I recently took a city break to visit the tourist attractions in Budapest. The beautiful capital city of Hungary which took just over 2 hours to fly to from the UK. This was a budget friendly city break for me and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Not only was it extremely cheap to fly there, but accommodation, food and drink were all very good value for money.

I booked my flight directly with Ryanair, their site is very simple to use. The accommodation I booked through the Bookings.com where I chose the hotel based on its price and location.

A pretty easy flight with Ryanair, the first flight I have taken since pre-Covid so I was a bit unsure what to expect. The only additional feature was to wear a face mask onboard the flight, and this was compulsory for everyone from what I could tell.

Budapest also has no COVID-19 vaccination requirements or fit-to-fly certificates to enter, which for non-vaccinated people is great to still be able to travel.

What To Do In Budapest

Hungary is a landlocked country based in the Central Europe.

The official language spoken is Hungarian, and the primary currency in Budapest in Hungarian Foriant. However, I found a lot of stores and restaurants accept Euros too. It worked out that Euros were the more expensive currency, so would recommend taking Hungarian Foriant to Budapest if you are planning to visit.

History of Budapest

Budapest has a history tracing back to Roman times and the historic Trinity Square homes the 13th-century Matthias Church.

The city itself is split into 2 by the river Danube and either side couldn’t be more different. The 2 sides are connected by bridges which are pedestrianised and for the local traffic.

Historically there were 3 separate settlements which finally unified as 1 city in 1873. The city of Buda merged with O-Buda which is on the west of the city and the hilly part of the capital. Then there is Pest which is a flat commercial town. You can clearly identify the difference between the 2 cities as you travel along the Danube River.

Tourist Attractions In Budapest

River Cruise Along The Danube River

This needs to be number one of your list of things to do in Budapest. Regardless of how long your trip to Budapest is the top attraction on your list needs to be a river sightseeing cruise.

There are a number of boats which will take you on a trip along the river Danube and educate you on the points of interest along the way. This is where you will get the basis of your information about the city and you can use this to then pin-point where you want to visit and experience in more depth.

The shortest cruise I believe only lasts for 1 hour. This is a night time cruise and it is a spectacular way to see the top landmarks lit up and creates un-obstructed photo opportunities along the way.

Ticket offices can be found along the river edge on the Pest side of town by the parliament building. Which is also where the docking of the cruises is.

Shoes On The Danube Bank

This is quite a new memorial which was only erected in April 2005. It is to honour the Jews that were massacred during World War II. It is thought that as many as 20,000 Jews were shot in this location between December 1944 and January 1945. Located on the Pest side of the city along by the Parliament building.

There are 60 pairs of period shoes made from iron which is to honour the victims. The victims were made to take off their shoes before being shot and falling into the river. Where their bodies were carried away by the current. Shoes were considered valuable and were likely to have been re-sold by the Arrow Cross military men who carried out the massacres.

These 60 pairs of iron shoes are fixed to the edge of the embankment along with a commemorative plaque. The plaque reads ‘ To The Memory Of The Victims Shot Into The Danube By Arrow Cross Militiamen in 1944-1945 ‘

Buda Castle Tour

There are a number of walking tours you can do in and around Buda Castle and this is one of the main tourist attractions in Budapest.

Buda Castle was first completed in 1265 with the additional Baroque palace which occupies it built between 1749-1769. It is by far one of the most famous castles in the world, it stands proud in the hilly town of Buda over looking the river and Pest part of the city.

Inside the castle you will also find Budapest History Museum and the Hungarian National Gallery.

This is on the more hilly side to the city where a lot of vehicles cant access the roads nearby. Trams seem to be the most common mode of transport around the city and run for long periods during the days.

I would only recommend taking these tours if your mobility allows you to stand and walk for up to 3 hours. There is also wheelchair access in and around the castle.

Margaret Island

This is where you will find the Budapest sign which people like to take pictures at. It is quite near the beginning of the park just before the restaurants and bars.

Margaret Island is in the Danube river midway between Buda and Pest. It’s a very tranquil park which hosts a number of activities and places of interest. Clearly very popular with locals for the jogging tracks and picturesque green oasis. It is also completely free to enter and you would probably spend half the day walking round and admiring the sites it has to offer.

Margaret island stretches 2.5 kilometres long and about 500 metres wide. It is accessible on foot midway across Margaret bridge which takes you from Buda into the West End part of Pest.

You can hire bikes and pedal carts to get around the island but this isn’t necessary, walking enables you so see more of the beauty. The mini zoo is completely free to enter as is the Japanese garden and the rose garden.

There are several small cafes, bars and restaurants to enjoy while you there, along with a number of pretzel street vendors.

Széchenyi Spa

One of the main tourist attractions in Budapest are the spas and Széchenyi Spa being the main one. It is the largest medicinal bath in Europe and been there since 1913.

The water is supplied to the Széchenyi Spa by 2 thermal springs. The thermal spring components include sulfate, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate and a significant amount of metaboric acid and fluoride.

There are numerous pools with varying temperatures inside and then a huge pool outside. It is very popular and at peak times can feel a bit too busy especially trying to find a sun lounger outside.

A few points to consider if lounging around at spa sounds like your kind of day trip. Make sure you go prepared in your swimwear under your clothes and take your own towel and water resistant flip flops. You can also buy them at a shop on site if you forget something. Reserve a cabin if you are planning to stay all day as then you have a bit of privacy as well as somewhere to get changed.

City Tours

I stumbled across so many different types of city tours. There are premium tours which include food and alcoholic drinks, and more basic walking tours around the city or even on segways if you fancy that.

As well as the river cruise to ensure you see as much of the history and culture as possible you need a land tour. Of course if you do your own research first then this might not be relevant for you. But too be able to see as much of the famous landmarks as possible a tour guide is a good idea.

As you are walking around town especially in the Pest part of the city you are likely to come across numerous statues and memorials.

Traditional Food In Budapest

Budapest is known for the dish Goulash. Goulash is traditionally a hearty beef and vegetable soup with a sharp sweet flavour. You will see in on the menus as traditional gulash soup, with this slightly different spelling. The more tourist focused restaurants spell the dish as Goulash.

I mainly ate in the west end part of town, these restaurants seemed to be a lot cheaper and more traditional menus.

A chimney cake is a very typical Hungarian sweet treat, I found them sold by street vendors as well as Chimney Cake Palours.

Made with cylindrical layers of dough covered in sugar and baked on an open fire. The street vendors sell them without any filling and you can choose a different topping than just sugar.

Filled chimney cakes were delicious and I devoured a few on my trip. Filled with different ice-creams and then topped with whipped cream from a can, with sprinkles and sauce on top. If you have a sweet tooth these need to be on your list to try while eating out in Budapest.

Hopefully, some of these tourist attractions in Budapest inspire you to visit the beautiful city. I feel it would make a lovely romantic mini-break as well being a very popular destination for stag parties.

Check out bookings.com for great value for money accommodation for your vacation.

If you are looking for a more luxurious holiday take a look at what to do in Dubai for some inspiration on your next trip. But if short haul city breaks are more your thing try a weekend in Marrakesh for a cultural delight.

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