How to Reach Budapest
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) is well connected across Europe with budget airlines. Budapest is also a superb rail destination — Vienna is just 2.5 hours by train.
Budapest is one of Europe's best value capitals — excellent food, thermal baths, and accommodation cost significantly less than Western European equivalents.
Top Things to See & Do
1. Hungarian Parliament Building
One of Europe's most spectacular buildings — the Gothic Revival parliament on the Danube bank with its 96-metre dome is breathtaking from the river and from inside on a guided tour.
2. Thermal Baths
Budapest sits on over 100 thermal springs. The Széchenyi outdoor baths and the Art Nouveau Gellért baths are the most celebrated — soaking surrounded by beautiful architecture is quintessentially Budapest.
3. Buda Castle & Castle Hill
The historic castle district — the Royal Palace, Matthias Church, and the Fisherman's Bastion with its fairy-tale turrets offering the finest views over Pest and the Danube bridges.
4. Ruin Bars
Budapest invented the ruin bar concept — abandoned buildings in the Jewish Quarter transformed into sprawling bars filled with mismatched furniture and thousands of people. Szimpla Kert is the original and most famous.
5. Great Market Hall
The vast 1897 market hall — ground floor selling fresh produce; upper level packed with Hungarian food stalls and souvenir shops selling paprika, embroidery, and Tokaj wine.
What to Eat in Budapest
- Goulash — the iconic Hungarian beef and paprika stew, nothing like the international version
- Lángos — deep-fried flatbread topped with sour cream and cheese, the essential street food
- Kürtőskalács — chimney cake, sweet spiral pastry cooked over charcoal
- Tokaj wine — Hungary's legendary sweet white wine
Best Time to Visit
Spring and autumn are ideal. Christmas markets in December are among Europe's finest. Summer is warm and lively with outdoor festivals.
