Budapest - tell me about it!

[MrsMurphyIWish]

Hi all. For the past 10 years our holidays have either been camping or resort type as DS is autistic and it’s just been so much easier, but he’s getting older and is much more in tune with self regulation so we are now considering getting back to travelling. Budapest appeals as neither DH and I have been.

Has anyone been and could recommend sights? Do you think it’ll be suitable for DS? We’d be going in the Easter hols.

TIA.

Budapest is wonderful.

Lots of spas that are family friendly and the biggest one, Szechenyi Baths is a fun day out for kids.

The river cruise is fun and Szimpla Kert, the most famous of the ruin bars is worth a visit in the daytime too with teens, not in the evening.

The shoes along the banks of the river and the holocaust museum are very moving if he's interested in history. Lots of reading at the museum though which may or may not be a problem.

The Parliament building is spectacular too.

The metro was easy and reliable and not too crowded.

I'm taking my teens at Easter too, you'll have a blast!

I also really enjoyed Budapest with my kids. We loved the spas, beautiful Belle Epoque architecture and day out in the hills (including the railway run by children and the long chair lift down). Also we loved the Houdini house. There is a casual attitude to health and safety though and a friend experienced racist abuse there (verbal) so that’s the down side I’m aware of.

Ah, thanks both for replying. It sounds amazing! You’ve persuaded me to go ahead and book. Thanks for the recommendations too - keeping a screen shot of them!

DH and I went last June (not with kids). We liked it though I thought the spa was a bit shabby and disappointing. Also it's better to go in winter because being in a hot pool on a summer's day wasn't that thrilling.

Can't really comment on the kid stuff. We did a big wheel and also got the cable car up to the top of a hill which was fun. We got the bus there which was very easy.

We were actually really pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. We had some really nice meals.

We stayed in an Air Bnb appartment. There's lots available but they tend to be flats in old buildings so not super big.

Edited to say it's not a cable car but a chair lift.

I agree with all the above. The spa baths are great fun. We went to Gellert but Szechenyi also looked good for families.
The secret cave hospital is a fascinating museum. The house of Horror is too but very grim, so may not be suitable for sensitive teens.
River cruise on the Danube is costly. You can just get a river bus to Margrit island and back. Same sights, fraction of the price unless ypu want dinner and commentary. Look out for the fountain that plays rock music and the family sized bikes for touring the island. And the pretty Zen garden. You can swim on the island too if you want.
The indoor market by the river is fun for street food. Some ruin bars let younger teens in for coffees or soft drinks during the day if that area interests them.
You can take a day tour to a bear sanctuary and hand feed honey to the bears. It is a proper sanctuary with huge roaming area for rescued bears.
The ornate cafes for beautiful cakes and coffee are worth a visit.
Dc loved the out of town park where all the Communist statues are bumped, but they are political geeks, so that may not appeal to all teens.
Look out for festivals. One of our best evenings was chance discovery of a street music and food festival. Great atmosphere.

I forgot the cable car. And the teen railway, still run by teenage school children. Definitely worth a trip

Hi, I am visiting Budapest next week and was wondering if people would recommend taking HUF or is it possible to get by paying on cards? Thanks!

Cards are fine, I used a chase one as it used real life conversion rates. Pay on card in huf rather than sterling as it works out better.