Big yet still walkable Central Eastern European city full of authentic local life.
Budapest is unique in its culture, located towards eastern Europe but is not a Slavic country. They have their own culture, their own vibes, and unique architecture that feels eastern European yet doesn’t look like the typical eastern European stuff. Rich history and many things to do.
If you enjoyed Prague, Budapest is considered a grittier but still beautiful and very fun authentic travel destination. The city is divided into 2 parts “Buda” and “Pest” (pronounced like “pesht”) separated by the Danube river in the middle.
Where to stay:
- Jewish District or Palace District (PEST) – these are the densest areas with the cool bars, shops, and restaurants. It’s where people hang out at night. You could stay elsewhere and use Uber or electric scooter to get around. Budapest is small enough that you almost don’t need a car or metro.
- Belvaros District (PEST) – this is the tourist area right by the water. I never felt the need to stay here but I suppose you can choose if you want to be closer to tourist stuff and with less walking to both sides of the water.
- Ujbuda (BUDA) – this is quickly becoming the coolest area in Budapest. For a long time until recently, the Buda side was quiet and boring. But now this has many cafes, bars, restaurants, art galleries, etc. It’s a very cool place to stay…away from the tourist noise but still easily accessible to there by walking, transpo, or Bolt car ride. I personally prefer this area now for all subsequent visits to Budapest. Feels like a hip local spot.
Yes…there are 2 sides of the city Budapest (split by the Danube river). The BUDA side is west of the river and more chill, classy, residential, bigger houses. The PEST side is east of the river and more urban city sprawl with apartments, restaurants, bars and nightlife. Of course I’d recommend the PEST side for first-timers as that’s where you see more life and things to do. Both sides have things to do but I recommend staying in the Pest side for first time tourists.
Hostels:
- I forgot which ones I stayed at but there are many good and cheap ones in Budapest with cool architectural design (courtyard in middle) and many staggered staircases to stumble around when drunk. Hahaha.
Neighborhoods & Walking areas:
- St Stephen’s Basilica – not a major destination. You can go here for breakfast or lunch and pop over to the basilica as a nearby convenience.
- Bridge areas – all along the water on both sides, from Chain Bridge (lion bridge) to Liberty Bridge (green bridge). Both day and night would offer nice views and plenty to do. The neighborhood area on the Buda side of Liberty Bridge has nice restaurants, bars, and cafes.
- North side – the walk from the Hungarian Parliament building straight to the Heroes square. Great area for an afternoon hangout. With
- Jewish/Palace Districts – these are default hangout areas at night.
- Buda side – around the water and bridges, the castle and parks up the hill.
Activities to do:
- Walk start – I’d start at Hungarian Parliament building on (Pest side) at 9am. Walk to the “Shoes on Danube”, then cross Szechenyi Chain Bridge (aka “Lion Bridge”) to the Buda side. If the Chain Bridge isn’t open, then cross with another bridge. You can eat around the bridges before you cross or eat around the Buda castle on the other side.
- Buda Castle – beautiful to walk around and also great views of the city and water.
- Fisherman’s Bastion – my favorite building in all of Budapest. Try to get here before sunset. It’s a beautiful church and sunset arches with views over the city. I also like to call this “the sand castle” to my Budapest friends’ amusement. You can have dinner across the street from the Fisherman’s Bastion. Then cross back to the Pest side with another bridge.
- St. Stephen’s Basilica – nice area to get breakfast in the morning, also good for lunch. You can go up the tower for nice city views as well. Try not to get confused and buy only the tower ticket. I didn’t care for the other stuff.
- Hang out by Heroes Square – this seriously could be an all-day activity. Big park, ice skating in the winter. And DO NOT forget to visit Vajdahunyad Castle…it’s a really interesting place with a huge mix of different architecture. There’s museums and concert halls and other stuff here, too. You could also combine this time with visiting the Szechenyi thermal bath here.
- Thermal baths – you MUST go to one if you’re new to Budapest. It’s a unique aspect of their culture and looks really cool/interesting. The thermal baths are great for Instagram photos. 😉 Read below for more details.
