Four Days in Budapest

Part two of my European adventure coming atcha! I visited Europe over Thanksgiving to visit my sister who was studying abroad in Budapest, making it to Dublin, Budapest and Prague in 12 days. Check out my Dublin guide here. I flew from Dublin to Budapest on Ryan Air (zero glamour, but so cheap) and spent four days in what I call ‘The Paris of the East.’ To be honest, I would have never chosen to visit Budapest if my sister hadn’t been studying there. I’m so glad she did, however, because I fell in love with this cosmopolitan’s city food, architecture and culture. Check out my recommendations on where to eat, things to do and where to stay in Budapest below!

Where to Eat in Budapest

I wouldn’t call traditional Eastern European food my favorite type of cuisine, but Budapest has a pretty impressive food scene. Everything from street food to affordable Michelin-starred restaurants. 

Borkonyha Winekitchen: Speaking of Michelin-starred restaurants. Budapest actually has several that are surprisingly affordable. My sister and I tried Borkonyha and were overly impressed. I would recommend for a fancier dinner; we probably came out at around $100 USD a head.

Bors GasztroBar: A Star Wars themed sandwich shop? Yes please. There’s usually a line, but it goes fast and the soup and sandwiches are great for lunch on the go.

Budapest Bagel: Y’all know I love a good bagel. There are two locations, one of which is connected to a juice shop in case you need a side of green juice with your carbs 😉

Chez Dodo: I have eaten a lot of macarons in my life, including in Paris, and these were hands down the best I’ve ever had. Light and fluffy, with unique and rich flavors. It’s literally making me sad writing this now because I know I will probably never eat them again…

Desszert Neked: Funny name, great pastries. Good for a little afternoon pick me up.

Goamama Coffee: Good coffee, tea and lattes and amazing baked goods. Plus its attached to a cute home store.

Great Market Hall: Markets are one of my favorite ways to eat in Europe. The Great Market is a multi-story covered market with vendors selling fresh produce, meat, cheese etc. plus local goods like embroidered linens and stoneware. My favorite stalls, however, were the ones selling street food. You have to get your hands on a Langos, fried dough covered with sour cream, cheese and other toppings.

hummusbar: I know I’ve mentioned before how much I love falafel. hummusbar is a local chain specializing in hummus, pitas and falafel and a solid choice for lunch or a casual dinner. They also offer delivery. 

New York Cafe: What Instagram dreams are made of. It was a huge part of cafe culture at the turn of the 20th century and has been named the most beautiful cafe in the world. The walls are covered in adornments with fancy wall paper and gold. It’s worth a stop just to see it. To be honest, it’s probably a bit of a tourist trap now. The food was fine – not amazing, not bad – but definitely overpriced. I would suggest going for a drink, coffee or dessert.

Stika Budapest: My sister told me about this place that serves a burger with pancakes as buns and I knew I had to go. It’s a full-service spot good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Szimpla Haztaji Boltocska: A cafe run by a bar sounds a bit sketch, but trust me on this one. Szimpla is one of the most well known ruin pubs (we’ll talk about those later.) The cafe across from the bar serves solid breakfast and lunch using produce from their farmers market in a bright little cafe.

Explore Budapest

You’ll find no shortage of things to see in Budapest. The city has two sides (Buda and Pest) separated by the Danube River. The Buda side is hilly and also the more “ancient” side housing the Buda Castle and palace complex of Hungarian kings. You’ll probably spend most of your time on the Pest side, but should devote a day to Buda. Getting around is quite easy. The city center is walkable and there are a metro and trolley for anything out of walking distance.

Buda Castle: The palace complex on the Buda side of town. There are museums, castle ruins, churches and amazing views. Walk over from Pest on the Chain Bridge and spend several hours exploring.

Capa Kortars Museum: Robert Capa was a Hungarian war photographer who traveled the world documenting various wars. This small photo exhibit is worth a stop. It won’t take you an hour, but his work was powerful.

Dohany Street Synagogue: This is the largest synagogue in Europe and I think so important to see. It was in the heart of the Jewish getto during WWII and over 2,000 victims of the holocaust are buried in the small cemetery.

Gellert Hill: This is my other recommendation on the Buda side. It’s a nice hike and gives you the best views of Budapest. The walk up probably took me 30-45 minutes and while it was steep, totally manageable. 

Hungarian National Museum: The national museum of history, art and archeology of Hungary. As far as museums go I wouldn’t call it a must, but if you’re interested in Hungarian history, it’s a nice stop for a few hours.

Hungary State Opera: The building is so beautiful you should at least walk by! I did not go to a performance or anything, but heard great things.

Ruin Pubs: Ruin pubs are unique to Budapest and certainly one of the main attractions to backpackers, probably because of the cheap drinks and the fact that they’re usually open until 6am. Ruin pubs are abandoned buildings like apartment complexes or factories that have been converted into bars with mazes of rooms filled with street art and communist relics. My favorite was Szimpla. 

St. Stephen’s Basilica: Europe is full of impressive churches.. St. Stephen’s is Budapest’s. It’s beautiful and if you enjoy that kind of thing you should definitely check it out!

Thermal Baths: This was probably my favorite thing about Budapest and something you shouldn’t miss. Budapest sits on hot springs and visiting the baths is an essential part of local culture. I visited the Szechenyi baths, but heard good things about Rudas and Gellert too.

Vintage Shopping: One of my favorite ways to spend a day in a new city is wandering the streets shopping and eating. Budapest had no shortage of cool stores. Retrock is one of the coolest vintage stores I’ve ever been to. I got an amazing faux fur vest by a designer from South Korea. Art on Me is a women’s clothing store featuring local designers. Ludovika was good vintage as well. Szimpla also has a really cool design shop. 

Where to Stay in Budapest

I stayed in the Jewish Quarter, which was the Jewish getto during WWII and has experienced revitalization over the past few decades and is now a hip/popular destination for tourists and backpackers. It’s centrally-located with plenty of restaurants and bars. To be honest, it could probably be called gentrification, but I will leave that debate to be had at a later date. I stayed at an apartment I found on HostelWorld. I had a private room in an apartment with a shared bathroom. It was super cheap and clean, but the best part about the apartment was the owner. He offered to pick me up from the airport (sounds sketch but I read tons of reviews that said he did and was so nice) and then spent over an hour showing me maps and everywhere I should visit while in Budapest. If you’re making the trip and looking for a cheap place to stay, let me know and I’ll share his email – he said he’d give you a special rate 😉

I actually loved Budapest so much I ended up extending my stay by one night, so booked a hotel for my last night at the Callas House right next to the Opera. It was gorgeous with a huge comfy bed and included yummy breakfast.

I think that covers most of my time in Budapest! If you enjoyed reading about my adventure, check out my Dublin guide, my solo trip to Thailand or my post on Five Questions to Ask Yourself before Solo Traveling. Stay tuned for my Prague guide coming soon, and let me know if there’s anything in particular you’re curious about from my Europe travels; I’d be happy to share!

Biscuits & Blessings,

Leels