Budapest recommendations

[Oganesson118]

Hi, I'm heading to Budapest for a few days with two friends in March and looking for recommendations of things we ought to do. We've got a Danube boat ride and obviously the baths in plan, and will head across to Margaret island for a wander but wondering if any other highlights you'd call out, or even better some hidden gems we might otherwise miss? Also any clubs/bars that would be good for a big night out?

The house of terror museum is amazing, if horrifying. You could go to a spa,we went to Szechenyi, big outside pools as well as inside.

Visit Fisherman’s Bastion, the castle and the Cathedral. we also had a guided tour of the beautiful synagogue. Buy tickets for the hop on / hop off bus because it’s the best way to get around. The Parliament building is supposed to be wonderful but you have to book in advance.

The Ruin Bars in the Jewish Quarter, great little street food market right near them too.

You can get the funicular railway up to this which is fun and has great views.

The shoes by the Danube are very moving. I also enjoyed the Synagogue tour.

Thank you for the suggestions. We are staying in the Jewish quarter so I imagine we will see some Ruins Bars! I would like to see the shoes by the Danube and may have to make a call between synagogue and castle due to time constraints.

I can't remember what they were called but fried dough (a bit like a puffy pizza) with sour cream and cheese on top; chimney cake and berry/cherry beer.

We enjoyed the ride on the hop-on-off bus; the little bus up to the fisherman's bastion and views back over the river, visiting the cathedral, the ruin bars and just generally how cheap the food was eg goulash with noodles or in a bread bowl (veggie version for me).

Synagogue and baths will be for our next visit - would definitely go back.

The shoes ..

I went with my sister last year, and one day we saw a man in high vis with what smelled like a delicious lunch, so tracked him back to a cafe.like a pair of mad stalkers. Borek for the win, cheap and yum. We sat in a square to eat it, about 2
50 for both of us.

The underground is about a quid per ticket, and super efficient.

Oh yes I am loving the food recommendations too!

The New York Cafe is worth a visit - need to book.

Build in some time to sit outside a bar or cafe alongside the river and watch the world go by.

One of my favourite cities, have a fabulous time

Got back last night. It’s a beautiful city & very clean. It was v v cold, but wore lots of layers. We had great small plates/tapas in Balagan. They also do great cocktails. Also Mazeltov for mezze & lovely drinks. You’d need to book if you’re going for dinner. We also had a lovely meal the stylish Beerstro14. Very popular for steaks but they do lots of other things. Again, book in advance. The parliament tour was really good. We booked only a few hours before we went. Stunning building.

the bread mentioned by a pp is called Lángos (pronounced lang-gosh). Best ones are at the place outside Arany János Utca metro. Also from one of the many bakeries try pogácsa and csiga fahéjas. I want to go back for all of these now!

Disagree with open top bus as best way to get around. You will end up stuck in traffic a lot. Instead get a 24/28/72 travel pass and use the very well connected trams & metros using the app to navigate- BudapestGO. Second Mazeltov rec it's fab. My fave restaurant though is Két Szerecsen.

Which baths have you planned for? Széchenyi is best for wow factor if it's your first trip. If any of you want to swim in main outside lane pool do remember to take a cap. Also take own towels and flip flops. They will sell/rent you all these but hugely marked up and extra bit of queuing. However paying the extra fee for a cabin is always worth it. You can hire one between 2 and take turns but you then lock it so can leave all your stuff hanging up/laid out don't have to move and cram into a locker. Gellért is lovely too but better in summer. Rudas only has one hot tub, no pools outside.

Margaret island is a bit bleak so early in the year and musical fountain won't be back on yet. Take the 4-6 tram to the stop at middle of Margaret bridge (Margit Híd) for great views back along the river. I would skip the castle and do fisherman's bastion instead it's magical. There is a small public service bus from Deák Ferenc Tér that will take you across and up - I forget the number but use the travel app/pass then can walk back town. The citadella is a great viewpoint but currently closed I think, another great view is climbing the Basilica - a lot of steps but worth it for the view - as is the wheel in Deák Ferenc Tér.

I forgot night out recs - Doblo wine bar or Boutiq bar for cocktails - would recommend booking a table for those. Or just wandering through Gozsdu udvar there are lots of options. It's the wrong time of year for the nicer ruin bars (Koloves kert and Ankert) although Mazeltov is an upmarket version with a roof. Szimpla Kert is open year round but I wouldn't recommend going at night (or wearing your best clothes!) worth popping in for a beer late afternoon to see it, before the stag dos are too far gone. It's unique and the original. Make sure to walk right though to the outdoor back section.

I highly recommend Offbeat Budapest for some great tips. On IG and here - https://www.offbeatbudapest.com/budapest/

I went very recently (January 2025) and think that Gellert is the best baths. Szechenyi is great for outdoors baths but looks very ran down. There is a very interesting article in the baths on Offbeat Budapest.

I loved Twentysix: https://twentysixbudapest.com/

Also for tea rooms, checked out Cafe Astoria - you don't have to book and it has a very interesting history. I actually went there 25 years ago on my A Level History trip. I'd recommend cakes and drinks but a full menu there: https://cafeastoriabudapest.hu/en/

This was also very interesting: https://www.neprajz.hu/en/latogatasok/green-roof.html

We did a Segway tour, which was fab, and a lot of fun. It was a great way to see the highlights of the city (including the shoes, parliament, and the Fishermans Bastion). There were only 3 of us, and the guide was very interesting. We then went back to some of the things we had seen for a longer visit.

There's good art museums, the terror museum, the opera house is lovely (I saw a ballet for a far lower price than the U.K.) great cake shops