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Budapest has been one of the most popular weekend break destinations recently and for good reason. We booked a last-minute trip in July and flights were still fairly cheap from London. There is an abundance of hotels and hostels for any budget making it a great spot to spend two or three days.
Budapest, on the River Danube, is actually a combination of three cities, with a history dating back to the Romans, so there is plenty to see no matter what your interests. Alongside the architecture and history, one of the biggest draws is the thermal waters enjoyed by Romans, the Ottomans and now millions of tourists a year.
The unique city is now known for its ruin bars, humongous parliament building and chimney cakes. We spent two days here and worked out the perfect itinerary for a weekend in this enticing city.
Where should you stay, Buda or Pest?
Budapest was only named that in 1873, and before that was three separate cities: Buda, Pest and Obuda. Metropolitan Pest lies on the eastern bank of the Danube and historic Buda on the west. The main sites are dotted around both but we would recommend staying in Pest, which has more going on at all times of the day and night. If you do stay in Buda, try and stay close to the Széchenyi Chain Bridge.
DAY ONE
Central Market
The first thing you need to do on your weekend is head to the Central Market in the centre of Budapest. Sitting near Liberty Bridge in Pest, this 19th-century market is also known as the Grand Market Hall because it is the oldest and largest of
Budapest’s market halls, built soon after it became the capital of the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The reason you should visit here first if that it closes at 3pm on Saturday and won’t open on Sunday. If your visit is not on a weekend, feel free to rearrange this.
Grab breakfast or some snacks on the ground floor or on the balcony of the upper floor while wandering the many aisles. You will soon notice there is a lot of paprika. Hungarians are obsessed with the stuff and it makes a great souvenir. For more unique crafts and gifts head to the top floor and search around. We wouldn’t normally buy souvenirs before seeing the town but trust us, this time it’s fine.
Vaci Street
Opposite the Central Market is Vaci Street, the main shopping high street in Budapest. Wander down the promenade to get to grips with the city as its residents see it. Some way along the road you will see a tiny alley leading to the 1000 Tea House. This botanical sanctuary is the perfect place to fuel yourself up with one of the dozens of teas from around the world to be enjoyed in their tea garden.
Vaci street also has endless places to try chimney cakes, a sweet treat popular in Budapest. Keep walking towards Elizabeth Square and the Budapest Eye.
Budapest Eye
Being from London, we were curious that Budapest had named its own big wheel after ours. Although less impressive from an engineering standpoint, it is cheaper and has pretty short queues and is a great way to get to know the city. Make sure to look out for your first glimpse of the mystical and historic town of Buda across the river.
Explore Elizabeth Square and make sure to visit the Michael Jackson tree in the south-western corner. This bizarre tribute to the King of Pop began in 2009 after his death and every week new pictures, candles and messages are left there for him. It is thought the tree was chosen because whenever Jackson toured Budapest he would stay at the Kempinski hotel in the square, which would be packed with his fans. According to Atlas Obscura, his fans still gather in the square on his birthday every year to perform flashmobs of his dances.
St Stephens Basilica
Walk down Sas u. to St Stephen’s Basilica (Szent István Bazilika), the grand church in Pest which is named after the first Hungarian king. His thousand-year-old severed hand is still held in the Reliquary! The church bells ring out across an idyllic European market square and on the day we went a fairytale wedding was being held in the basilica.
Aquarium Park
Once you’ve explored the St Stephen’s Square (Szent István tér), head around to the back of the basilica and walk back south down Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út to Aquarium Park. If the weather’s nice then dip your feet in the pool and relax as you’re about to go explore Buda.
Széchenyi Chain Bridge
Walk down József Attila u. towards the Chain Bridge and continue across. You will have passed the Four Seasons, formerly known as Gresham Palace, one of the grandest buildings in Budapest, with its own coloured history.
