Planning Your Budapest Trip #
Budapest Card: Consider getting the Budapest Card - The Official City Pass for discounts and free public transport.
Transportation: Always validate paper passes or digital tickets. Avoid unmarked “freelancer” taxis stick to app-based services like Uber or official taxi companies.
Payment: Cards are widely accepted. You’ll mainly need cash for public toilets (most are paid) and some local markets.
Tipping: If service charge is included, no tip needed. Otherwise, 10-15% is standard.
Useful Hungarian Phrases:
- Thank you - Köszönöm
- Excuse me - Elnézést
- Good day - Jó Napot
- Good morning - Jó Reggelt
- Good evening - Jó Estét
- It was tasty - Finom volt
Day 1: Friday 23rd #
Got up at 5am to get to London Luton Airport.
Took the 100E bus to Deák Ferenc tér M.
Arrived at the Airbnb, which didn’t have water due to construction work nearby. Four of us went for some tapas. Don’t question why we went for tapas in Hungary, it wasn’t my decision. Well, the food was good.
We walked around the Budapest Pest side of the river. We saw Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Buda Castle, and Gellért Hill from afar. It was rainy and a bit cold, so it wasn’t the most enjoyable walk or the best views.
On the way back home, we picked up some Chimney Cake from Fitzkey Chimney Cake.
Well, nothing really special. I got poppy seed and Nutella. It was quite sweet and basically just hot bread.
Then we went out to see some Ruin Bars around our area.
We got a few drinks and sat there for a couple of hours.
We got quite hungry, so we popped into Street Food Karavan Budapest to get something to eat.
I got Hungarian Beef Stew with Parsley Potato, the one on the right.
Day 2: Saturday 24th #
We agreed to wake up at 8am. I woke up, but the rest slept for another hour or so.
The weather was noticeably better, though it was still a bit chilly in the morning.
We went to Anyám szerint for breakfast.
This place was in a small garden that looked like it belonged to residents. We enjoyed our Hungarian omelette.
Our next stop was St. Stephen’s Basilica.
Three of us got the PANORAMIC TERRACE and TREASURY tickets for 4,500 HUF. Unfortunately, the main hall was closed due to a wedding, but the views from the top were worth it.
The stairs up and down weren’t organised very well, they were very narrow and winding, but traffic flowed in both directions.
We walked past the Hungarian Parliament Building and marveled at this house of law.
Next, we crossed the Danube and walked to Fisherman’s Bastion. But we got a bit hungry on the way, so we popped into Vigadó Étterem és Söröző to grab some authentic Hungarian goulash.
It was like a fairytale when we got to Fisherman’s Bastion.
We saw The Church of Our Lady.
We walked past Buda Castle and got a nice view of the Chain Bridge.
We didn’t take the Buda Castle Funicular as it didn’t seem worth it.
After that, we moved to Gellért Hill Vista Point. It wasn’t a difficult hike, more of a nice walk up the hill.
When we climbed to the top, we sneaked a quick look at the Citadella, which was unfortunately closed for renovations until December this year :(
Slightly disappointed, we walked back to the apartment, passing by Széchenyi Chain Bridge and Shoes on the Danube Bank.
But just before calling it a day, we wanted to fill our stomachs with some traditional Hungarian Lángos at Retro Lángos Budapest.
I had Hungarian Lángos with Cherry Beer (probably my favourite now).
Ah, so tired now. We took around 30,000 steps today. Budapest is fairly walkable, and I don’t feel like there’s any need to take public transport.
We really need the thermal baths tomorrow to let our legs and muscles rest.
Day 3: Sunday 25th #
It was promised to be even warmer weather today, with highs of 19 degrees. Hopefully, we could enjoy a bit of sun at the baths.
But before we got a good soak, we needed to get some breakfast. I found this place: Csengery Reggeliző és Kávézó.
At the breakfast cafe, I got salmon on a waffle 😋
We got to Széchenyi Thermal Bath. For the day pass, we had to enter through the bath entrance.
We could use the digital screens to get day pass tickets with lockers. Unfortunately, there weren’t any massages available :(
Unfortunately, the middle section of the pool was closed for renovations, so we couldn’t see it :(
We first went into the 38°C bath and stayed there for a good 45 minutes.
Then we went to the next area of pools, where there was a fun whirlpool that spun you around in circles. It was quite fun. We sat in the jacuzzi for a bit, and then I went exploring other areas of the baths by myself, hoping to find some saunas.
I did find them in the south section. There were many.
I ran (responsibly) back to the jacuzzi to tell the guys to join. We went into the salt sauna, where if you breathed in through your mouth, you could taste the salt. I didn’t like this one much, so we moved on to the next one. The next one was around 45 degrees and was a dry sauna. Good, but wasn’t hot enough. The guys jumped into a pool nearby, and I went into the Dante Sauna I saw earlier, which was meant to be 80-100 degrees
Ooh, now we’re talking! This was the stuff, nice and hot. I sat there for 10 minutes. I felt at home.
When I finished, I went into a cold plunge to cool off. It was very nice. They also had some ice to help you cool down.
If I were to go here next time, I would probably go during winter to experience the steam coming off the thermal baths. I’d take some robes, a waterproof phone case, and book a massage.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath - Prices Official website
Széchenyi Thermal Baths in Budapest - What you need to know
We wanted to go back to the flat but were too hungry and wanted to eat right then and there. So we decided to find something nearby. On our way, we passed Vajdahunyad Castle.
Pav took us to Szaletly (on the Michelin list), which was actually very far from the baths. We ordered a tasting menu with alcohol and got promptly drunk.
We passed City Park, which was so full of culture and people doing sports. So nice. It would be cool to have something like this in the UK too. Runs and training would be so much nicer.
Day 4: Monday Morning 26th #
The boys woke up and cleaned the flat before leaving at 10am.
We went to Twentysix Budapest for breakfast, where I had shakshuka. The place also looked very nice, though definitely very touristy.
Our next stop for the day was Central Market Hall.
Don’t buy paprika here, go to the lower level to Aldi and buy it there. It will be just as authentic but cheaper.
We got an Uber to Pozsonyi restaurant for our last meal in Budapest. This was meant to be less touristy and where locals usually went. I got a goulash stew.
Such a hefty meal, we couldn’t finish it all.
That’s all!
Thoughts #
At first, I wasn’t too impressed with Budapest. Its streets reminded me of St. Petersburg with their architecture. We stayed on the Pest side of town near the ruin bars, so it didn’t look like there was anything too unique about the area except for the ruin bars. It also didn’t help how touristy it was, with so many tourist traps and foreign restaurants, and only a few proper Hungarian ones. I mean, there were chimney cake and lángos spots everywhere, but I’m talking about more authentic Hungarian restaurants.
My expectation regarding prices was that everything would be very cheap. All of us were disappointed that the prices are mostly on par with what you would pay in London, only slightly cheaper.
What I did enjoy was the Buda side of town, as it had much more visible history, including Fisherman’s Bastion, which was definitely the highlight for me.
The thermal baths were also definitely a plus, and I would be up for coming back again during winter to experience the baths.
Four days was definitely enough to see most of the things here without getting too bored along the way.