Weekend in Budapest – Activities, Foodie Tips & Accommodation
Weekend in Budapest – I’m not sure a weekend is enough 🙂 so I’ve split my guide into days that pack a lot of punch, and make geographical sense! The city is split into the Buda and the Pest side of the river Danube (hence the name Budapest) with Margaret Island sitting in the middle. Let’s get started.
Chain Bridge / Funicular / Fisherman’s Bastion / Royal Palace / Matthias Church / Castle Garden Bazaar / Prosecco Cruise / Shoes on the Danube / Hungarian Parliament / St Stephen’s Basilica / Szechenyi Thermal Baths / Heroes Square / Margaret Island / Music Fountain / Budapest Sign / Palatinus Baths / Where to Stay / Food & Drink
Weekend in Budapest – Friday Afternoon – Explore Buda
Cross the Chain Bridge
FREE Cross the famous and v elegant Chain Bridge to leave the Pest side of the river and head over to Buda. It opened in 1849, was blown up during WW2 in 1945, and rebuilt in 1949, so a v dramatic past!
Castle Hill Funicular
Catching the historic funicular is part of the Budapest experience. It costs 4000HUF (roughly £9 for a return ticket) so it’s quite expensive for a short but fun trip. We didn’t even use the return as there’s so much to explore on foot. Another option is catching the Buda Castle Bus – it’s hop on/hop off, with 5 stops around Buda. It costs 6000HUF (€15 adult, 6-16 years old are €10, kids under six are free, ) so customers arguably get better value for money and it’s better for anyone with mobility issues, but it’s not the funicular. Your call.
Visit the Fisherman’s Bastion
FREE & PAID OPTIONS – This is a beautiful creation that dates back to 1895 and it’s located on the site of a medieval fish market. If a Queen asked a princess to build a hilltop folly, this is how fantastical I’d expect the end result to be. You can buy tickets to walk along sections of the bastion, but it’s really not necessary. The bastion frames the Hungarian Parliament on the opposite side of the river splendidly, and you can sit and create the most wonderful images. It’s as if the designer saw Instagram coming!
Wander along, through and up the bastion. And if you want to find a tucked away, almost secret bar (with amazing views) called Halaszbastya.
Admire the Royal Palace & the Changing of the Guards
FREE & PAID OPTIONS I have no idea how these guards don’t melt in 30+ degree heat and those uniforms. They were standing for hours. [The palace also houses the Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest History Museum and the National Szechenyi Library – good rainy day options.]
Matthias Church – Climb the Tower
While in the Castle Hill area it’s popular to pay to enter Matthias Church to climb its famed Mátyás Tower and enjoy the views over the water. This is something we didn’t do (we did 33,000 steps that day so I didn’t need to climb a tower as well!) but I’m including it as it’s so popular.
Castle Garden Bazaar
FREE This area is all about levels, and finding the ancient stone staircases is part of the fun/challenge. Rather than catch the funicular back we explored the maze like stairs and greenery of the garden bazaar.
Weekend in Budapest – Friday Night – Unlimited Prosecco Cruise
This sounds mental but the prosecco cruise proved to be a civilised, fun 75 minute experience. We were greeted with a glass of bubbles on arrival. Most people headed for the top deck, but we sat in velvet seats on the first level with open windows giving great access to the views of the Castle Hill on one side and the Hungarian Parliament on the other. Don’t worry about ‘which side’ to sit on as the boat does a lap then turns, so you see both viewpoints.
The waiters are diligent about topping up your glass so you don’t even have to get up! I think we had about 5 top ups on the journey. The bar also offers help-yourself juices and spritzers. At approx £22 this was fantastic value, it was wonderful seeing the sights from the water, and the prosecco was the cherry on the top. These trips book up fast. I booked this one as left from the Pest side of the river.
My second choice (which was already fully booked anyhow) looked exactly the same, but left from Margaret Island, which was 5-10 mins further away from our accommodation. Tickets and availability here.
Other Boat Trips
Multiple alternative boat trips by day or in the evening are available. Consider :-
Budapest: Dinner with Operetta & Folk Show (approx £75)
Evening Cruise with Dinner and Champagne (approx £65)
Danube Cruise with Folk Dancing & Drinks (approx £38)
or a simple City Highlights Cruise with Welcome Drink (approx £10)
Weekend in Budapest – Saturday Morning – Explore the Pest side of the Danube
The Hungarian Parliament
FREE A beautiful feat of architecture – my pal kept revelling in how big it was up close and smaller far away, it was like spending a holiday with Dougal from Father Ted. Take time to see the Parliament building by night, by day, view it from the water on a boat trip, from the Buda side at the Fisherman’s Bastion, and stand right underneath it on the Pest side of the river, then walk behind it – beautiful from every angle.