- Central Market Hall – another interesting local spot. Go through here and try some local foods and pastries. I particularly like to try weird stuff.
- Parks – if you got that much time, you can go to the big park on the Buda side. And if it’s open, go up the Citadella for the highest views of the city.
Thermal baths:
- Szechenyi – the default tourist one. The huge yellow one with big outdoor pool area and massive spring break party vibe. Lookup photos to see what I mean. It looks and feels like a theme-park more than a relaxing spa. A good time is probably afternoon when it’s hottest and you want the nice outdoor photos.
- Gellert – the nicest thermal bath IMO, looks very fancy and interesting architecture. This one definitely looks and feels more like a classical relaxing spa but it’s still touristy and lots of people running around the changing rooms and bath areas.
- Irgalmasok – this is the local favorite. Much more chill and quiet without giant tourist crowds. They also have limited spacing so you should come early if going during high season or busy days/hours. (I’m not sure if I remember, but I think some friends of mine went as a group and bought their tickets beforehand.)
Just be honest with yourself. Are you going as a tourist to see what it looks like, make noise, chat with friends, and take nice pictures? Or do you actually want to relax and feel zen in your space.
Restaurants & Cafes:
- I’ll make this list later. Honestly, there’s many great ones in every neighborhood. You won’t go wrong just exploring by foot.
Bars & Clubs:
- The nightlife area – look up Bors Gastro Bar and check out that area. This Bors Gastro place is a funny Star Wars themed sandwich shop. Pretty good and popular.
- Ruins bars – Budapest has a cool collection of bars located inside old buildings. They look super divey and run-down but are made of multiple connected rooms, each with their own “design”. The iconic one is Szimpla Kert. Only drawback is that only tourists and foreigners go here. If you prefer to meet locals, you’ll have to go to local bars.
Miscellaneous tips:
- Hungarian language – one of the toughest to learn. Thankfully, it seems many of them speak English. Btw, Magyar is the Hungarian word for “Hungary”.
- Kalinka – this is the Hungarian traditional alcohol. Some people will make it at home and give to you. It’s common to give this as a gift to friends and visitors.
- Safety – Budapest feels super safe. Zero concerns for safety whatsoever.
- Gyms – BME Sports Center is a full sports complex with open gym as well as classes. You Can Fight Club is a great local neighborhood gym. Cramped with tons of people of all ages, gender, but cozy and friendly. They have boxing/kickboxing on one side and regular fitness on the other. I loved it.
Nearby towns:
- Prague (Czech Republic) – oh yes, definitely gotta go here. Super beautiful and epic. It’s kinda the “Rome” of Eastern Europe.
- Krakow (Poland) – I absolutely loved Krakow and highly recommend it over Vienna. It’s not as cool as Prague but still totally worth going.
- Vienna (Austria) – is a love it or hate it kinda place. Those who like Germany will like Austria’s similar vibe and language. There are indeed nice buildings, operas, and things to do here…but not on the scale of Germany. Because of this, I found it boring and feels like Germany’s less-fun place. Also feels kinda sterile. But hey…others might fall in love with it. See for yourself. 2 days is enough to see it.
- Bratislava (Slovakia) – small cute town that feels like a tiny clean quieter version of Prague (but without all the epic buildings). Can be a 2-hr stop or 1 day stop.
- Novi Sad & Belgrade (Serbia) – underrated Slavic-charm places. Beautiful with chill cozy vibes.
- Zagreb (Croatia) – feels like a smaller cleaner Milan. Not special to me like other Croatian cities.
- Timisoara (Romania) – I’ve never been but I hear it’s totally underrated.
Prague and Krakow are the farthest and must-see IMO. Vienna and Bratislava are very close and could be just a day trip or 1-2 detour to your next destination. Serbia is an underrated stop with cheap food and its own unique hidden charm vibe, some people might find it ugly and boring at first glance. Zagreb is kinda skippable to me, but you might like it if you like those super clean (sterile) German cities. Romania, I haven’t been but imagine it feels similar to Serbia.
It’s shocking how central and close Budapest is to many other awesome spots.