed Saturdays. Winter (November to March): Sunday to Thursday 10am to 4pm, Friday to 2pm, closed Saturdays.
Cost | Around €23-24 per adult including guided tour, Jewish Museum and memorial gardens. 10% discount with the Budapest Card
Read more | Our complete Dohány Street Synagogue guide
WALK BUDAPEST’S HISTORIC BRIDGES
For a city built across a river, Budapest takes its bridges seriously. Each one has its own character, its own history and its own particular view of the city.
Walking across all three of these is one of the best free things you can do here.
SZECHENYI BRIDGE (CHAIN BRIDGE)
When we picture Budapest, it's Chain Bridge at dusk - twinkling lights, Buda Castle looming behind, the Danube catching the last of the light. It's the emblem of the city, and it earns that status completely.
Commissioned by István Széchenyi to connect Buda and Pest and built by Scottish engineer Adam Clark, the bridge opened in 1849 to enormous fanfare.
It has survived multiple world wars and political upheavals and remains the most photographed spot in Budapest for good reason - the views back toward Parliament, Gresham Palace and the Castle are exceptional from the middle of the bridge.
SZABADSÁG BRIDGE (LIBERTY BRIDGE)
Our personal favourite. Built in 1896 in ornate Art Nouveau style, Liberty Bridge connects the southern end of the city with views over Gellert Hill, the Danube and the grand Corvinus University building on the Pest bank.
In summer, locals claim the middle section of the bridge as an informal outdoor living room - sitting on the railings, eating, drinking and watching the sunset over the Buda hills.
Join them. It's one of the most purely enjoyable free things to do in Budapest.
MARGIT BRIDGE (MARGARET BRIDGE)
Less iconic than the other two but worth including for one reason: it connects to Margaret Island via a small spur in the middle of the bridge - the only bridge in the world to do so.
The views back toward Parliament from the northern end are excellent, and it's considerably less crowded than Chain Bridge for photography.
BOOK | The guided city tour takes in many of Budapest’s famous bridges
CLIMB TO THE TOP OF ST. STEPHENS BASILICA
Paris has Notre Dame. London has St Paul's. Budapest has St Stephen's Basilica, and it more than holds its own.
Hungary's largest church was completed in 1905 after 54 years of construction, the delays caused in part by a dome collapse in 1868 that required rebuilding from scratch.
What stands now is a Neo-Classical masterpiece with an interior that earns the effort of the visit: intricate frescoes, gilded accents, mosaics and stained glass that transforms the space entirely when the sun comes through.
To the right of the main altar sits the mummified right hand of King St Stephen, founder of modern Hungary - the Holy Right, which requires a small donation to illuminate. Slightly theatrical, but worth seeing.
The real reason to visit is the dome. At 96 metres - the same height as the Hungarian Parliament, a deliberate symbol of the equal importance of spiritual and civic life, and the panoramic terrace gives a 360-degree view over downtown Budapest that is one of the best in the city. Take the elevator or climb 364 steps. Go at sunset.
Regular organ concerts run on Monday and Thursday evenings at 8 pm - 70 minutes of Bach, Vivaldi and Mozart in these acoustics is an exceptional evening in Budapest.
A NOTE ON THE CHRISTMAS MARKET
From late November through early January, St Stephen's Square transforms into one of the finest Christmas markets in Europe.
Wooden stalls selling Hungarian crafts, kürtőskalács (chimney cake), mulled wine, and local food surround the basilica, which is lit up and often hosts light shows on its facade after dark.
It's one of the best things about Budapest in winter and genuinely worth timing a visit around if you have the flexibility.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest, Szent István tér 1
Hours | Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday 9 am to 1 pm, Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm
Cost | Main nave free (donation appreciated). Dome and treasury from around €7-10. Full combined tickets from around €17. Free with the Budapest Card
Plan | Our complete guide to visiting St Stephen’s Basilica
BOOK |St Stephen’s Basilica guided tour and rooftop view
UNDERSTAND BUDAPEST’S COMPLICATED HISTORY AT THE HOUSE OF TERROR MUSEUM
On the aristocratic Andrássy Avenue, behind a facade that gives nothing away, sits one of the most powerful and unsettling museums in Europe.
The building served first as the headquarters of Hungary's fascist Arrow Cross Party during WW2, then as the headquarters of the Soviet secret police, the AVH, from 1945 to 1956. If these walls could talk…
Both regimes used it for the same purposes: interrogation, torture and imprisonment of anyone who didn't align with their ideology. The museum documents both periods with unflinching directness - the exhibitions are immersive, the Soviet-era soundtrack genuinely chilling, and the video footage confronting.
It's worth being honest about one thing: the museum has received criticism for revisionist history, and having spent two and a half years living in Budapest, we understand why.
The framing tilts in particular directions. But it remains an important place to visit - especially for understanding the decades of trauma that shaped the Budapest you're walking around.
The basement is the part that stays with you, as the detention cells and torture chambers have been preserved. Allow at least two hours and go in knowing what you're about to see.