Bronze Statues
FREE Budapest is absolutely peppered with bronze statues right across the city. You’ll stumble up on them wherever you go. My favourite was the Little Princess, near the Chain Bridge.
Shoes Along the Danube
FREE This is a moving memorial to Jews who were shot on the banks of the Danube by the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party in the winter of 1944-45. Around 60 pairs of shoes feature – men’s, women’s and little children’s. The persecution of Jews wasn’t organised just by Nazis but in every country involved it was also implemented and arranged by local bodies, people and institutions for a multitude of reasons, ranging from fear and greed to ambivalence. A reminder that targeting one group of people for annihilation is so ‘inhuman’ that only humans ever do it.
St Stephen’s Basilica
Another church to visit with a tower to climb to get great views. We didn’t try this so it’s on my list for next time.
Weekend in Budapest – Saturday Afternoon – Szechenyi Thermal Baths
Catch the metro over to Szechenyi Furdo stop right outside the famed Szechenyi Thermal Baths. There are several renowned baths in the city. Szechenyi is arguably the most touristy, but it’s vast, housed in a stunning historic building, it has indoors and outdoors bathing options so you’re not stuck indoors on a hot day. There are free loungers, cabins to rent, you can bring your own robes/towels etc. but it’s easy to hire them too.
We opted for the Dayspalm and Chill package for approximately £55. It included a lockable cabin/dressing room, gown, flip-flops, swim cap (for the sports pool that we didn’t use), two cups of tea, one cocktail, a fruit platter and access to the Dayspalm with its relaxed indoor and outdoor seating, hammocks and chilled vibes.
You can spend hours, almost an entire day at the baths, the water is generally wonderfully warm (except for the cold dip pools) and it’s surprisingly child friendly as well.
Heroes Square
FREE – The baths are right next to Heroes Square so it’s worth taking a look at the statues and the Millennium Monument. It dates back to late 19th century and is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Weekend in Budapest – Sunday Morning – Margaret Island
FREE – Margaret Island is located in the Danube between Buda and Pest, linked by bridges and easy to access on foot. Among the grassland and the flower gardens, such as the Japanese and the Rose garden, there’s plenty more to do. [Most toilets here require a cash payment of €1 or a few HUF, or, if they’re situated at a cafe, they’re free with a receipt from the cafe.]
Music Fountain – Margaret Island
FREE – By day the Music Fountain offers creative water displays, similar to firework displays, set to music. People gather on the benches to watch and relax, or they sit on the edge of the fountain on hot days and dip their feet in the water. By night the water is illuminated with changing light colours. A thing of beauty for all ages.
BUDAPEST Sign – Margaret Island
FREE – MYou know you’re on holiday when you get a snap at the Budapest sign. We visited at night, so it’s hard to get a pic when you’re back lit, but we prevailed 🙂
Hire Cute Vehicles – Margaret Island
There are colourful cars for kids to pedal round the island, or larger vehicles for families or lively groups of friends. We didn’t hire any, so not sure on prices but it’s on my list for next time!
Hippie Island – Margaret Island
There are several kiosks or very simple cafes, they’re absolutely fine if you just need to grab a drink but we wanted to sit down and enjoy the bar we were in. Therefore we loved Hippie Island. Lots of sun loungers, umbrellas for shade, and plenty of sun. Could have whiled away a few hours here.
Palatinus Baths – Margaret Island
I loved the informal relaxed look of the outdoor pools at the Palatinus Baths, which first opened in 1919. People ate picnics, sunbathed in the grass. I really REALLY want to take my kids here. Palatinus apparently offers over a dozen pools in total, including 4 kids’ pools, an artificial wave pool, slides, indoor pools (some hot, some cold plunge pools).
Where to Stay – Weekend in Budapest
We were spoiled in these contemporary apartments. Our two bedroom apartment also had two shower rooms so we didnt’ have to share toilet facilities, plus a vast balcony, living area, dining table and kitchen. 24/7 reception. Fantastic location. Also close to the Opera metro line. I couldn’t fault the accommodation and would recommend it.
[You need to pay a token city tax on arrival at check in, plus a deposit, both in cash – worth noting if you travel cash-free.] If I was being critical I’d highlight personal service as their weakest link. Check out prices and availability here.
Food & Drink – Weekend in Budapest
Where to start? I want to return to Budapest to eat more, seriously. It’s an activity in itself so I’ll write a post on the food and drink and add it here when it’s ready.
Our Story – We flew Edinburgh to Budapest with Ryanair.
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