Even though it is less than 400 metres long, in 1849 the Széchenyi Chain Bridge was the first bridge across the Danube connecting the cities of Buda and Pest at the centre of the vast Hungarian Empire. Soon after its construction, it became a national monument and was key to uniting Buda and Pest into one city and played a significant role in the 1848 Hungarian Revolution. Although relatively short by today’s standards, at its time it had one of the longest bridge spans in the world.
Given the beauty of many other buildings and monuments in Budapest, the bridge is relatively simple in style. It resembles Marlow Bridge across the Thames in Buckinghamshire and its stone-carved lions are similar to those found in Trafalgar Square, London. This may be due to its Scottish Architect Adam Clark, who became a Hungarian after completing his greatest feet. Step off the bridge into Buda and onto the Castle Hill funicular
Buda Castle Funicular
We love funiculars. For those unfamiliar, these are like trains, usually found on a mountain or hill, and are counterbalanced ascending and descending cabins pulled by cables. The Buda Castle funicular saves your legs the walk uphill to the highlights of Buda.
If you want to save some cash, get a one-way ticket but try to be among the first in line for the cabin to make sure you can enjoy the view from the windows as you ascend and descend. As you climb there are two pedestrian footbridges around the castle gardens which you slide under.
Buda Castle
A royal palace has been sitting on this site since the 13th century but more than 30 major sieges since then meant that by the end of World War Two it was in almost complete ruin. A mock-Baroque restoration has taken place and the castle now houses the Hungarian National Gallery and Castle Museum for those interested.
Every hour during the daytime, there is also a changing of the guard ceremony you should try to make sure you catch. Explore the hillside gardens and soak up the second-best views on the hill, before heading to Fisherman’s Bastion, ideally for sunset.
Fisherman’s Bastion
On your way from the castle to Fisherman’s Bastion, walk along Szent György u. in the direction of the funicular station. The building on your right is Sándor-palota, home to the Hungarian President. The ruins on your left are what was left of parts of the original castle complex. Continue down Dísz tér, a chocolate-box street filled with charming buildings towards Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion. You will also pass a museum to Hungarian magician Harry Houdini. The street opens up into a big square revealing the best sunset location in the city.
Fisherman’s Bastion is part of the original castle and offers not only a unique panorama of the city but one infused with the romance of a fairytale castle. The Bastion was rebuilt after World War II damage and features upper and lower levels, corridors to explore and turrets to sit in, which glisten as you catch the sun’s last rays overlooking Pest.
The strange name comes from the guild of fishermen who lived blow the castle and defended it for centuries.
Matthias Church
The boldly gothic Matthias Church is made from the same, almost pearlescent, light-grey stone as the Bastion, has a mighty tower and its roof is topped in colourful tiles. Inside are mosaics as well as art-nouveau frescoes.
While in the area, try stopping at Ruzswurum in Szentháromság u. just a few metres from the church. This legendary bakery and confectionery is famed for its cloud-like cakes but usually closes at 7pm.
Walk down the hill through the gardens towards Széchenyi Chain Bridge or head back to the funicular if you have a return ticket.
Nightlife
Budapest is a party town and there are clubs and venues all around the Pest side of the city. However, one uniquely Budapest way to spend a night out is to visit a “ruin bar”. These are exactly what they sound like, bars set up in condemned, distressed or heavily damaged old buildings. It sounds strange but they have been a part of Budapest life for a couple of decades now and some are even done up to a very high-but shabby standard. The first ruin bars were in the Old Jewish Quarter but are now popping up all over the city, with some even offering great food options.
Another option is the Sparty at Széchenyi Thermal Baths. Every Saturday night the oldest thermal baths in Budapest (more on this shortly) open up to thousands of partygoers for a highly unique club night. Combining the healing powers of thermal baths with the self-destructive act of partying the night away may cancel out the effects, leaving you ready for another day of exploration. If you’re interested in the Sparty, book your ticket in advance. Tickets can be pricey and the events are held from February to December.