The museum is mostly in Hungarian, so we strongly recommend booking a guided tour in English for the full context.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest, Andrássy út 60
Hours | Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm. Closed Mondays. Cash desk closes at 5:30 pm.
Cost | Around 4,000 HUF (approximately €10). Reduced rate for students and over 62s.
Note | Photography and video not permitted inside the museum
ADMIRE, THEN TOUR HUNGARY’S STUNNING PARLIAMENT
Rising from the Pest bank of the Danube, the Hungarian Parliament is one of the most impressive buildings in Europe, if not the world.
A Gothic Revival and Neo-Renaissance masterpiece completed in 1904 by architect Imre Steindl, who died before seeing it finished, it covers 18,000 square metres, has 691 rooms, 29 staircases and 10 courtyards.
From across the river at Batthyány Square, from Fisherman's Bastion, from a boat on the Danube - it stops you every time.
The exterior is gorgeous. The interior is something else entirely. The Grand Stairway alone, with eight granite columns, intricate frescoes, and dazzling stained glass, would justify the visit.
From there, the tour continues to the Dome Hall, where the Hungarian Holy Crown and the Coronation Insignia sit on golden pedestals beneath a ceiling that makes it hard to process that this is still a working parliament.
Tours are 45 minutes, guided and mandatory - independent visits aren't permitted.
Book well in advance, particularly April to October when tours sell out weeks ahead. Note that tours can be cancelled at short notice for state events.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest, Kossuth Lajos tér 1-3
Hours | April to October 8am to 6pm, November to March 8am to 4pm
Cost | EU/EEA citizens HUF 7,000 (around €18), non-EU citizens HUF 14,000 (around €35). Students half price, under 6 free.
VISIT THE HARROWING SHOES ON THE DANUBE MEMORIAL
On the Pest bank of the Danube, a short walk from Parliament, sixty pairs of iron shoes line the water's edge. They are cast true to size - men's shoes, women's shoes, children's shoes, and they face the river.
In 1944-45, Arrow Cross militiamen brought Jewish men, women and children to this bank of the Danube, ordered them to remove their shoes - shoes were a valuable commodity in those last war years, and shot them into the river.
The memorial, installed in 2005 by sculptor Can Togay and film director János Tímár, marks the spot where it happened.
The broader history: Hungary joined the Axis in 1940. By late 1943, aware of what was happening across occupied Europe, the Hungarian government sought to negotiate with the Allies.
Germany invaded in March 1944 and installed the fascist Arrow Cross Party under Ferenc Szálasi. What followed was the systematic deportation of Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz and the murders carried out on these riverbanks.
There is very little to say about a visit here beyond: go. It takes ten minutes and stays with you considerably longer.
The inscription on the cast-iron signs reads: "To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-45."
THE DETAILS
MARVEL AT THE INTRICATE MATTHIAS CHURCH
Behind Fisherman's Bastion sits Matthias Church — the oldest and, in our opinion, finest church in Budapest.
Originally built in Romanesque style in 1015 and reconstructed in florid Gothic in the late 1300s, the exterior alone demands a full stop: colourful diamond-pattern roof tiles, gargoyles, spires and geometric windows that catch the light differently at every hour.
Inside is where it really earns its place. The interior is unlike any other church we've seen in Europe, with extravagant frescoes covering every surface, stained glass of extraordinary colour and quality, gold-leaf motifs and ornate altars.
The lower half shows its Romanesque origins; the upper half is unashamedly Gothic. Two Kings of Hungary were crowned within these walls.
During the Ottoman occupation, the church was converted into a mosque. All of this history is layered into the building itself if you know how to look for it.
Go at 9 am when it opens, the light is best, and the crowds are thinnest. If you want a special experience in the church, the classical music concerts held inside regularly are incredible - the acoustics and setting make it one of the finest concert experiences in Budapest.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest, Szentháromság tér 2
Hours | Monday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm
Cost | Around 6,000-7,000 HUF (approximately €15-17). Free with the Budapest Card
BOOK | Classical music night in Mattias Church
EXPLORE BUDA CASTLE & SURROUNDS
Buda Castle has stood on this hill, in one form or another, since the 13th century.
Repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, the current complex is a vast Neo-Baroque palace housing the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum, surrounded by the winding streets and courtyards of the Castle District.
Start from Clark Ádám Square at the foot of the hill. Take the funicular up for the experience, or walk - there are enough viewpoints on the way up to make the climb worthwhile.
Once you're there, the main courtyard alone takes a good hour: the ornate King Matthias Fountain, the Lions Courtyard through the Oroszlános archway and the restored neo-Renaissance Guardhouse are all worth finding.
A few other highlights worth building into the visit:
VÁRKERT BAZÁR | The stunning Neo-Renaissance gardens designed by Miklós Ybl, Hungary's most celebrated architect. At their best in autumn when the colours are extraordinary.
