Travel Guide
Budapest, Hungary
A popular must-see city for many European travellers, Budapest has something for everyone. Divided by the River Danube, Budapest has two main city sections — Buda and Pest — however the city itself actually formed by merging the former two sections with a third municipality (Óbuda). As the capital city of Hungary, Budapest is known for its array of opulent thermal baths, rustic “ruin bars” and remnants of royal architecture.
Quick Travel Facts:
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The primary currency in Budapest is the Hungarian Forint.
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The official language of Budapest and Hungary is Hungarian. However as it’s a larger tourist spot, many locals speak English.
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I visited Budapest in one of the busier Summer tourist months, in Jul 2022. Due to it being peak season, naturally accommodation and flights were more expensive due to demand. Temperatures usually range from 15-30°C during this time.
Where to eat + drink:
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Huge pub, also known as a "ruin bar" with old mismatched items & a disused Trabant car, with music, food, market & a garden.
This is Budapest’s original and first ruin bar and on Sunday mornings they often hold a market stall.
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A local who I met in Budapest told me this is the best place to go for ice-cream!
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Ruin bar with an upmarket and sophisticated feel. Offering Middle Eastern food and drinks.
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If you’re looking for a different dining experience, this is the place to go. It’s a lively restaurant with a Medieval theme for roast meat & game, plus costumed staff & sword fights.
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Casual open air food court with food and drink options.
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Cool, industrial-style eatery offering steak, seafood & sandwiches, plus organic wine & craft beer.
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Sophisticated choice with a Transylvanian menu focusing on meat dishes, desserts & wine.
Best cafes:
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Stylish cafe offering specialty coffee as well as food. They have seating indoors and outdoors.
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Bakery and cafe located in the popular 7th district of Budapest. All of their products are made with Hungarian flour and quality ingredients.
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Artisanal breads & pastries served in a laid-back cafe with understated decor & a cozy vibe.
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Cafe located near some of Budapest’s popular sights. Lots of seating options both indoors and outdoors.
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Neighbourhood cafe specialising in unique sweet & savoury croissants, plus sandwiches & coffee.
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Relaxed hangout lined with bookshelves serving breakfast staples & global bites, plus coffee & wine.
Top things to see + do:
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Palatial venue for the Hungarian National Gallery plus displays from Gothic altars to sculpture.
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Fisherman’s Bastion is a 19th-century fortress with 7 turreted lookout towers offering panoramic views plus cafe on terrace.
Matthias Church is a 14th-century church named for King Matthias, who married here, with an ecclesiastical art museum.
Both are stunning and worth a look.
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These architecturally significant thermal pools are part of the famous Hotel Gellert complex.
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Ornate thermal baths, built in 1913, with a cupola, massive swimming pools & water jet massagers.
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Landmark Gothic Revival–style edifice with lavishly decorated rooms, plus a visitors' center.
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Finished in 1896, this castle shows the evolution of Hungarian architecture in its elaborate design.
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Landmark 19th-century suspension bridge, designed by William Tierney Clark & illuminated at night.
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Waterside shoe sculptures memorialising those killed at the river by a fascist party during WWII.
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16th-century spa complex with traditional Turkish baths, swimming pools & a sauna.
Notes + Traveller’s Tips
Mixing the old with the new urine? One of the first things I noticed about Budapest, is its amazing architecture. But when you visit the “pest” side (the Eastern, more flatter side of the city), you might notice a striking difference from the Western “Buda” and “Óbuda” sides. There’s a kind of rustic, semi run-down but alluring vibe — often with urine, rubbish or graffiti lining the streets, especially near the areas with ruin bars. This wasn’t an issue for me, but it’s interesting to see how different the two main sides of the city are.
Where to stay - I would recommend staying somewhere close to the river, and relatively central. The transport in Budapest is good, but you may want to stay close to the ‘action’. I would also have a read of this article I found which explains the different areas well.
Currency - something that might catch you off guard is the fact that in Hungary, they use their own currency — the Hungarian Forint (not Euros). If you’re travelling around Europe, or only in Budapest for a short time, I definitely recommend getting a travel money card or credit card with no international fees so you can switch between currencies with no worries.
Ruin bars - Budapest is renowned for its ruin bars, which emerged only in the early 2000’s. The concept spurred when a group of entrepreneurs decided to rescue a run-down building that was essentially destined for ‘ruin’. Instead of redeveloping it, they decided to work with its ramshackle state by adding quirky furniture and decorations. This ‘mix and match’ style took off, and birthed a new generation of rustic, grungy, whacky or quirky bars in Budapest. The first being the iconic Szimpla Kert.
