The Finest Issues to Do On a Weekend in Budapest (2-day Itinerary)

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Fancy a implausible weekend away? Budapest is all the time an incredible possibility! Should you’re in search of a laid-back 2-day itinerary for Budapest, the place you’ll be able to chill out within the baths, strive scrumptious meals and do a little bit of sightseeing, this itinerary for a weekend in Budapest is for you!

Whereas Budapest not too long ago has gained recognition as a stag get together vacation spot, it affords a lot greater than that and is an ideal place for pals, households and {couples}. There are such a lot of issues to do in Budapest, and it’s not possible to see and do all of them simply in a weekend. 

Therefore, on this article, I absolutely deal with what we did in Budapest on our 2-day journey. It’s not our first time visiting Budapest – I’ve been there as soon as earlier than (and described it as a part of our 11-day journey to Central Europe, visiting Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria by trains and buses), and Pepe has been twice. There are some locations that we determined to revisit, though we’ve got been there earlier than, simply because it’s an absolute delight to revisit them!

Earlier than we begin with the itinerary, right here is an outline of the helpful hyperlinks from the article (I’m typically requested to summarise all of the hyperlinks in a single place so they’re simpler to search out). 

Overview of helpful hyperlinks from this text:

Lodge in Budapest: Marriott or Lodge Rumor

Szechenyi Baths: e book on-line right here 

Budapest cruises: e book right here

Buda strolling tour: examine costs and availability right here

Right here’s a fast overview of our 2-day itinerary for Budapest: 

Day 0: night flight to Budapest

Day 1 (Saturday): Breakfast at Dobrumba, strolling across the Jewish Quarter, Central Market, Szechenyi Baths, Marriott rooftop terrace, dinner at Hilda, evening stroll & The Szimpla Kert 

Day 2 (Sunday): Breakfast at New York Cafe, sightseeing in Buda, Fisherman’s Bastion, strolling to Pest, Lunch in Fats Mama, Dessert at cafe Gerbeaud, heading again to the airport

With out additional ado, let’s get began!

2-day itinerary for Budapest | Issues to do on a weekend in Budapest

Day 0: Taking a night flight to Budapest

Personally, I’m not an enormous fan of waking up at 4 am within the morning to catch the 8am flight. In any other case, we may have undoubtedly arrived a day later. Should you’re on a price range, that could be a good suggestion as a result of lodges in Budapest are expensive, and that method, you wouldn’t must pay for 2 nights. We used to do it on a regular basis, however after we turned 30, or perhaps it was the pandemic that modified the way in which we journey, we stopped taking early morning flights and as an alternative began flying on Friday and even Thursday nights. 

We took the newest flight to Budapest from London Stansted and landed round 11pm. It took some time to move safety and discover a taxi, so we solely arrived at our resort round 1am.

The place to remain in Budapest?

Budapest is a big metropolis; nevertheless, when you’re solely staying for 2 nights, it is smart to remain in two principal areas of town – the Jewish quarter, the place most eating places are situated or close to the Danube embankment, between Deak Ferenc Ter and Ferenciek Tere. Some folks select to remain in Buda, close to the primary landmarks. Nonetheless, this space doesn’t have something to do within the evenings, there are hardly any eating places, and you’ll spend a variety of time travelling out and in there.

Listed below are the lodges we’d suggest in Budapest:

Luxurious & mid-range: Marriott Budapest (that’s the place we stayed and cherished the views) with one of the best views of Danube, Parisi Udvar by Hyatt

Reasonably priced: Lodge Rumor, K46 Residence

We didn’t truly do something on our first evening in Budapest, because it was too late, so all actions on Saturday and Sunday throughout this 2-day journey to Budapest.

Day 1 (Saturday): Discovering Budapest’s Finest Landmarks

Morning: Breakfast in Dobrumba + Exploring the Jewish Quarter

We awoke round 9am and determined to start out our morning exploring the Jewish Quarter, one of many coolest and most hipster areas of Budapest. There’s a variety of funky road artwork, and in addition, a few of the finest breakfast and brunch spots are situated there.  

