Having the Buda-Best Time in Budapest, Hungary: 10 Things You Must Do
Budapest was established as the capital city of Hungary in 1873 as the combination of 3 districts (Buda, Obuda and Pest) coming together as one. Now, the city is split into Buda and Pest by the Danube River.
Budapest is one of those cities that you’re going to love no matter what you’re interested in because it has something for everyone. It has history, nightlife, amazing food and plenty of activities.
Read on for the 10 things you have to do on any trip to Budapest.
1. Take a Bath at Gellért Thermal Bath
It’s no secret that Budapest is famous for their bath houses. There’s no shortage of amazing places to choose from but we chose Gellért Thermal Bath as our first bath house in Budapest and our first stop during our visit to the city!
Gellért is over 100 years old and offers visitors 10 different baths to enjoy, a sauna, an ice pool and even an outdoor wave pool that was a lot of fun. It’s also a little less touristy than the famous Széchenyi Bath House so it’s less crowded which I find more enjoyable but it’s equally as relaxing and beautiful.
We went directly here from our train into Budapest, and lucky for us they have personal cabins where you can not only change into your bathing suit but also store your luggage! Win, win for us.
Tip: Make sure you bring your own towel and shower shoes. These are required at the bath houses and if you have to get them there you have to pay, put down a deposit and you could get stuck in a big line!
2. Take a walk by the Danube River
The Danube River separates Buda from Pest and is also home to many of the amazing sites of the city. It’s worth taking a walk along the river or even hopping on a river cruise, especially around sunset!
We started at the Hungarian Parliament Building which is an enormous palace-like building that acts as the government centre. The building is also surrounded by some interesting monuments and statues too!
After we were finishing taking in the big, beautiful parliament building we crossed the street and walked along the river until we reached the Shoes on the Danube memorial. The purpose of this memorial is to acknowledge the lives of the 20,000 Jews who were brutally shot along the Danube River during World War II and were forced to take off their shoes before their murders. The shoes included in this memorial are there to represent the shoes that were left behind by the victims.
After the memorial, we continued our way down the river until we reached the Széchenyi Chain Bridge which crosses the Danube River and was the first permanent connection between Buda and Pest. Now, the bridge acts as a major landmark in Budapest adorned with lion statues at each end.
There are plenty of riverside bars and restaurants to enjoy in this area as well! Grab a glass of wine and enjoy the sunset over the city to end your night!
3. Go for a Hike at Gellért Hill
Sitting on the hilly Buda side of Budapest is Gellért Hill, a 235-meter-high hill which offers the best panoramic views of the city.
While there is some public transportation that will take you some of the way up the hill, I highly suggest taking the walk yourself if you’re able. Along the way you’ll find different monuments, viewpoints and even some caves. At the top of the hill, near the Citadella Monument there are vendors selling local crafts and foods, and even a bar if you need a drink!
4. Explore Buda Castle
Dating back to 1265, Buda Castle is a palace complex that previously housed the Hungarian Kings. Though the castle was badly damaged during World War II, it has been completely restored.The castle grounds are free to visit but does have a few museums on site that you could explore for a fee. There are also great views of the city from the castle grounds too!
5. Visit Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church
If you’ve done any kind of research on Budapest, then you’ll recognize this next spot. The Fisherman’s Bastion is a fairytale-esque tower built in the 19th century but now acts as an influencer’s paradise.
Visitors can wander around part of the tower for free, or for a few euros gain access to the balcony of the tower. If you have a euro or two to spare, I would suggest going up to the balcony as it’s WAY less crowded and has great views of the city and of the beautiful, Matthias Church.
Matthias Church, one of the most unique looking churches I’ve seen anywhere, was built in 1015 as a coronation church for the Hungarian royalty.
This area of the Buda Castle grounds was extremely crowded which wasn’t surprising to us since it was midday on a weekend in July! But, I’ve heard it’s a great spot to check-out at sunrise since not only will it be significantly less crowded but is also a wonderful spot to check-out the sunrise. Otherwise, don’t be disappointed to find it filled with crowds and having to battle it out for a picture that’s not blocked by a whole bunch of strangers.
6. Swim Around at Széchenyi Bath House
I know I mentioned earlier that you should go to Gellert Thermal Bath because it’s less crowded and touristy than the more-famous Széchenyi Bath House, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also check them out too. There’s a reason the crowds flock here.
Széchenyi Bath House is huge with 15 indoor baths and 3 outdoor baths. There are also saunas, steam cabins, and spa treatments to enjoy. There’s so much to do here, we easily spent 2 hours enjoying all of the different pools, including the whirlpool that was definitely meant for children but easily as fun for adults too!
We stopped at this bath house on our way out of Budapest, so again we were lucky that they also have private cabins to change and store your luggage in!
Tip: Make sure you bring your own towel and shower shoes. These are required at the bath houses and if you have to get them there you have to pay, put down a deposit and you could get stuck in a big line!
7. Check-Out the Millennium Monument at Heroes Square
Created in 1896 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Magyar conquest of Hungary, Heroes Square is a can’t miss stop in Budapest. One of the biggest attractions in the square is the Millennium Monument which honours famous men who have made a mark on Hungary in some way.
8. Drink at a Ruin Bar
Did you even go to Budapest if you didn’t drink in a ruin bar? Ruin bars are bars located inside old, abandoned, crumbling buildings that have become extremely popular over the last decade or so. The first, and most famous of the ruin bars in Budapest is Szimpla Kert. Szimpla Kert is huge, with different bars catering to different drink types across multiple floors. The decorations are crazy and they even have some games scattered throughout the bar to play.
We arrived around 8pm and I wish we had actually gone earlier to be able to see the building with less crowds and better lighting. We arrived just as a few tour companies such as Contiki were dropping off their groups for the night so it was bad timing on our part.
Although Szimpla Kert is the original, the most famous and definitely worth a visit, there are a ton of ruin bars all over the city now so be sure to check out a few!
9. Get Hungry in Hungary – Eat ALLLLLLL the Food
Who knew Hungary had such delicious food?
You can’t go to Budapest and not have Lángos. Lángos is deep-fried dough topped like a pizza. It is hands-down one of the most delicious foods we had on our two-week trip around Europe and you HAVE to go to Rétro Lángos to get it.
If deep-fried deliciousness isn’t your style, make sure you try some Goulash or a Paprikash! These are Hungarian specialities and are both so, so good.
10. Shop at the Great Market Hall
There is no better place to pick up your souvenirs than the Great Market Hall. Originally built in 1897, the Great Market Hall is still used today and is the perfect place to stock-up on Hungarian specialties such as Paprika or Polinka. But it’s also a great place to wander around and find fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, even chocolate or pickled things!