Despite hearing so many great things about Budapest before visiting, I still was not disappointed. This capital offers a bit of everything – relaxation, great food, fun night life, sights and attractions, and beautiful architecture.

• General tips and lessons:
  • To/from the airport: There are buses and subways from the airport, but it is relatively cheap to take a taxi. It was around $25-30 to get to the city center and took 20-30 minutes when we went in 2014.
  • Hungarians, almost all of the ones I encountered, are extremely friendly and speak English
  • Hungarian wine is delicious
  • The Parliament in Budapest is the largest building in Budapest and the 3rd largest parliament building in the world
  • Generally it is very cheap to travel, eat, and relax via the bathhouses
  • Budapest is actually made of two cities – Buda and Pest – connected by various bridges

DAY 1 

My friend and I had a crazy travel experience getting to Budapest that by the time we checked into our Airbnb, we just wanted to relax. We went to Rudas Bath, which our local host recommended. Rudas is located on the Buda side, right below the Megyeri Bridge once you cross. When you enter, just select the type of baths you want (thermal and/or swim). There are walk-in closets to store your things and for you to change, and they offer other services like massage. Tip for Budapest Bath Houses: People wear a bathing suit unless it’s a gender-specific session (e.g., Rudas has female only sessions on Tuesdays). If you looking for a relaxing and authentic bath experience, go to Rudas Bath instead of Szechenyi Bath. It is cleaner, more organized, and cheaper.

TY and I were starving after so we walked across the Megyeri Bridge and headed to Liszt Ferenc tér street, which was recommended by the bathhouse. This is a small street surrounded by cute restaurants with terraces. We ate at Menzaand had one of the most amazing duck dishes (below).

Post dinner, we walked north to the Nyugati Palyaudvar Railway Station, a beautiful building still in use. We then headed to Parliament area to check out the surrounding museums and parliament, and then along the Danube river for great views of Pest (below).

We wandered around to look for the famous Basilica, which we finally found after mistaking it with so many other buildings. We walked back towards home and saw the Opera House and then went to Szimpla Kert ruin bar for a drink. We loved this hipster, lowkey vibe and open space. Highly recommend!

DAY 2
We started off our morning by walking towards the Chain Bridge and passed the Opera House again. We then went to see the Basilica again (below) and went inside (free, donation basis).

We paid to go to the dome for 360 views of Pest and views of Buda. You can take the elevator or stairs both ways. Worth the visit! Tip for Discounts: Bring your student ID

Walked across the famous Chain Bridge – great to see the bridge up close and the views and then took the tram up because of the heat (bit pricey, cheaper to buy round trip. There might be another way to walk up to the Castle Area (District 1). We then went to the Museum and explored the grounds and building itself. After resting in a coffee shop due to the intense heat in June, we went to the other side to see the Buda Castle and Matthias Church (below). The church is gorgeous and looks like a Disney princess castle, and is surrounded by this white wall overlooking these amazing views of Pest, Chain Bridge, and Parliament.

We took a cab (one of many due to the heat) back down and tried to go to Onyx restaurant but it was closed (Spanish times do not apply in Hungary) so ended up at Borkonyha wine kitchen (delicious and Michelin recommended).

We took another cab to find this famous bakery AY heard about near Parliament called Szalai Cukrászda. You must get one of their strudels (below). We then walked around Parliament before heading home to change for the bath houses. We decided to burn off all the deliciousness we ate and headed to Hero’s Square and Vajdahunyad Castle before heading to the Szechenyi Bath (below).

This is the famous bath house with the yellow walls and scenes of older men playing chess by the pool. It felt more like a Vegas day club, but with children running around and no music (they do have bath parties on Saturday evenings if anyone fancies that). It was more hectic than Rudas Bath, and ended up just relaxing in the water versus getting massages since everything was closed. There are other massage stations but are 2x the price.

• Tip for District XIV: Combine your trip and explore District XIV, including Hero’s Square, the large park with Vajdahunyad Castle, and then end the day with the bath house.
• Tip for Szechenyi Bath: Come here if you want a more social and fun bath experience as it is a good way to meet other tourists. You can still relax in the thermal pools (indoors in the surrounding buildings), but it is more hectic and dirtier (the showers and lockers rooms especially) compared than Rudas Bath.

TY, AY, and I headed straight to dinner at the locally recommended Bock Bisztro. Each dish was amazing and the service, although slow, was great with friendly waiters, free wine, and even private “tours” of the kitchen (some dishes below).

Attempted to go out on our last night but the famous Peaches and Cream – Budapest’s R&B club – was closed. Next time, we will have to come back when it is not super hot (maybe Spring or Fall) and on a weekend for Budapest’s famous nightlife.