25 Things to do in Budapest, Hungary Travel Guide

Today we're taking you around a city we've been wanting to visit for a while. Budapest! With beautiful architecture and stunning vistas all around, it's easy to see why it's nicknamed the Pearl of the Danube, but Budapest has more than just good looks. This is a city with youthful vibes, vibrant street art, alternative nightlife, delicious food, and so much more. In this travel guide, we're going to try and highlight just that along with the main attractions. So let's dive right in and let us show you a few things to do in Budapest on your next visit. So we are filming Buda Castle right in front of us. And next up we're going to ride the funicular which is over there. Let's kick things off in Buda on the west side of the Danube River, where our first order of business was riding the funicular up to the castle. In we go. Riding the tram. First in and we're going to have the views going up. Look at that. Sweet. Buda Castle is a massive complex complete with royal apartments, ballrooms, chapels, and anything a king could possibly desire. That being said, it was quite crowded when we visited, so we skipped the tour and stuck to the courtyards and public places instead. Today, many of the buildings that make up Buda Castle also house museums and galleries, so while you're here you can visit the Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest History Museum, the House of Houdini, and a few others. The one thing we did make time for was lunch, because if you know us, you know we can't resist a good food market, especially when located in a castle. So fresh off the funicular we arrived in Buda Castle and we need food. And we found food. In like typical Samuel and Audrey fashion we're digging into food before we do any sightseeing. So over here we've got some handmade pasta. It almost looks a bit more like a Spätzle. Spätzle. Like the German noodle. Except this is Hungarian. This is Hungarian. And then comes with chicken. With a chicken stew. Looks good. That looks good. And then down here we have sausage and like a huge portion of mustard. Oh yeah. Yeah, let's go for the chicken and the pasta first. That looks so good. It really does. Mmmmm. How is that? It is really nice. The chicken is nice and tender and the pasta is really thick and heavy. Like if you take a look at it here you can tell that these are like. It looks a bit like gnocchi. Yes, it sort of in between gnocchi and Spätzle. I would describe it kind of like that. I'm going to try out some. And now. It is definitely dense. The sausage is feeling lonely. Sausage time. While you rave about the pasta. While I rave about the pasta. So let's take that in for a huge dunk in the mustard. Woah. Because I'm a mustard. I'm a fan of mustard. In terms of the taste it is one juicy sausage. It is greasy. It is also tender but what really makes it is that mustard sauce. That mustard sauce has got a nice kick to it. It is a bit tangy. I wouldn't call it spicy but it has got a lot of flavor and a bit of a kick to it. Samuel approved. Samuel approved. For something a little unusual we descended into the Buddha Castle Labyrinth, which once functioned as a prison and torture chamber. In the 15th century, it imprisoned the one and only Vlad Tepes, better known to us as Dracula. So we have entered the Labyrinthus and this is a maze of tunnels here in the castle district underneath Buddha Castle. And it looks spooky. And apparently it is associated with Dracula. So this is a map of the cave network we have entered. Apparently it is going to take us about 30 minutes to walk around here. Hopefully we don't get too lost. I'm already getting disoriented. It is so foggy down here and we have now gone down three dead ends. You're officially starting to get spooked. I'm spooked. I don't like it. It was my idea and I don't like it. We are back in the safety of the daylight. Sunshine I love you. I absolutely love that. No. You didn't. But I think that is the whole point of it. If it wasn't a bit spooky then what kind of an attraction is that? It is supposed to be. I think I maybe lasted like ten minutes down there. But the thing is the deeper you go the rooms are just filled with fog and you can't even see your hand in front of you. And there is creepy music. I wanted to keep going but that is alright. Hey, I think you got spooked too. That is why we're out here. Back in the safety of the streets and far away from the grasp of Dracula's ghost, we walked over to Matias Church. Again, summer crowds were a bit crazy that day, so while you can get tickets to visit the church and climb the tower, we opted to just admire it from the exterior. We also walked along Fisherman's