SÁNDOR PALACE | The Changing of the Guards runs every hour during the day outside this perfectly symmetrical building. Worth timing your visit around.
VIRGIN MARY STATUE | The best sweeping views back toward Chain Bridge and Parliament from this quiet corner of the Castle District.
KING MATTHIAS FOUNTAIN | Hungary's answer to the Trevi Fountain, elaborate and worth finding in the Hunyadi Courtyard.
Note that significant parts of the Castle District are still undergoing renovation, ongoing since the post-war restoration period. Work around it rather than being put off by it.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest, Szent György tér 2
Cost | Free, entrance to the Hungarian National Gallery and Castle Museum is free with a Budapest Card
WANDER THE PRETTY CASTLE DISTRICT
Most visitors come to the Castle District for Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church and leave without wandering further. That's a mistake.
The medieval streets beyond the main sights are some of the most beautiful in Budapest — quiet, mostly tourist-free and lined with baroque and Gothic facades that survived the Ottoman occupation, the Habsburgs, two world wars and the Soviet era in various states of damage and repair.
The area was settled in the 13th century under King Béla IV and predominantly rebuilt in the 17th century after Ottoman rule ended. Walking these streets, particularly in the early morning, feels genuinely removed from the rest of the city.
Start at Dísz tér and wind your way north toward Bécsi Kapu tér. Our favourite streets are Úri, Táncsics Mihály, Fortuna and Országház - all worth taking slowly. Stop at 4 Minutes café on the way - easily the best coffee in the district and the right place to sit down and let the Castle District settle around you.
VISIT THE CITADELLA AND WATCH SUNSET FROM GELLERT HILL
After 11 years behind construction fences, the Citadella on top of Gellert Hill reopened in spring 2026, and it's one of the most exciting things to happen in Budapest in years (well, apart from recent political happenings!).
The fortress was built between 1851 and 1854 by the Habsburgs after crushing the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49. The dark irony at the heart of its history: the cannons weren't pointed outward to defend the city, they were pointed inward, toward the citizens of Budapest.
That story is now told properly through the new Bastion of Freedom exhibition inside the completely reimagined complex, using interactive technology and a glass-within-stone museum building that somehow works beautifully against the 19th-century fortress walls.
Beyond the exhibition, the site now includes a 6,000sqm green park within the fortress walls, a rooftop panorama deck, a new café and ice cream parlour, and a grand new staircase connecting the fortress to the Danube bank below.
The Liberty Statue, originally unveiled in 1947 as a Soviet liberation monument and stripped of its Soviet symbols in 1989, stands on the eastern wall and takes on fresh meaning in the context of the freedom-themed exhibition surrounding it.
From the summit, the views are the best in Budapest - a 270-degree panorama from Castle Hill to Ferencváros, encompassing Parliament, the Chain Bridge, Liberty Bridge and the whole sweep of the Danube.
Go at sunset. Grab something from the café (or bring your own beers as we’d often do), find a spot on the walls and watch the city turn from orange to purple to the flicker of city lights. It's the best version of Budapest in a single hour.
THE DETAILS
Where | Gellert Hill, Budapest
Hours | Open daily - check citadella.hu for current exhibition hours
Cost | Park and viewpoints are free. Exhibition tickets available online at citadella.hu
Tip | The secret path that cuts along the mid-point of the hill, parallel to the Danube, gives uninterrupted views over Pest on the way up — worth taking over the main road
RUIN BARS, FOOD & DRINKS
VISIT SZIMPLA KERT, AND EMBRACE BUDAPEST’S RUIN BAR CULTURE
We lived 200 metres from Szimpla Kert for two and a half years. We walked past it on the way to the supermarket. We took every visiting friend there within 24 hours of their arrival. We never once stopped finding it genuinely strange and wonderful.
But to understand their story, and ruin bars in general, you need the backstory.
After WW2 and the decades of Soviet rule that followed, huge swathes of the Jewish Quarter were left to decay. In the early 2000s, a group of young Budapestis started doing something unexpected with the empty buildings and overgrown courtyards: they dragged in mismatched furniture, strung up lights and opened bars.
The result was the romkocsma - ruin bar - and Budapest hasn't been the same since.
Szimpla Kert, which opened in 2002, was the first. And in our opinion, it remains the best.
Step inside through the glass doors and the first thing that hits you is the darkness, slightly disorienting regardless of what time of day it is. Then the rest arrives at once: the eclectic furniture, the neon lights, the disco balls, the 90s televisions mounted at odd angles, the plants trailing from the ceiling.
A Soviet-era Trabant car in one corner repurposed as a seating area. Multiple themed bars across two floors, a courtyard, an open-air theatre. Beer that's cheaper than most European cities and a crowd that's mixed - locals, travellers, students, people who've been coming here since it opened.
On Sunday mornings the courtyard transforms into a farmers market. Producers from across Hungary set up stalls selling local cheese, bread, honey, fruit and vegetables. The goat's cheese in particular is outstanding. Buy some, walk to a park and have a picnic.
