Budapest
Guide to Budapest, Hungary
Budapest was not always one city. Buda and Pest were two separate municipalities on opposite sides of the Danube: Buda on the hilly western bank, Pest on the flat eastern plain. The Chain Bridge united them physically in 1849 and political unification followed in 1873. The distinction still shapes how visitors experience the city: Buda for medieval history and elevated views, Pest for food, culture, nightlife, and almost everything that makes Budapest the most interesting city in Central Europe right now.
Getting There: Budapest Airport Transfer
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) sits 24 km east of the city centre. The airport has no direct rail connection, which surprises many European visitors.
The 100E Airport Express Bus is the standard choice for most travellers. It runs direct to Deak Ferenc ter metro station in central Pest, takes 35-45 minutes, and costs 2,200 HUF (around 5.50 EUR). It runs every 20 minutes from early morning until around 11pm. Buy tickets at the BKK machines at the bus stop outside arrivals.
Bolt (the Eastern European equivalent of Uber) operates reliably from the airport and costs around 11,000-14,000 HUF (28-35 EUR) depending on destination side of the river. Journey time is 25-40 minutes depending on traffic. Download the app before you land. Avoid unlicensed taxis operating outside the official ranks; metered fraud at airports is one of the more consistent tourist scams in Budapest and there is no easy way to dispute the fare once you are in the car.
The MiniBUD shuttle offers door-to-door service for around 12 EUR per person and is useful if you have a lot of luggage and are travelling solo.
What to See
Buda Castle District and the Royal Palace
The castle district sits on a limestone plateau on the Buda side and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Royal Palace itself houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum; entry to the palace grounds is free, while individual museum tickets run 2,000-3,000 HUF ($5-8 USD). The district’s medieval street pattern is largely intact because Buda was not heavily industrialised in the 19th century, and the Ottoman occupation from 1541 to 1686 left its own architectural traces. Take the funicular up from Clark Adam ter or walk the stairs from Vizivaros for more context on the topography.
Fisherman’s Bastion
Built between 1895 and 1902 as a decorative terrace rather than a defensive structure (the name references the fishermen’s guild that defended this section of wall in medieval times), it provides the most photographed view of the Hungarian Parliament across the river. The main terrace is free; the upper turrets require a 1,500 HUF ($4 USD) ticket. Visit in early morning before tour groups arrive.
Matthias Church
Adjacent to Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church is the former coronation church of Hungarian kings. The coloured Zsolnay tile roof is one of the most distinctive architectural details in Budapest. Entry is around 3,000 HUF ($8 USD). The interior decoration is flamboyant neo-Gothic revival from the 1870s renovation; the original medieval fabric is visible in fragments.
Hungarian Parliament Building
The third-largest parliament building in the world, built in Neo-Gothic style and completed in 1904. Guided tours run daily and include the main staircase, the Crown Chamber (where the Crown of St Stephen is displayed), and the assembly hall. Tickets are around 8,000 HUF ($22 USD) for EU citizens, 1,000 HUF for Hungarians. Book online; tours sell out. The building is most dramatic photographed from the Buda side of the river at dusk.
Szechenyi Thermal Bath
The largest thermal bath complex in Europe sits in Varosliget park and has been operating since 1913. Three outdoor pools and 15 indoor pools are heated by natural thermal springs. Day tickets run approximately 10,000-12,000 HUF ($27-32 USD) depending on extras; the Budapest Card offers 20% off. Weekday mornings are significantly less crowded than weekends. The chess players you see on one side of the main outdoor pool are a genuine fixture, not arranged for tourists, and have been meeting there for decades.
Gellert Thermal Bath
Attached to the Art Nouveau Gellert Hotel, the Gellert baths are architecturally more ornate than Szechenyi. Note: Gellert is closed for renovation from October 2025 until approximately 2028; verify the current status before planning a visit.
Rudas Thermal Baths
The most atmospheric of Budapest’s baths, with an original 16th-century Ottoman dome over the main octagonal pool and a rooftop pool with Danube views added in 2014. Entry runs 5,500-9,000 HUF depending on day and facilities. The baths are single-sex Tuesday through Friday and mixed on weekends.
Dohany Street Synagogue
The largest synagogue in Europe and the second-largest in the world, built in 1859 in Moorish Revival style. The complex includes a museum of Jewish heritage, a memorial garden where victims of the Budapest ghetto are buried, and the Weeping Willow memorial designed by sculptor Imre Varga. Entry is around 5,000 HUF ($14 USD); combined tickets with the museum are available.
Great Market Hall
The covered market at the foot of the Liberty Bridge was built in 1897 and remains the best single place in Budapest to buy Hungarian food products to take home: paprika in different heat grades, dried sausage, goose liver pate, and Tokaji wine. The ground floor is market; the upper floor is tourist souvenir stalls and a canteen. The market floor prices are fair; the upstairs prices are not. Go in the morning when produce is fresh.
Shoes on the Danube Bank Memorial
Sixty pairs of cast-iron shoes along the Pest riverbank mark the spot where Jewish residents were shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in winter 1944-45. The memorial was created by sculptor Can Togay and filmmaker Janos Timor in 2005. It is small, understated, and among the most affecting Holocaust memorials in Europe.
Heroes’ Square and Varosliget
The Millennium Monument at Heroes’ Square was built in 1896 to mark 1,000 years of Hungarian statehood. The statues represent the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars and significant figures in Hungarian history. Behind it, Varosliget park contains Szechenyi Baths, Vajdahunyad Castle (a pastiche of architectural styles from different periods of Hungarian history, built for the 1896 Millennial Exhibition and since rebuilt in permanent materials), and the new House of Music Hungary which opened in 2022.