Bastion, which is a beautiful terrace that offers views of the Danube River and Pest over on the east bank. Another spot we hit up is the Chain Bridge, which connects Buda and Pest. It's a nice lookout point, and all along the river you'll also find a few different departure points for boat tours down the Danube. I don't know how we got this far into our trip to Budapest without visiting the baths, but better late than never. Our first stop was the Sezheny Thermal Baths, which are the most famed in the whole city. The bright yellow buildings and turquoise pools are iconic and can be found on many a postcard. So we're at basement level. We have men's and women's change rooms. And this little watch acts as our lock. As our key. We finally found our way out of the baths. That place is a maze. There are so many pools and showers and jacuzzis. I know. We didn't know how to get out. It took a while to actually get outside but here we are and this is basically our first bath in Budapest. Is it warm? Oh yeah. I'm hot. You're missing out. The complex has numerous indoor and outdoor pools and varying temperatures, so there's something for everyone. Also, Sam discovered that you can buy and drink beer at the baths, so he was pretty happy about that. Well well, what have you found for yourself? Well well, I've got a borshoty beer. And that's perfect because it is starting to get really warm right now. So time to cool off with a beer. Who would have thought? Beers at the bath. This would so not be legal in North America. Yeah, this is a great combination. What a brilliant idea. Not too far from the baths, we came across Vajdahunyad Castle, which despite its looks was built in 1896. The unique thing about this castle is that it showcases Hungary's architectural evolution, incorporating styles that span from the Middle Ages through to the 18th century. And from the castle, it's just a short walk over to Heroes Square, a Budapest landmark that commemorates the 1000-year-old history of the Magyars, also known as the Hungarian tribes who settled in this area. FYI, I've just spent like 10 minutes looking for Sam because he tends to wander. Off he goes. He's like completely unaware that I'm not with him. He's over there somewhere. Just wandering. Not even looking for wifey. So nightlife in Budapest is like absolutely legendary. Yeah, so many stag parties and hen-do's happening here. There is something for every style. So first we're going to take you into one of the famous ruin bars. Yeah. To show you how busy it is on a Saturday night. Budapest's ruin bars are exactly what they sound like. Old relic buildings that have been gutted out and turned into alternative bars, complete with cheap drinks, maze-like rooms, street art, and eclectic items. You need to set foot in at least one while you're here. So we found an outdoor patio. Drinks on the patio. What are you having? And this is the best place to be drinking right now because it is so stuffy inside of bars. Yeah. So we're like we've got to be drinking outside. Fresh air. So I'm having a Soproni. Mmhmm. It is a local brew. The local brew. How does it taste? Ah, cold. Nice ice cold. Refreshing. Yeah, this is a nice way to kickstart a day. I have to say. And me, I'm having a glass of Prosecco. Will you toast me with beer? Toast. I will. Cheers. Cheers to that. And for something a little fancy we went to the famed New York Café. And this coffee house has been voted one of the most beautiful in the whole world. It looks really luxurious online so I'm really excited to get there. Yeah, it is a real institution. It dates back to the late 1800s. Yeah. It is old. It is very old. So it should have some nice charm and yeah let's have a nice date. This place is so much fancier than I expected. Like this is up there with some of the fanciest kinds of cafes we've visited in the world. Yeah, like afternoon teas. We've done a few of those. Yeah, it kind of reminds me a little bit of the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. It also reminds me of Café Tortoni in Buenos Aires. Poor Audrey. I've been waiting here for like 15 minutes. I was really going overboard with the food b-roll here. My ice cream is melting. Oh my gosh. There is just so much going on. I know. Delicious looking desserts. Look at this. We decided to indulge our sweet tooth. So they just finished playing. Yeah, so I ordered a sorbet and this is strawberry sorbet and champagne sorbet with real chunks of strawberry and some mint leaves on top. What do you think? Oh, yeah. That is champagne all right. I probably went for the most bizarre drink and food pairing that you could possibly have at a fancy cafe. I'm going for beer and cheesecake. Borschotti. Yeah, a