It’s worth noting that Szimpla has become considerably more tourist-facing than it was when we first arrived. It doesn't feel particularly local anymore, but if you’re a tourist, that won’t matter.
Go anyway - it's still unlike anything else, and then try one or two others that are dotted throughout the city, which you can find in our Budapest ruin bars guide covers the full scene.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest, Kazinczy u. 14
Opening Hours | Mon - Fri: 3pm - 4am, Sat: 11am - 4am, Sun: 9am - 4am, Sunday Farmers Market: 9 am - 2 pm.
Cost | Free
Related | Our complete guide to Szimpla Kert
ENJOY COFFEE AND CAKE AT NEW YORK CAFE
There are two ways to approach New York Café.
The first is as a coffee shop - in which case you will be paying around €12 for a cappuccino and €10-15 for a slice of cake, the food will be fine rather than exceptional and the service will be variable. By those standards, it's not worth it.
The second is as one of the most extraordinary interiors in Europe - in which case it absolutely is.
Built in 1894 in neo-Renaissance style, New York Café has been a Budapest institution for over 130 years. The marble columns, the gilded balconies, the sparkling chandeliers, the ceiling frescoes - it is breathtaking in a way that very few spaces in the world manage to be. Walking in for the first time stops you cold regardless of how many photos you've seen.
Order the Dobos torte. Have the hot chocolate. Take your time. Go knowing you're paying for the room, the history and the chandeliers as much as whatever's in the cup - and by those terms, it's one of the best things you'll spend money on in Budapest.
A few practical notes from experience: book in advance, particularly Thursday to Sunday. Even with a reservation, peak hours can be chaotic at the door. Late evenings after 8pm are considerably calmer.
If you end up without a booking, Café Gerbeaud on Vörösmarty Square or the grand Central Café on Károlyi Mihály utca are both excellent alternatives.
THE DETAILS
Where | 1073 Budapest, Erzsébet ut. 9-11.
Opening hours | Monday – Sunday: 8 am – 12 am, Breakfast from 8 am – 11 am
Cost | Coffee around €8-12, cakes €10-15, brunch from €24. Expensive by Budapest standards
Read more | Our complete New York Café guide including what to order and how to book
EXPLORE BUDAPEST'S MARKETS
Budapest's market culture is one of the underrated pleasures of the city, and one of the best ways to understand how it actually works beneath the tourist surface.
FIND DELICIOUS TREATS AT BUDAPEST’S GREAT MARKET HALL
The oldest and largest indoor market in Hungary, the Great Market Hall was built in 1897 and remains the most visited market in Budapest for good reason.
The ground floor is the essential part: fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, bread and Hungary's finest exports - paprika in every variety, Tokaji wine, pick salami, pálinka and honey - all under a beautiful tiled roof that's worth looking up at.
The upper floor is more tourist-facing: souvenir textiles, handicrafts and a row of street food restaurants serving lángos, pörkölt and goulash. Not cheap by Budapest standards, but the lángos is worth it.
Grab food and take it to the Danube banks rather than fighting for a table inside in peak season.
Our honest take though - the market has felt a little tired in recent years. The ground floor retains its character; the upper floor less so. Go for the atmosphere and the produce, not the food hall.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest, Vámház krt. 1-3
Opening Hours | Mon: 6 am - 5 pm, Tues to Fri: 6 am - 6 pm, Sat: 6 am - 3 pm, Sunday closed
Cost | Free
TIMEOUT MARKET BUDAPEST
Opened in September 2025 inside the beautifully restored Corvin Palace on Blaha Lujza tér, Timeout Market is the newest and most polished addition to Budapest's food scene, and one of the most talked-about openings in the city in years.
Eleven kitchens helmed by some of Budapest's best chefs, three bars and 540 seats spread across a grand neoclassical space that was Eastern Europe's most fashionable department store before WW2.
The concept is the same as Lisbon and New York: editorially curated, quality-focused, designed for grazing rather than a single meal. Mains run around €10-22 depending on the kitchen.
We haven't visited personally yet - it opened after our time in the city - but the early response from Budapest's food community has been genuinely positive.
Worth including on a first visit for those who want quality and variety under one roof.
THE DETAIL
Where | Blaha Lujza tér, Corvin Palace, Budapest
Hours | Daily 11:30am to 11:30pm
THE LOCAL MARKETS
For something more authentic and considerably cheaper, the neighbourhood markets scattered throughout Budapest are worth seeking out:
HUNYADI TÉR MARKET | our personal favourite. A neighbourhood market in the 6th District that feels entirely unperformed for visitors, with a handful of excellent little food spots around the edges.
Fruit, vegetables, cheese and flowers from local producers at prices that feel almost from another era.
RÁKÓCZI TÉR MARKET | a hive of activity behind its huge iron-and-glass facade, with local producers selling homemade jams, honey and garden-fresh produce. Café Csiga opposite sources much of its menu from the market stalls - worth stopping for lunch after.
