Does anyone have Budapest recommendations?

[Stuckandsad]

Taking dp away for a 3 night break as a birthday surprise. I've booked flights but I'm a bit stumped on what to book hotel and activity wise. We both love a bit of sightseeing and people watching but also like letting our hair down on a night out .
Any recommendations on best districts/hotels/bars?
What to avoid?

It's a fantastic place. Depends on your budget though.

The Gelert Hotel and Spa, on the Buda side of the Danube is gorgeous and the thermal spa is worth it just for the architecture. Pest side is vibrant, it's where all the bars, restauraunts and cafes are.

For real luxury the Boscolo Hotel is THE place. We have stayed there several times. The New York Cafe is just beautiful.

Buy a hop on "red bus" ticket. They are £17 and last for three days, but you also get a free river cruise thrown in. They take you across the entire city and have commentary as well. If you stay at the Boscolo you can use them as a free taxi as the bus stop is outside the hotel and service is every half hour. The Citadel and old town are worth a look. You can get the red bus to the Citadel and then walk to the old town from there, takes about 15 mins.

Freedom Square is great and there is a gorgeous palace with lovely gardens opposite.

The Indoor market next to the Liberty Bridge on the Pest side is great for shopping.

What's your budget?

Escape rooms are great fun, and Budapest has made them something of a speciality. We did a great one themed around an Egyptian pyramid.

Ruin pubs eg Szimpla Kert. Pest has better nightlife so probably better to stay that side.

Fisherman's Bastion

Parliament and the Shoes on the Danube

Various spas

Also, AirBNB has is invariably exceptional value in central and Eastern Europe compared to hotels

I highly suggest seeing the Chain Bridge at night, it makes for some great night photos.
It’s hard to describe what a ruin bar is, they are a one of a kind bar! If you are just walking down the street you may not even realize it’s a bar but as soon as you enter it’s like stepping into another world. Each ruin bar is different but they all are full of character expect every room to be different and very strange. The oldest ruin bar in Budapest is Szimpla Kert, which is open every night. Ruin bars are popular and can get crowded so I suggest going before 11 p.m. to avoid the long lines and to grab a table. There are Budapest ruin bar tours that visit several bars but you can easily create your own ruin bar crawl.
If you happen to be in Budapest on a Saturday consider going to the Széchenyi baths pool party on Saturday nights 10:30p.m.-3a.m. for an unforgettable night.
There are tons of river cruises in Budapest. Many are lunch/dinner cruises.
A visit to St. Stephen’s Basilica is worth the trip alone but head to the observation deck for an epic viewof Budapest. The church is free to enter, there is a sign suggesting a small donation.

Either stay in a hotel with a spa or go AirBnB. We stayed in an AirBnB which was in a 1900 block and v atmospheric but there is loads of choice.

Restaurants wise Tripadvisor is reliable but you will need to book for popular places, otherwise there are a billion places catering to the stag do market which you should steer clear of.

Also check out the cafe section as Budapest has an established cafe culture dating back to being part of the Austro-Hungarian empire - loads of posh cafes all with their speciality cake. We stayed 10 days and had a different cafe and cake each day and I was v fat by the end

If you are there on a Friday book for the meal and concert at Cafe Spinoza - the klezmer music is amazing.

Wow thankyou everyone! Happily bookmarking all these!

Have just booked the boscolo! Stunning!

We were only there for the day as travelled from Slovakia but the Nuclear Bunker is a must!