10 of The Best Things to do in Budapest

Budapest the capital of Hungary is the 10^th largest city in Europe and a beautiful one at that! Especially due to it’s amazing architecture. So, if you love beautiful architecture, you will love Budapest. We visited Budapest at Christmas time, and it’s a lovely time to go. But we would love to visit again in the summer, because there is so much to do and see… That’s why we have written a list of the 10 best things to do in Budapest…  

1. Stroll across The Chain Bridge…

First on the list is, The 19-century chain bridge, that takes you over the river Danube from the ‘new’ town to the ‘old’ town – Buda to Pest. What’s more, The Chain bridge is the city’s most famous bridge and is spectacularly built, the bridge is beautiful by day and stunning by night where you will see it lit up over the river Danube.

2. Visit St. Stephen’s Basilica…

Secondly, The Roman Catholic basilica, named in honor of Stephen the first king of Hungary. Today, it is the third largest and highest church building in Hungary as well as the most important, making it one of the most significant tourist attractions in Budapest.

What’s more at Christmas time, the amazing festive markets surround the church with everything from mulled wine to the famous chimney cakes! (more about this later)

3. Walk across Heroes Square (& take a selfie!)…

Third on the list is Heroes Square , famous for its iconic statue complex that features the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars. As well as the Memorial Stone of Heroes; also known as; Tomb of the unknown soldier. Also, at night-time you will see the square lit up in spectacular lights which only enhance its beauty. 

4. Visit The Hungarian Parliament Building…

This is a favorite in terms of architecture, also known as Parliament of Budapest, due to its location it is the site for the national assembly of Hungry. As well as a popular tourist destination and you can see why… The architecture of this building is just amazing in the daytime and even more spectacular at night, where you will see the building lit up with hundreds of lights.  

5. Enjoy a Chimney cake (kürtőskalács)…

Now for some food… Taste the traditional Hungarian dessert that is a Kurtoskalacs AKA Chimney cake! Chimney cake is a sweet desert, the sweet dough is baked over hot charcoal above an open fire and rolled in sugar (naughty!)… These are traditionally a winter desert so as you can imagine at Christmas time they were everywhere! But, luckily for you, they now sell them all year round throughout the city.

6. Take a River Cruise…

Cruise down the river Danube… where you will see the fascinating sites of the historical city. There’s many cruise options to choose, from a simple cruise with guide speakers, taking in the sites down the river Danube, to a romantic dinner on the Danube or even a firework cruise. There are lots of options to choose from. But we definitely recommend cruising down the river in the evening, because this is best time to see all the lit-up architecture that will take your breath away.   

7. Take a bus up (or walk) to the Citadel…

The 19^th century Citadel sits at the top of Gellert Hill but what is really worth a visit is the stunning views that look over the river Danube… this is what makes it popular with locals and tourists, especially at night-time when the city is lit up. So, of course, we took the bus as we had hop on hop off tickets, (see below) and it did not disappoint. However, if you prefer to walk its only about a 15-minute walk from the bottom to the top.

8. Visit the underground nightclubs and Ruin bars…

After a day of exploring, dance the night away in the underground night clubs and have a drink in the ruin bars of Budapest… from the outside these buildings don’t look like nightclubs, you can’t hear any music or see any ques outside… but as you find your way into one of the clubs you will find loud music, Dj’s, people, bars and dance floors. Even if you’re not into clubbing, these bars are worth a visit as they are so unusual if you have never seen this type of thing before.

9. Visit the Christmas markets…

If visiting at Christmas time like us. Get in the Christmas spirit with a stroll around the many stalls of the Budapest Christmas markets. From November to the end of December each year, Vörösmarty Square is transformed into The Budapest Christmas Market. Furthermore, the markets offer unique Christmas themed arts and crafts with over 100 stands to browse. The scent of traditional Hungarian food fills the air, so soak up the Christmas atmosphere with a warm cup of mulled wine and watch the live entertainment. What’s more, each day throughout December the giant advent calendar opens a new window that displays music and light shows projected onto the Gerbeaud building.

10. Explore via Hop on hop off…

Jump on and off the buses at your leisure… If you’re visiting Budapest for a short time, then the hop on hop off city buses can be really useful. Initially, we were unsure if we would make use of one of these as we like to explore cities by foot most of the time, as this is how you see all those hidden gems… however, it really came in handy to get from A to B to save a little bit of time if we wanted to see something particular. This certainly didn’t stop us getting the steps in!

Thank you for reading, we hope you found this blog helpful. If you did, or you have any other cool places to add, please let us know in the comments below! We would love to hear from you.

Lu & Ad

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