The Ruin Bars
Budapest’s ruin bars are one of the genuinely original contributions the city has made to urban nightlife. They began in the early 2000s when young Budapestians started opening bars in the abandoned buildings and courtyards of the Jewish Quarter, which had been left derelict after the Second World War. The aesthetic is deliberate disorder: mismatched furniture, exposed brick, Soviet-era fixtures, local art, and plants growing through crumbling walls.
Szimpla Kert on Kazinczy utca was the first and remains the template. Multiple rooms, a courtyard, live music, film screenings on Sundays, and a farmers market on Sunday mornings. It opens at noon and runs until 4am. During peak summer evenings it is extremely crowded; visit on a weekday if possible, or in the afternoon before the evening rush.
Instant-Fogas is a club-bar complex on Akacfa utca with multiple dance floors and a more explicitly clubbing focus than Szimpla’s eclectic atmosphere.
The Jewish Quarter in general; Kazinczy utca, Rumbach utca, and Dob utca; has the highest concentration of bars, restaurants, and nightlife in the city. Walk it on any evening to find options without reservations.
Where to Eat
Bors GasztroBár on Kazinczy utca 10 is a tiny counter-service spot specialising in soups and gourmet baguettes, with a short daily-changing menu. Lunch for under 3,000 HUF ($8). Frequently has a queue but moves fast; cash only.
Menza on Liszt Ferenc ter is a mid-range restaurant in a former communist-era canteen setting, serving updated Hungarian classics with good technique. The goulash soup and stuffed cabbage are reliable anchors. 4,000-7,000 HUF per person.
Köleves in the Jewish Quarter offers seasonal Hungarian-Jewish fusion in a courtyard setting with a terrace. The flodni (layered Jewish pastry of walnut, apple, and poppy seed) is one of the better versions in the city.
Mazel Tov on Akacfa utca combines Middle Eastern and Israeli flavors; hummus, shakshuka, grilled meats; in a ruin-bar-style courtyard. The food is good and the setting is consistently pleasant. 4,000-6,000 HUF per person.
Gundel in Varosliget is Budapest’s historic grand restaurant, founded in 1894 and renovated multiple times since. It is expensive by Budapest standards (15,000-25,000 HUF per person) and the kitchen has had variable reviews over the years; best for a formal occasion rather than a day-to-day recommendation.
Getto Gulyas near the synagogue is a classic Hungarian restaurant with reliably good chicken paprikash, goulash, and stuffed peppers at 3,000-5,000 HUF per person. Book ahead as it is small.
For a quick and honest meal: langos (deep-fried dough with sour cream and cheese) from any market stall costs 800-1,200 HUF and is the correct street food introduction to Budapest. The Great Market Hall is a reliable source.
Where to Stay
Four Seasons Gresham Palace on the Pest riverfront is Budapest’s most celebrated hotel, housed in a restored 1906 Art Nouveau building with views directly onto the Chain Bridge. Rooms from $350-700 USD.
Aria Hotel Budapest in the Inner City offers music-themed rooms, a rooftop terrace, and complimentary afternoon drinks. Mid-luxury at $200-350 USD.
Hotel Rum in the Jewish Quarter is a boutique option with good design sensibility and genuine local neighbourhood atmosphere. $130-200 USD.
Hotel Moments Budapest on Andrassy Avenue is mid-range with strong design and good access to City Park. $100-160 USD.
For budget stays: the Hostel district around Rambam and Wombat’s City Hostel offers private rooms from $50-80 USD and dorms from $18-25 USD, both within walking distance of the main attractions.
Practical Notes
Currency: Hungary uses the Hungarian Forint (HUF) and is not on the Euro despite being an EU member. Most tourist-facing businesses accept card payment; smaller markets, some bakeries, and public transport ticket machines may require cash or HUF card. Avoid currency exchange offices on the main tourist strip (Vaci utca); banks and ATMs offer better rates. The Wise debit card or equivalent is useful for minimising conversion fees.
The Budapest Card: Offers free public transport, free museum entry to participating sites, and discounts at baths and restaurants. Costs 7,990-19,990 HUF for 24 to 72 hours. Worth calculating against your planned activities; for those doing several museums and the baths in two or three days it typically pays off.
Public Transport: The BKK metro system has three lines converging at Deak Ferenc ter plus trams, buses, and trolleybuses. The M1 (Foldalatti) running under Andrassy Avenue is Europe’s second-oldest underground railway, built in 1896, and the original wooden carriages still run on a modified track. A single ticket is 450 HUF; a 24-hour pass is 1,650 HUF. Validate tickets before boarding; inspectors fine on the spot.
Scams to know: The “friendly girl” scam is well-documented in Budapest. An attractive stranger strikes up a conversation and suggests a specific bar; drinks arrive without a price list and the bill is inflated by hundreds of euros. Do not follow strangers to unlisted bars. Always ask for a drinks menu with prices before ordering. Bolt or Fotaxi apps give fixed fares before you get in any vehicle; use them instead of kerbside taxis.
Tipping: In Hungarian restaurants, tip by telling the waiter the total you wish to pay when they take your card or cash; do not leave money on the table after they’ve gone. Service charges are sometimes added automatically to bills; check before tipping on top.
Language: Hungarian (Magyar) is one of the most difficult European languages for speakers of Indo-European tongues. Do not expect to learn more than thank you (köszönöm) and cheers (egeszsegedre) in a short visit. English is widely spoken in the tourist industry; French and German less so, though older Budapestians may have German from school.
The most useful practical tip for Budapest is to start in Buda for the history and end in Pest for the evenings. The two sides of the river are genuinely different in pace and character, and crossing the Chain Bridge on foot in both directions; once in daylight and once at night; is the single best way to understand what unification actually produced.