Budapest Travel Guide | My Life Trips

Budapest

Information

Budapest is the capital and the most densely populated city of Hungary and the 10th largest city in the European Union, with a population of 1,800,000. Budapest attracts 4.4 million tourists every year and it is the 25th most popular city in the world and the 6th in Europe. With a unique, youthful atmosphere, with a vibrant nightlife, Budapest is one of Europe’s most enjoyable cities. The city is also known for its natural thermal baths, but also for its architecture, from which it has been nicknamed “Paris of the East”.

In 1987, Budapest was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Hungarian Forint is the currency of Hungary and for the latest updated exchange rates you can visit the XE Currency Converter page.

What To See...

Chain Bridge

One of Budapest’s landmarks is the chain bridge that connects both sides of the city (Buda and Pest) from which it has taken its name. With a length of 380 meters, this bridge is perhaps the most recognizable attraction along with the parliament building. The bridge reopened after the second world war, which was destroyed and still today is the symbol of Budapest.

Fisherman's Bastion

No doubt it is one of the most beautiful (by far the most beautiful in our opinion) sights of Budapest. Built on a hill, in fisherman’s bastion you will find some of the most beautiful buildings of the city, such as the Matthias church, as well as the most beautiful panoramic view of the city of Pest, with parliament and the chain bridge overlooking.

Buda Castle

The Buda Castle in Budapest is one of the most important sights of the city. The castle is visible from almost everywhere in the city and houses some of the most important buildings, such as the National Gallery and the History Museum of Budapest. The Budapest Castle is open 24 hours for the outdoors, but most of the buildings operate from 10:00-18:00 daily except mondays.

The Parliament Building

This incredible building is the seat of the Hungarian Parliament and one of the city’s most popular attractions. It is right on the banks of the Danube river and is probably the most photographed building in the city. Entry costs 6 euros per person for citizens of the European Union and 12 euros for everyone else. It is definitely worth a visit!

Margaret Island

This small 2.5 km long island is the ideal place for a quiet walk in the city of Budapest. Here you will find some restaurants, swimming pools during summer, walking paths, and even a small zoo. If you want to relax from the city’s fast pace then this is the best place!

Heroes Square

At the end of the famous Andrassy avenue is located the Heroes Square. One of the most central squares and the largest of the city, which is definitely a sight you should not miss. The impressive statues of the kings and other important figures will instantly draw your attention.

Matthias Church

One of the most beautiful churches in Budapest that definitely deserves to be visited. Matthias Church is located in the most beautiful part of the city, very close to the castle and within the Fisherman’s Bastion. Entrance costs 4,5 euros per person and opening hours are from 09:00-17:00 daily.

Nearby Excursions

Budapest is a big city and you will definitely need several days to explore it. Its geographical location is not the ideal one for nearby excursions, as there is not something special to see nearby. This can be good, because you will have more time to enjoy this beautiful city, but if you want to make a nearby very interesting excursion then the two best choices you have, are Vienna in Austria and Bratislava in Slovakia.

Both of these beautiful cities are not very far from Budapest, but for sure it will not be a relaxing one day excursion. If you manage to combine your trip to one of these cities with at least 1-2 night stops, then it is a great choice and you have managed to travel to two different countries in one day. The choice is of course yours, although we definitely liked more Vienna, which is a quite larger city and you will need at least 2 days to see the main sights.

Vienna is a 2.45 minutes drive (245 km) by car or train from Budapest and Bratislava is approximately 2 hours (200 km). The option to use the train to visit them is also good, but surely if you rent a car you will have much more freedom and you will be able to schedule your trip much better.

What To Eat

The first thing that comes to mind when we think about our trip to Budapest is of course the traditional “Goulash”. Hungarian Goulash is a dish with the meat as the main ingredient and it looks like a sliced beef in red sauce. It is usually spiced with lots of paprika and many other spices. The recipe comes from medieval Hungary and is a popular meal consumed mainly in Central Europe but also in other parts of Europe. In Budapest you will find many restaurants that serving this particular dish and most of them are excellent at reasonable prices.

How to move

Budapest is a huge city and it will surely be difficult to explore it just by walking around. Fortunately, the main tourist attractions that mentioned above are relatively close to the Danube river and if you want to focus on them, you might not need probably any means of transport. A fairly good and also cheap choice is the metro, as prices are quite low compared to other European cities. A single route ticket costs only 350 (HUF) about 1 euro, but there are also other great options such as the weekly cards that you can easily get from kiosks or automated machines.

Budapest Airport is 25 minutes away (22 km) from the city center and you have two options to get to the city center. The first one is taxi, where it will cost you about 22 euros for one route and the other one is the bus number 100E, which is departing from the airport every 30 minutes and costs 900 HUF (3 euros) per person for one route.

Where to stay

Budapest is an inexpensive city in terms of accomodation. It is easy to find a 4-5 star hotel at prices around 50-60 euros per night and even cheaper decent rooms in the city center, with prices ranging from 30-40 euros for a double room. Our opinion is to take advantage of the very good prices and choose a beautiful hotel in the city center, so you will be close to the main sights and you will save enough time and money from daily unnecessary transportation. You can make your reservations via Booking.com

Booking.com