HOLD UTCA MARKET | a beautifully restored Art Nouveau market hall in the 5th District, considerably quieter than the Great Market Hall and all the better for it.
KLAUZÁL TÉR MARKET | right in the heart of the Jewish Quarter, small and local, worth combining with a morning wander through the 7th District.
SAMPLE SOME TYPICALLY HUNGARIAN FOOD AND DRINK
With some many things to do in Budapest, you’re going to get super hungry - trust us, we’ve been there.
Fortunately, Hungary is home to a world-famous cuisine that mixes western, eastern and even middle-eastern elements to create exceptional, hearty fare that will leave you wanting more. If you want to sample all the delicious Hungarian delicacies, Hungarian cuisine guided tour is essential to join!
If you’re a meat-eater, you’re in luck - most of Hungary’s main dishes include some form of meat, including:
Goulash soup | a hearty, paprika-laced meat stew
Pörkölt (goulash) | The national dish, beef cooked in a thick paprika sauce, served with noodles
Chicken Paprikash | Chicken cooked with thick cream + paprika sauce
Kolbász | Cured pork sausage
Stuffed cabbage | Stuffed meat in cabbage leaves
Cholent | Slow-cooked beans and pearl barley topped with goose leg
Vegetarian dishes include:
Lecsó | A type of Hungarian ratatouille
Mushroom Paprikash | Mushrooms cooked with thick cream + paprika sauce
Lángos | Deep fried dough served with sour cream and cheese
Sweet dishes include:
Cottage cheese dumplings | Cottage cheese (túró) served inside deep-fried dumplings
Palacsinta | Hungarian pancakes served sweet or sour
Kürtőskalács | Chimney cakes served with cinnamon
Strudel | Sweet and savoury inside a layered pastry
So, where should you go to eat delicious Hungarian food? Good question.
We recommend the following restaurants for traditional Hungarian cuisine:
Or, join this Hungarian Cuisine tour and find all the hidden local spots
WALK ALONG THE TREE-LINED ANDRASSY AVENUE
If Budapest has a grand boulevard, and it does, it's Andrássy Avenue.
Tree-lined, UNESCO-listed and constructed in the late 1800s to showcase the wealth and ambition of a city that was, at the time, one of the great capitals of Europe, it runs from the inner city all the way to Heroes' Square and City Park.
The best way to take it in is simply to walk it. Allow 30-40 minutes end to end, more if you stop. A few things worth pausing for along the way:
HUNGARIAN STATE OPERA HOUSE | one of the finest opera houses in Europe, the neo-Renaissance facade alone is worth the stop. If you're in Budapest for more than a few days, booking a performance is one of the better evenings you can spend here — tickets are extraordinarily affordable by European standards.
HOUSE OF TERROR | already covered above, but it sits on Andrássy at number 60, and the building's history as both fascist and Soviet secret police headquarters gives the whole boulevard a different weight once you know it.
KODÁLY KÖRÖND | a beautiful circular square flanked by four identical neo-Renaissance palaces, named after Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály. Quieter than the rest of the avenue and worth a few minutes.
OKTOGON | the lively eight-sided intersection at the midpoint of the avenue, always busy, the M1 metro line running underneath.
Walk Andrássy any time you're heading to Heroes' Square, Széchenyi Baths or the Museum of Fine Arts — it makes the journey the point rather than just the route.
THE DETAILS
Where |Andrassy Utca, Budapest
HEROES SQUARE, VADJAHUNYAD CASTLE & CITY PARK (VAROSLIGET)
At the top of Andrássy Avenue, Heroes' Square opens up with the kind of scale that stops you mid-step. Built to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the Magyar conquest, the square centres on the Millennium Monument - seven chieftains of the Magyar tribes surrounding a tall column topped by the Archangel Gabriel holding the Hungarian Holy Crown.
Two sweeping colonnades fan out behind, featuring Hungary's most significant historical figures in stone.
It's also a square with historical weight. This is where Imre Nagy, the revered leader of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, executed by the Soviets and buried in secret, was reinterred in 1989 as communism collapsed. And more recently where crowds gathered as the Orban Goverment was toppled.
On either side are two museums worth your time if you have it: the Museum of Fine Arts on the left and the Kunsthalle contemporary art hall on the right.
Beyond Heroes' Square is Vajdahunyad Castle, a romantic neo-Baroque confection modelled on castles in Transylvania, complete with turrets, ivy-covered walls and a moat. It's theatrical and slightly absurd and completely charming. The Agricultural Museum inside is less essential.
City Park beyond is one of Budapest's largest green spaces and currently mid-way through an ambitious regeneration project.
The Hungarian House of Music, a striking Sou Fujimoto-designed building with a perforated roof that allows trees to grow through it, opened in 2022 and is worth seeing.
The Ethnographic Museum, one of the largest in Europe, opened in 2022 in a purpose-built building on the park's edge - we'll cover it in full in the museums section below.