DAY TWO
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
If you would prefer to relax at the thermal bath, rather than party, we recommend visiting Széchenyi in the morning on Day Two. Thermal baths have been used for therapeutic reasons for centuries in Budapest and were propagated by the Ottomans when they ruled the area. The city lies on a fault line and so is fed by 120 thermal springs. There are a lot of great baths in the city, some modern, others traditional. Széchenyi is the largest, grandest and most popular bath in Budapest and is well-used to dealing with tourists.
Changing rooms and all pools are unisex, but you can book a cabin for a slightly higher price. We booked one each but this was probably unnecessary. The cabin works as a locker, accessed only by a wristband, so you can leave your belongings, but best not to bring valuables if it can be avoided.
The primary purpose of the baths is therapeutic, with 18 pools at different temperatures, compositions and sizes as well as 10 different saunas and steam rooms. They also offer therapeutic massage and many locals visit regularly. For some reason, the indoor pools have a particular smell but the best experience is to be had in the outdoor “fun” whirlpool and thermal pool. The semi-palatial setting adds to the glory of the experience.
Vagdahunyad Castle
Széchenyi sits in a park next to Budapest Zoo and a stone’s throw from Vagdahunyad Castle, which was originally built from plasterboard and wood for the 1896 Great Exposition but proved so popular it was rebuilt in stone. The dark gothic architecture dominates but there are elements of renaissance and baroque design as well. There is a statue of Bela Lugosi, the Hungarian actor who played Dracula, near the castle. You can visit an agricultural museum inside the castle as well.
Heroes' Square
One of the grandest squares in Budapest is also located at the edge of this park is a monument to the leaders of the seven tribes who founded Hungary, the chieftains of the Magyars. At the centre of the monument is a towering column, while the square also contains an art museum in a grand classical building.
Parliament
Next, visit the imposing Hungarian Parliament building, which is one of the largest in the world despite Hungary being a relatively small nation. At the time it was constructed, at the turn of the 20th Century, it was meant to serve as the centre of the vast Austro-Hungarian empire which included modern-day Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czechia and parts of Germany, Italy, Poland, Ukraine and Romania.
It was built over 20 years from 40 million bricks and has half a million precious stones embedded its structure. It remains the largest building in all of Hungary. Various guided tours are available and some include Danube river cruises from the port near the Parliament. Tickets are a bit cheaper if you are from an EU country and are best booked online before you travel. There are all kinds of website offering tickets but here is the official website as designated by the Parliament’s website.
Danube Promenade
Walk along the Danube in the direction of the Chain Bridge and will see a train of iron footwear. Hitler overtook Hungary in 1944 and an estimated 20,000 Hungarian Jews were shot on the banks of the river in Budapest. They were made to take off their shoes as they were a valuable commodity during the war. In 2005, 60 different types of iron shoes were placed on the edge of the promenade to commemorate their lives.
Margaret Island
Catch a waterbus from parliament, one or two stops north to Margaret Island. You can also take the tram or walk. The island lies between Pest and Buda on the East and West and is bound by the Arpad and Margaret bridges on the North and South. The island is shaped like a grain of rice and is now a huge public park. At the northern end, there are even some hotels, while the southern end has places to eat and drink.
It is one of the areas where you will likely find more locals than tourists but is a great place to unwind from a hectic weekend. Among the interesting sites are a musical fountain, Japanese water garden, a perimeter running track, small zoo, its own thermal bath complex and lots of performers. If you’re tired from being on your feet, you can rent cycles or more colourful and bizarre vehicles including egg-shaped cars and golf carts. You can climb the ornate water tower or explore medieval ruins. If you’re there after dark you can even visit a beach bar.
5 other places to consider visiting
We only had a weekend and while it's a great way to keep exploring the world, it means there are a few attractions you have to miss. Here are some places that we wanted to visit, that you can go to if you have more time or you want to skip one of the places we did visit:
Gellért Hill, Citadella and monument
Dohány Street Synagogue
House of Terror
Museum of the Applied Arts
Gül Baba and Rosegarden
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