When I lived in Seattle years ago, I knew a friend who visited Budapest and her pictures were really beautiful. Since then, I have wanted to see the city myself. I had planned to stop in Budapest during my travel trip in 2021, but because of the Covid pandemic, Hungary was closed to visitors. I was very happy then, to be able to stay in Budapest for a week after visiting my brother in the Netherlands on this trip!

Budapest is so lovely! The Parliament building was my favorite landmark, but there were multiple castles, churches and city views that were stunning throughout. 

By chance, my sweet friend Steff, who lives in Switzerland, was able to meet me in Budapest for a long weekend, so we got to explore the city together! 😃

City Views

Budapest, once called ‘Queen of the Danube”, consists of two parts, Buda and Pest, separated by the Danube river. The Buda side of the city, hosts Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church and an interesting funicular ride from the Chain Bridge to Buda Castle.

The Pest side holds the Parliament building, the Danube Promenade, City Park, Andrássy Avenue and Hero’s Square.

Multiple bridges connect the hilly Buda district to the flat Pest. The Chain Bridge, opened in 1849, was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Hungary. 

We stayed on the Pest side and found the city to be both walkable, and easily accessible by Budapest’s clean and easy to navigate subway/train/trolley system. 🚞

Fisherman’s Bastion

This unique landmark on the Buda side was built in the 19th Century specifically as a lookout on the beautiful capital city and was never used as an actual fortification. It boasts lovely views of the Parliament building on the Pest side, and was neat to see all the castle-like qualities. 🏰

Buda Castle, Matthias Church and Funicular

Just after leaving the Chain Bridge on the Buda side, a funicular lift, built in 1870, connects Adam Square and Buda Castle. The views of the city from Buda Castle are panoramic and beautiful!

Matthias Church, located near the Fisherman’s Bastion, was established in 1015 and has striking Neo-Gothic features. We were especially impressed by the bright and colorful roof.

Night Views

The Parliament building on the Pest side is lit every night around sunset. We walked down by the waterfront on the Buda side and watched the lights come on, which was really impressive. 🤩

The Chain Bridge and the Pest side also had plenty of lovely night lighting and made for a fun time of day to explore.

The Baths 💧

Budapest is known for its mineral baths and thermal spas. There are multiple baths throughout the city and we decided to visit the Gellért Baths on the Buda side during our trip. 

We were excited to take a trolley car to the baths. Yellow and narrow, I found them to be very cute! 🚃

There is a lot of hype about the baths here, but both Steff and I agreed that the bath we visited was a bit underwhelming. It was very nice to soak in, what are essentially very large hot tubs, but the building felt a bit old, dingy and neglected. The changing rooms were also extremely confusing and maze like. I accidentally went into a men’s bathroom because the signs were so minimal, oops! 😬 Thankfully, no one was in there except me and I only realized after I came out that I had gone in the men’s side. 🤣

Szimpla Kertmozi 🍻

A woman I met on one of my flights to Europe strongly recommended visiting a place called Szimpla Kert while in Budapest. When researching I discovered that this is the oldest and most famous of what are called Ruin Bars around the city. 

Szimpla Kert, which means Simple Garden, was started in 2004 when a formerly abandoned building in Budapest’s Jewish District was saved from demolition by a group of entrepreneurs who wanted to reinvent the space into a community bar. They decided to keep the building’s derelict look, adding unique decorations and seating, to create the open air space that it has now famously become. We visited during the day, and at night. There is a lot of graffiti and unique lighting with artistic details in every room.

Hero’s Square & Vajdahunyad Castle

Part of City Park, Hero’s Square is notable for the iconic Millennium Monument which features Seven Chieftains of the Magyars and the Memorial Stone of Heroes. Next to Hero’s Square is Vajdahunyad Castle and City Park Ice Rink. 

Vajdahunyad Castle is a copy of Hunyad Castle in Romania. It was built in 1896 as part of the Millennial Exhibition which celebrated the 1,000 years of Hungary since the Hungarian Conquest of the Carpathain Basin in 895. It was originally built with cardboard and wood but became so popular that it was rebuilt with stone and brick between 1904-1908. 

Subway 🚉

The Budapest Metro opened in 1896 to celebrate the Millennium of Hungary and is the 2nd oldest metro system in Europe after London. The M1 line (below) became a World Heritage Site in 2002. I loved seeing the old subway tiles and how low the ceilings were compared to modern subways! 😀

The Food! 🍽️

We lucked out with great food options while in the city. A friend of my brother’s recommended a restaurant called TATI Farm to Table where we had brunch one morning, and we stumbled upon a great late lunch restaurant called Garzon Café, with vegetarian options and delicious drinks. 

The city is famous for Kürtöskalács, or Chimney Cakes, known for its cylindrical shape, which comes from rolling dough around a wooden spit that rotates over hot cinders. They have all different types of toppings and some fancy shops add ice cream or chocolate inside. There are vendors all over the city that smell delicious, so it’s fun walking around the tourist areas because it often smells like cinnamon or vanilla. 😋

Final Thoughts

Budapest is one of my favorite European cities that I have visited so far! The lay out of the city, the easy use of their transportation system, the food, the friendly people we met….it was such a nice week. I would definitely recommend visiting if you have a chance in the future!