Our personal favourite part of the park is the Millennium House, a restored belle époque exhibition hall with extraordinary Zsolnay ceramic decorations on the facade and beautiful gardens that are at their best when the rose garden blooms in summer.
The restaurant and coffee house inside serves modern Hungarian cuisine and is worth building lunch around.
THE DETAILS
Where | Hősök tere, Budapest
TAKE A SUNSET RIVER CRUISE
We're not usually river cruise people - the touristy boat with the commentary and the overpriced drinks is not generally our idea of a good time.
The Danube cruise in Budapest is the exception.
The city's UNESCO-listed riverbank, Parliament, Buda Castle, Gellert Hill, the Chain Bridge, and the Liberty Bridge, look extraordinary from the water in a way that's genuinely different from any viewpoint on land.
The scale of Parliament in particular, seen from the middle of the river at dusk, is one of those moments that justifies the ticket price immediately.
Our recommendation, though - go at sunset. The city turns golden, then pink, then the lights come on one by one, and the whole skyline reflects in the river.
It's one of the best versions of Budapest available and one of the few tourist activities in the city we'd recommend without hesitation.
THE DETAILS
BOOK | Budapest sunset dinner cruise with live music · Budapest sightseeing river cruise
BUDAPEST’S BEST MUSEUMS
Budapest is home to a surprising amount of exceptional museums, and over the course of 2+ years we made an effort to discover all of them, so if you’re an art or history buff, a museum visit is one of the best things to do in Budapest.
Below are a few of our favourites.
Note that entry to Budapest’s museums is free with the Budapest Card.
HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM
By far the most informative is the Hungarian National Museum, set in an attractive neo-classical building on Budapest’s Múzeum boulevard, the Hungarian National Museum is a must-visit for anyone looking to learn more about Hungary and Budapest’s long and interesting history.
The interior, especially the colourful and detailed stairways toward the second level and the central rotunda modelled after the Pantheon in Rome are definitely the most beautiful parts of the building, and worth a few snaps.
The exterior houses beautiful gardens which are the perfect place to sit in the sun during the warm summer months.
THE DETAILS
Where |Múzeum ucta, 14-16, Budapest
Opening hours | 10am - 6pm Tue - Sun
Cost | Around HUF 3,600 (€9). Free with the Budapest Card
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
A neoclassical masterpiece located off Heroes Square, the Museum of Fine arts houses international and local collections, as well as permanent collections of ancient Egyptian art, classical antiques, old sculptures, old master paintings, modern art and graphics.
Similar to the National Museum, the interior is stunning, including the ornate and expertly renovated Romanesque Hall (seriously, come just for this), and the grand Renaissance hall.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest, Dózsa György út 41
Opening hours | Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm, closed Mondays
Cost | HUF 7,600 (around €19) for permanent exhibitions. Free with the Budapest Card
HUNGARIAN NATIONAL GALLERY
Located in Buda Castle, the Hungarian National Gallery showcases Hungary’s most impressive fine art, covering all genres ranging from historical to contemporary.
We weren’t expecting much when we visited - the interior is quite dated and less grand than other city museums, however, the art on show, especially in 19th & 20th-century exhibitions, blew us away. In many ways, we actually preferred the art on show here to many galleries we visited in Italy (sacrilegious, we know).
It’s also possible to climb the Castle Dome, which provides expansive views over Budapest.
THE DETAILS
Where |Budapest, Szent György tér 2
Opening hours | Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm, closed Mondays
Cost | HUF 3,400 (around €8.50) - free with the Budapest Card
ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM (NÉPRAJZI MÚZEUM)
One of the most significant additions to Budapest's cultural landscape in years, the striking Ethnographic Museum reopened in 2022 on the edge of City Park - a bold, partially earth-embedded structure designed by NAPUR Architect that has become a landmark in its own right.
Inside, over 200,000 objects covering Hungarian folk culture and global ethnographic traditions across costumes, textiles, tools, jewellery, furniture and instruments.
The presentation is modern and accessible in a way that makes it engaging rather than exhausting. The rooftop is open to visitors and provides a green space with panoramic views over City Park and the surrounding area.
It's one of the best museum buildings in Budapest and the collection matches the architecture.
THE DETAILS
Where | Dózsa György út 35, Budapest
Hours | Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm, closed Mondays
Cost | Around HUF 2,500-3,500 (€7-10). Discounts available. Free with the Budapest Card
ADMIRE THE ORNATE ERVIN SZABÓ LIBRARY
Budapest is full of places like this - extraordinary interiors hiding behind completely ordinary facades, waiting for those who deviate slightly off the main tourist path.
The Ervin Szabó Library, in the leafy southern end of the 8th District, is one of the best examples.
Built in 1889 for Count Frigyes Wenckheim, wealthy landowner, member of parliament and host of the most elaborate soirées in Budapest's Palace District, Wenckheim Palace was one of the grander private residences in the city.
Emperor Franz Joseph attended parties here. After the Count died without heirs, the city purchased the building and converted it into a public library in 1931.
