The final stop on the European portion of our backpacking adventure, following a fairly early departure from Bratislava, we finally arrived in my favourite city, Budapest. I am completely in love with the Hungarian capital and after reading this you’ll hopefully be able to see why! My trip with Char was my second visit to this glorious city and still, I would happily return in a heartbeat.
Getting there…
On my first visit to Budapest we flew directly from Manchester for a fairly reasonable price. It was easy enough to get a bus from the airport into the city and find our way to our hostel. I’d recommend arriving by plane to those visiting for a short stay.
Char and I came into the city from Bratislava using a Regiojet bus. Let me tell you that this is the best bus we ended up using whilst backpacking through Europe! Every seat has a personal TV so you can watch whatever you want during the journey. Not to mention how comfy the seats were! Highly recommended to fellow backpackers, and if you’re a student it’s super cheap!
Where to Stay?
So once you get there, where do you stay? If you’re looking to be close to the ruin bars then I would suggest Casa de la Musica. It’s very close to the night life but equally a reasonable distance to be able to walk into the city centre.
For a hostel closer to the cities main sights and attractions then I would recommend Adagio Hostel 2.0. Char and I chose it purposefully because we knew it would be close to the Basilica. What we didn’t realise until we had checked in was that we would be getting a stunning view of the Basilica itself from our window! For this reason alone I would highly recommend this hostel.
What to do?
Budapest is basically two cities combined into one. Buda, the hilly side of the Danube and Pest, the flatter side.
Let’s talk about the Buda side first! The main sights include the Castle, St Martin’s Cathedral, Fisherman’s Bastion and Gellert Hill.
St Martin’s Cathedral
St Martin’s Cathedral sits on top of a hill overlooking the river, just a stones throw away from the castle. It is absolutely stunning with an ornate tiled roof and gorgeous stained-glass windows. If you look closely you will find a a raven sitting on one of the towers. Admission is discounted for students so make sure you take your student card along for the trip if you have one.
Fisherman’s Bastion
The Fisherman’s Bastion sits behind the cathedral, offering glorious views of the city below, especially of its crown jewel, the Parliament building. If you’re wanting the perfect shot for insta then this is it. Sorry Britain but Budapest’s architects really outdid us here!
Buda Castle & Ravens Gate
Buda Castle is not quite as impressive as some of the other castles Char and I had seen on this trip, resembling more of a palace, however it is still worth taking the time to visit. Not only is the view from the balconies fantastic but there are many beautiful statues and fountains to admire around the grounds.
The Ravens Gate behind the castle is unique in design and you’ll be enthralled by the tale behind it. Without giving too much away (because finding out for yourself is half the fun) it holds a certain significance to their most loved and adored king, Matthias. His mother gave a raven a ring the night before his coronation and the raven flew all the way from Transylvania to Prague to deliver it. The raven holding a ring in its beak can also be found in other parts of the city so keep an eye out for it.
Hospital in the Rock
Beyond the main attractions on this side of the river you can find some hidden gems. The Hospital in the Rock is an old, World War II underground hospital that has since been adapted into a nuclear bunker. You can take a tour around it for a small price and I would highly recommend doing so. Just make sure to wrap up warm as it’s very cold down there!
Buda Caves
There are also a variety of caves under the Buda Hills that are well worth a visit. Labirintus is the one that is closest to the castle but after hearing some less than encouraging reviews we opted for some that were a little further afield. You can get to both via the Taxify app (Hungaries answer to Uber).
The Szemlo-hegyi caves are unique in that they contain gorgeous popcorn formations and crystals formed thousands of years ago. The Palvolgyi caves are famed for their stalactite formations. You have the option to go properly caving at this site instead of opting for the more informative but less adventurous tour.
The Buda Hills
It would be wrong of me to talk about the Buda side of river without mentioning the Buda Hills themselves. Whilst myself and Char were in Budapest it happened to be Char’s birthday. I thought I’d treat her to a lovely relaxing spa day but she had other ideas. Long story short, we ended up in the middle of the Buda Hills, not really sure where exactly we were.
Char had randomly picked a lesser walked path through the trees (if you can call it a path) that was more than likely a wild boar track, pointed towards it and said ‘Oh that looks fun, lets go that way!’ This “path” turned out to be basically vertical and ended up passing through thick bushes and undergrowth. I was horrified at first, much to Chars amusement, but hey, YOLO!
After a steep scramble we emerged back onto the main track and shortly after arrived at a gorgeous viewpoint. Following a short rest we headed off in another random direction to explore a little more. Completely by accident we ended up at the summit of Kescke Hegyi. The view was absolutely spectacular. I really can’t wait to return and fill you all in with proper accounts of the hikes that are available around the Buda Hills.
Pest
The Pest side of the river is just as exciting, if not more so than the Buda side.
Parliament & Shoes by the Danube
You can get a much closer look at Parliament from this side of the river and appreciate the beauty of its architecture up close. If you want to go in be sure to get there early as the queues are massive! Whilst you’re there be sure to check out the memorial to the 1956 massacre and the famous Shoes by the Danube. For such a beautiful city it has a very sad history.
Budapest Synagogue
Make sure you take the time to visit Budapest Synagogue. Not only is it beautiful both inside and out, but it is the largest synagogue in Europe! It sits right on the border of where the Budapest ghetto would have been during WWII, and as such contains a massive amount of history. A beautiful memorial to the Holocaust can be found outside amongst other works of art. Make sure to get an official free tour of the synagogue and its grounds. The tour guides have such knowledge it really gives colour to your visit.
St Stephens Basilica
St Stephens Basilica is striking in appearance. Both inside and out it is absolutely beautiful, however the crown jewel is the view from the dome! You can stroll around the entirety of it to get the best panoramic city views. During your assent you also get a fantastic insight into the structure of the inside of the dome. Be sure to spend some time here taking it all in.
Thermal Baths
Now a trip to Budapest would not be complete without a visit to the thermal baths. There are so many to choose from but we decided upon the Szechenyi Thermal Baths based on its 18 pools of various different scents and temperatures. They truly are glorious both inside and out. Every pool offers something a little bit different so attempt to try them all!
I would strongly encourage you to walk along Andrassy to get there as there are so many lovely cafes, bars and extra things to do en route. The House of Terror, for example, explores more of Budapests sad history but is so very worth taking the time to see and appreciate. Used by the Nazis during the war and then by the Soviet Union afterwards the building itself has seen countless horrors unfold within its walls.
Ruin Bars
For night life in the city there is a variety of options but the ruin bars, especially Szimplakert and FOGAS are my favourite. They are quirky and have a great atmosphere that is so hard to describe. You just have to experience it. It is also a good idea to wander about and discover the other cute little ruin bars the Jewish Quarter is hiding.
Cruising Down the Danube
If you’re looking for a bit of a quieter night then head down to the banks of the Danube and find yourself a sunset river cruise. These normally leave during the early evening so that you can watch sunset from on board. Being able to see the entire city skyline light up before you truly is magical. If you’re really lucky you may even have a string quartet playing to you from the top deck. Very Titanic (just without the crashing and sinking part).
Where to eat?
I’ll leave you all by recommending the best place to eat in the entire city. Drum Café. From strawberry beer to mouth-watering goulash langosh the entire menu is heavenly.
There really is no shortage of things to do in Budapest. Take your time here so that you can fully experience everything it has to offer. You will most definitely be rewarded by what you find.
Remember you can also read about our trip on Chars blog! You can find the link here!
Have you been to Budapest? Let me know in the comments below!
