We visited Budapest for 3 nights in July. The weather was perfect for walking around and it was a good amount of time to see the city and we definitely left wanting to come back… so here are my highlights and things not to miss!
Things not to miss…
Sunset drinks on a rooftop bar – Aria Hotel, High Note bar.
Views from hilltops – Buda castle or Buda hill
A trip to a Turkish bath or spa
Visiting a ruin bar (a bar in an old building)
Trying local wine and foods -Kürtoskalács (sweet MASSIVE round doughnuts), Goulash or a rose flower shaped ice cream at ‘Gelarto Rosa’ near the Basilica.
Areas –
Budapest was originally split in half into Buda and Pest, on different sides of the river. People used to get the ferry across until they built a bridge going across which joined the two and it became Budapest!
The ‘Pest’ side of the river…
Budapest is split into different areas, most are all walkable to but I would recommend getting a ‘Hop on, Hop off’ bus ticket to get around quicker, especially if you are short on time in the city.
Thanks to our Lonely Planet guide map which made it easy for us to see and get around.
‘Parliament and Basilica’ area – quite central, near the Basilica and loads of restaurants bars around this area to visit (where we stayed- picture above shows the street).
‘Belvaros’ area – lively at night, lots of outdoor drinking!
Jewish Quarter area – next to where we stayed and on the way to City Park. Great road to walk down Andrássy út with lots of shops and restaurants and the House Of Terror which we visited (a history of Budapest’s darker side!). On the road adjacent there is also ‘New York Cafe’ which is the oldest cafe in Budapest and the indoor decor and ambience with a live woodwind band was amazing, worth a visit!
City Park area – The huge park which is behind Heroes Square (a huge monument with historical resemblance to the war). In this park are the famous Széchenyi baths (basically an outdoor pool in between ancient walls.) At night this turns into a ‘Sparty’ which is a party in the pool!
On the other side of the river – the ‘Buda’ side…
Buda castle area – Definitely go up to the top to see Buda castle. You can get the Funicular (a steep short tramline) up to the top which doesn’t cost much. You can also walk if you want the harder hike up! The castle is really pretty to walk around and there are some museums to visit up there if you fancy it. We then walked about the area as there are some amazing views of the whole city. See my pictures below.
Buda Hill and Gellért area – This is the highest point in Budapest. It’s worth going up here for the views. Whilst in this area we tried out one of the most famous and oldest baths ‘Gellért Baths and Spa’. They have a range of hot and cold baths, including saunas and steam rooms, as well as an outdoor wave pool!
Thank you for taking the time to read and view my Budapest blog post! I wanted to share with you all the information and pictures to allow you to have the best adventures there!
Stay tuned for some more travel photo diaries and My Where Next…
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