The neo-Baroque palace rooms on the fourth floor are what you're here for. The old ballroom, the dining room, the salons - all converted into reading rooms and study spaces while retaining their original gilded ceilings, ornately carved wood panels, crystal chandeliers and marble fireplaces.
Lucky students sit here doing their revision surrounded by one of the most extraordinary interiors in Budapest, almost entirely unaware of how absurd and wonderful that is.
Buy a tourist ticket at the foyer, make your way to the fourth floor and follow the signs to the palace rooms. Keep your voice down - it's a working library, not a tourist attraction, and that's exactly what makes it worth visiting.
THE DETAILS
Where |Szabó Ervin tér 1
Opening hours | Mon - Fri 10 am - 8pm, Sat 10 am - 4 pm
Cost | Around 1,500-2,000 HUF (€4-5) for a tourist day pass
Read | Our guide to Budapest’s Hip 8th District
RIDE EUROPE’S OLDEST METRO
Budapest's M1 metro line is one of those charming pieces of infrastructure that's worth riding for its own sake rather than just as a way of getting somewhere.
Built beneath Andrássy Avenue for the Millennium celebrations of 1896, making it the oldest electric underground railway in continental Europe, the M1 has been in continuous operation ever since.
The carriages are small and slightly toy-like compared to modern metro systems. The stations, particularly Opera and Kodály Körönd, feel like time capsules: wooden support beams, ornate tiling, low ceilings and a quality of light that hasn't changed much in over a century.
It's not an essential thing to do in Budapest, but it is fun, and it gets you from the city centre to Széchenyi Baths and Heroes' Square quickly. Just remember to validate your ticket before boarding - the inspectors are frequent, and the fine is HUF 12,000 on the spot.
THE DETAILS
Cost | HUF 500 per single journey, or HUF 4,500 for a block of ten. Free with the Budapest Card
Tip | Validate your ticket at the orange machines before boarding. The fine for not doing so is HUF 12,000 and inspectors are not sympathetic to confused tourists
RIDE THE NO.2 TRAM
Yes, we've included two forms of public transport as things to do in Budapest, and we stand by both of them.
The Number 2 tram runs along the Pest bank of the Danube from Jászai Mari tér near Margaret Bridge all the way down to Közvágóhíd, and for much of that journey, the view across the river is one of the finest in the city.
Buda Castle, Fisherman's Bastion, Gellert Hill, the Chain Bridge, the Liberty Bridge, the whole sweep of the Danube with the hills beyond. All from a tram seat for HUF 500.
Go at dusk as the city turns golden, then the lights come on, and the whole thing is reflected in the river. It takes around 30 minutes end-to-end. Ride it one way, walk back along the Danube, stop at Pontoon for a drink by Chain Bridge.
In December, the tram is strung with Christmas lights, which makes the whole journey even more absurdly beautiful.
The alternative - a hop-on hop-off bus tour- costs considerably more and gives you a fraction of the view. Take the tram.
THE DETAILS
Cost | HUF 500 per journey. Free with the Budapest Card
Tip | Board at Jászai Mari tér and ride south — the best views are from the right-hand side of the tram heading toward Vigadó tér
WALK AROUND THE PRETTY MARGARET ISLAND
When the city gets too much, and in summer, central Budapest can get too much, Margaret Island is the answer.
A teardrop-shaped 225-acre island in the middle of the Danube, connected to the mainland by Margaret Bridge and the Árpád Bridge at the northern end, the island is car-free, flat and green in a way that feels genuinely restorative after a few days of cobblestones and museums.
Locals treat it as an extension of their living rooms in summer, with picnics on the grass, running tracks, outdoor concerts, and drinks along the river.
Beyond the green space, there's more to explore than most visitors expect.
The ruins of a 13th-century Dominican Convent, where a medieval Hungarian princess is buried. The Art Nouveau water tower has panoramic views over the island and the river. The musical fountain. A Japanese garden. The Palatinus outdoor thermal baths are one of the largest outdoor bath complexes in Europe and the most relaxed, least touristy bathing experiences in Budapest.
We'd suggest combining Margaret Island with the Number 2 tram, ride the tram south along the Danube, cross Chain Bridge on foot, walk back north along the Buda bank and cross back into Pest via Margaret Bridge to reach the island.
A proper Budapest afternoon.
THE DETAILS
Where |Margaret Island
Getting there | Tram 4 or 6 to Margit híd, Budapest, then walk across the bridge. Or walk north from Parliament along the embankment
Cost | Free to enter. Palatinus Baths require separate admission
TAKE A DAY TRIP TO CUTE SZENTENDRE
If you’re planning to stay in Budapest beyond the customary weekend away (you should!), then you might want to consider booking a day trip to picturesque Szentendre, one of Hungary’s hidden gems (well, hidden to those outside of Hungary!).
Located about 45 mins from Budapest, Szentendre has a very Mediterranean feel to it - think cobblestone laneways, pastel-coloured Baroque buildings, historic churches, miles of (river) coastline, and a wonderfully laidback atmosphere. Known for its artist community, there is a range of wonderful galleries, museums and design studios dotted throughout the town.