We walked all the way in which to the Jewish Quarter and had a yummy Center-eastern-style breakfast on the beautiful Dobrumba cafe. The road the place Dobrumba is situated has loads of totally different brunch eating places – when you choose one thing else for breakfast, there are such a lot of choices!

After breakfast, we walked somewhat bit across the space, looking for probably the most lovely streets. 

Noon and afternoon: Central Market and Szechenyi Baths

Central Market

Our subsequent vacation spot was energetic Central Market, a buzzing place full of native goodies and distinctive finds. We took a while to discover the stalls and located every thing, from recent produce to chill souvenirs. The Central Market in Budapest is a good place to go to when you’re planning to purchase some souvenirs or if you wish to eat – because it’s undoubtedly the most effective locations to strive native Hungarian meals. 

The market has two ranges – all of the meals stalls and eating places are on the higher degree. The market can be very lovely – it’s undoubtedly one of the spectacular markets in Europe. Should you’re not planning to purchase or eat something there, it’s price visiting simply to see the market constructing itself! The market is closed on Sundays, so when you’re solely coming to Budapest for a weekend, you’ll be able to solely go to it on a Saturday! 

Szechenyi Baths

Subsequent, it was time to go to the well-known Szechenyi Baths, which is certainly the most effective issues to do on a weekend in Budapest. For Szechenyi Baths, that you must pre-book tickets prematurely. Don’t neglect a towel and slippers – you received’t have the ability to enter with out the slippers and shopping for them there’s very costly. I’m within the means of writing a information to visiting Szechenyi Baths, and I’ll hyperlink it right here as soon as it’s completed!

I additionally suggest bringing a bathrobe or one thing to cowl up whilst you’re there, particularly when you’re visiting outdoors within the heat summer time months! There are a few out of doors swimming pools and plenty of indoor swimming pools and saunas, and you’ll simply spend a few hours at Szechenyi Baths.

A number of persons are additionally questioning which one is best, Szechenyi Baths or Gellert Baths and since we’ve solely been to Szechenyi, it’s arduous for us to say, however we’ve learn some articles earlier than visiting, and it looks like Szechenyi Baths are somewhat bit extra spectacular, so we determined to go there.

Nonetheless, if there isn’t a availability at Szechenyi Baths, you’ll be able to completely go to Gellert Baths, and I’m certain you’ll get pleasure from it lots! Verify the supply of Szechenyi Baths right here & e book tickets on-line.

Night: Rooftop terrace, dinner at Hilda & the Spoil Bar 

We had been in Budapest in early spring, so it was getting darkish fairly early. We needed to rush again to the resort to alter and have the ability to watch the attractive sundown from the rooftop bar of our resort, Marriott. I undoubtedly suggest this bar for gorgeous views of town, particularly throughout sundown. Alternatively, you’ll be able to take a sundown cruise when you’re visiting in summer time.

For dinner, we booked a restaurant known as Hilda. We discovered it talked about in a few guides to one of the best eating places in Budapest, and we had been fortunate to get a same-day reserving. Often, that you must pre-book a minimum of a few days prematurely, as Hilda will get very busy. The restaurant undoubtedly didn’t disappoint – the meals was conventional Hungarian however with a twist. All the things was scrumptious, and we will certainly come again there once we journey to Budapest once more.

Budapest will get very busy at evening! After dinner, we went for a stroll to see town’s illuminated landmarks and discover the nightlife and couldn’t miss the well-known Spoil Bar, Szimpla Kert. Szimpla Kert is an area that consists of a number of bars. You don’t want a reserving, however there’s all the time a queue outdoors, nevertheless, it could actually transfer fairly quick. 