We recommend exploring the town on foot, starting in the main square, Fó, and working your way through the myriad of cobbled laneways. Make sure you take the short walk up to Temple Square, located next to Saint John the Baptist's Parish Church for sweeping views over the terracotta rooftops and to the Danube.
For food, we recommend the quaint Teddy Beer restaurant, Centrum for delicious ice cream, or Álomlángos for perhaps the best lángos in Hungary.
We recommend booking a day trip to Szentendre to see the best of the town.
Alternatively, to get to Szentendre via public transport, head to Batthyány Square metro station and take the HÉV suburban rail. You’ll need to grab a Budapest public transport ticket (HUF 350), and an extension ticket to ‘Békásmegyer-Szentendre’ (HUF 350) from the ticket machines at the station.
THE DETAILS
Where |Szentendre
Getting there | HÉV H5 line from Batthyány tér metro station, runs every 20 minutes, journey around 40 minutes. Buy a standard Budapest transport ticket (HUF 500) plus a supplementary extension ticket to Szentendre (around HUF 310) from the machines at the station.
BOOK | A day trip to Szentendre
BUDAPEST THINGS TO DO | A MAP
To make life easier for you guys, we’ve created a map with all the best things to do in Budapest listed.
To save this map to Google Maps app on your phone, click on the bracket in the upper right corner and save away.
BUDAPEST FAQS
OUR BUDAPEST POCKET GUIDE
After two and a half years living in the city, we put together a curated digital guide covering everything worth seeing, eating, drinking and knowing in Budapest, designed to be downloaded to your phone and used on the ground.
WHAT’S THE CURRENCY IN BUDAPEST
Hungary is an EU member state but does not use the Euro - Budapest runs on the Hungarian Forint (HUF).
Keep this in mind when budgeting and always pay in HUF rather than having your card convert to your home currency at the terminal, which will cost you more.
Check the current exchange rate at xe.com.
CASH OR CARD IN BUDAPEST?
Cards and Apple Pay are accepted almost everywhere in Budapest, including restaurants, bars, shops, and museums. Cash is useful for smaller purchases and market stalls, but is rarely essential.
If you do need cash, use ATMs at recognised Hungarian banks: OTP, K&H, Erste, Budapest Bank, MKB or Raiffeisen.
These don't charge excessive fees or poor exchange rates.
Avoid EuroNet machines entirely - they're found all over the city and are widely considered a tourist trap, offering poor rates and unnecessary conversion fees. Never use one.
HOW TO GET AROUND BUDAPEST
The inner city districts are compact and walkable, and the majority of the best things to do in Budapest are within easy reach of each other on foot, which is the best way to experience the city.
For longer distances, Budapest's public transport network is extensive, efficient and cheap. A single ticket costs HUF 500, a block of ten costs HUF 4,500.
If you're visiting for three or more days, the Budapest Card covers unlimited transport plus free or discounted entry to most major attractions - worth doing the maths before you arrive.
E-scooters (Lime and Bird) and bike sharing via Mol Bubi are both available throughout the city and worth considering for shorter trips between districts.
HOW TO GET FROM BUDAPEST AIRPORT TO THE CITY CENTRE
Straightforward and affordable, which is not always the case with European capital airports.
The 100E express bus runs directly from Budapest Airport to three stops in the city centre: Kálvin tér, Astoria and Deák Ferenc tér.
The journey takes around 35-40 minutes and costs HUF 2,500 - buy tickets at the machines outside Arrivals or at Deák Ferenc tér for the return.
We've written a full guide covering every option including taxi, transfer and public transport for all budgets.
READ MORE | Budapest Airport to City Centre guide
TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR BUDAPEST
Honest take: if something goes wrong, a medical emergency, a missed ferry, a scooter accident on a coastal road, travel insurance is the difference between a stressful story and a catastrophic one.
After 10+ years of full-time travel, here's what we use and recommend:
FOR TRAVELLERS | World Nomads offers travel insurance for independent travellers and intrepid families. Their policies offer coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.
Get a quote from World Nomads →
READ | Our ultimate guide to travel insurance
PLANNING A TRIP TO BUDAPEST SOON?
Make the most of your time in Hungary with our essential travel guides.
EXPLORE BUDAPEST
Jewish Quarter Guide | culture, food, ruin bars and street art in the district we called home
Where to Stay in Budapest | every budget and neighbourhood covered
Best Brunch in Budapest | 15+ of our favourite places to start the day
Budapest Ruin Bars Guide | the full guide to the city's most distinctive scene
Szimpla Kert Guide | Budapest's original and best ruin bar
BUDAPEST ATTRACTIONS
Gellert Baths Guide | closed until 2028, full details inside
BEYOND BUDAPEST
Lillafüred Guide | Hungary's most enchanting forest town
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
EXPLORE THE BEST OF BUDAPEST WITH OUR GUIDES
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