Day 2 of the weekend in Budapest (Sunday): New York Cafe and Buda and Pest Journey

Morning: Breakfast at New York Cafe & sightseeing in Buda 

New York Cafe

Very first thing within the morning, we went to the well-known New York Cafe, a spot we’d heard lots about.Often, the wait is sort of lengthy – when you come there round 11am, you’ll be able to keep as much as 2 hours within the queue. To keep away from that, we determined to get up early and be there simply after 9 am. We had been very fortunate as we didn’t have to attend and had been seated once we arrived. 

Inside, we had been amazed by New York Cafe’s fancy decorations, lovely chandeliers, and stay music. New York Cafe claims to be probably the most lovely restaurant on the planet, and this declare might be true. The meals, then again, may be very common, and the parts are tiny, however most individuals come there only for a espresso and to benefit from the ambiance. 

Sightseeing in Buda

Feeling stuffed with vitality after breakfast, we took the general public transport with trams and buses going via busy streets. We crossed the Danube River and reached a reasonably space known as Buda, the place the spectacular Buda Fortress stood tall on a hill. Buda was once a separate metropolis from Pest, and it was once a a lot richer and fancier metropolis as properly. Many of the landmarks of Budapest are literally situated in Buda. If you wish to be taught extra in regards to the historical past of Budapest, I like to recommend taking this strolling small group tour round Buda & Buda Fortress. It’s very inexpensive and solely lasts 2-3 hours. You’ll be able to examine the costs and availability right here.

My favorite constructing in Buda is certainly the Fisherman’s Bastion, the place you’ll be able to snap implausible images of town and the Danube. Furthermore, the constructing itself may be very uncommon and gorgeous!

One other must-visit landmark is Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom), situated subsequent to Buda Fortress. This iconic church is thought for its vibrant roof tiles and Gothic structure. It has a wealthy historical past and is carefully tied to Hungary’s kings and queens.

Afternoon: strolling again to Pest & lunch at Fats Mama. Late afternoon cake at Cafe Gerbeaud

After spending a few hours in Buda, it was time for us to return to Pest. We determined to stroll there because it wasn’t too far – just below 50 minutes of strolling, or simply underneath an hour when you determine to take just a few images on the way in which. 

For lunch, we went to a spot known as Fats Mama, which is a big & easy restaurant with tasty Hungarian and worldwide meals. We ordered two goulash soups, and though the parts appeared fairly small, one soup was greater than sufficient meals for lunch. Goulash is a really hearty and in addition fairly fats dish! 

After lunch, we went on a small stroll to see how the world the place Szimpla Kerr is situated seems to be in the course of the day. We had been fairly shocked to see the world buzzing in the course of the day as properly – all of the eating places had been full, and there was even a small Sunday market promoting souvenirs, jewelry and humanities and crafts. 

Cafe Gerbeaud

Earlier than it was time for us to go to the airport to seize a flight again to London, we had a little bit of time to go to the final spot we wished to go to, the enduring historic Cafe Gerbeaud, well-known for its truffles. Cafe Gerbeaud has been round since 1858. It has a wealthy historical past and appears very fancy inside, with lovely decorations and chandeliers. The café is thought for its scrumptious selfmade pastries just like the Dobos cake and flaky strudels, made utilizing conventional recipes. We tried two truffles, and for sure, they had been completely scrumptious!

Abstract of our 2-day itinerary for Budapest: finest issues to do on a weekend in Budapest

I hope you loved this laid-back itinerary for Budapest! Should you’re not a first-timer and also you’ve been to Budapest earlier than, this itinerary is ideal for locating new locations and having fun with Budapest at your personal tempo. Should you haven’t been to Budapest earlier than, however don’t really feel like waking up at 7am every single day and like a extra laid-back and cozy method of travelling and exploring, you’ll get pleasure from this itinerary! There’s a little bit of every thing – scrumptious meals, sightseeing, buying and, in fact, the well-known Szechenyi Baths.

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