Borschotti which is a local beer. And this looks like a classic kind of New York style cheesecake. And I think that is a passion fruit. Oh, apricot. Nice. Oh, I can tell that is really dense. It is like that tiny little piece is already heavy in the fork. Take it for a swim as we like to say. It is a really big swim. So we are currently at St. Stephen's Basilica and we just bought tickets to climb the panorama tower. Hooray for exercise. And it is three hundred and two steps to reach the top of a spiraling staircase. And I feel like I'm getting dizzy already. Oh my gosh. Dizzying? Yes. And I'm out of breath. Woo. We've only just begun. Alright, round two. We continue. More stairs. So we are now making our way down. We took the stairs up. Elevator down. What did you think of the views? The views were incredible. I mean it was worth the climb up. And it is actually a really affordable attraction. Yeah. Was it 700 Forint? 600. 600 Forint. So even cheaper than I thought. So yeah, it was definitely worth it. And yeah, a little bit of exercise too so I can't complain. Of course, no visit to Budapest would be complete without glimpsing the Hungarian Parliament Building. You'll be able to spot it from numerous vantage points as you explore the city, but note that you can only visit the interior as part of a guided tour, and you'll need to book that in advance. And just a short walk south of the Parliament Building, you can also see the shoes on the Danube Memorial. And after a bit of sightseeing, we had to tuck into the national dish. Goulash. Our favorite restaurant for this was the Blue Rose. That didn't take long. The food is already here. The food is here. This is what we came for. The goulash. And look at the size of this bowl. Yeah, we did order the large. The large bowl. Big hearty portions. Yeah. Okay, so apparently the word goulash it used to mean herdsmen. So this is a dish that used to be prepared by the herdsmen. And now it is kind of like the national dish. You find goulash at almost every single restaurant. Yeah. So let's dig right in. This looks amazing. It looks so good. Why don't you give it a nice stir for us. Look at that. So we have potatoes, meat, we have carrots. Those are the main parts of it. We have parsley. Yeah. Oh my. And paprika. Of course there is always paprika. So let's just try this. I hope I don't burn myself. So what do you think? Mmm. Oh my gosh. Is that good? It is so tender. The meat is so tender. The meat is so tender. This is good. Going in for a second bite. Quality control. This is amazing. Is it? I'm loving it. I'm seriously loving it. Is it spicy at all or not really? Mostly just savory? It is not spicy at all. It is just like a nice soup that you'd want to eat on a winter's day. Just stirring that for us. It is wonderful. Look at that. Look at that. And you know I've had goulash in other countries and obviously it varies but the goulash I've had before in the past was always really thick. It was almost like a stew or meat with a thick sauce. So this is my first time having goulash as a soup and I quite like it. I can get used to this. Another thing we really enjoyed doing in Budapest was wandering around the Jewish Quarter where there is a lot of cool street art including murals covering whole buildings. We also ventured into the Great Market Hall, the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest. They had a mix of food stalls, fresh produce, souvenirs, and of course lots of paprika to take back home for your cooking. And you know what is across the bridge from the central market? The Gellert Baths. Since it was our last day in Budapest, this seemed like the perfect way to unwind and get ready for our next trip. How cold? It is a lot colder here. Okay, we need to go find another one. This isn't going to work. So right now we're going to try the medicinal pool because I believe that one is 36 degrees. I sure hope so. Probably as warm as it gets. Yeah, and we don't have much time. We arrived here super late. I know and they're closing in like a half hour. We're closing. So we've got to make the most of this. Start enjoying. Wash those feet. Is it warmer? Excellent. And just a short walk from the Gellert Baths we also visited Gellert Hill which holds the cave church. From there we climbed to the Citadel atop the hill where we got some pretty cool views of the city. It's really nice at sunset and there were lots of people hanging out just watching the sun go down. Lastly, if you feel like you've covered Budapest and you're craving a slower pace, we would highly recommend a day trip to Sant'Andrea. It's a short half-hour train ride and once you arrive you'll find yourself in a charming little town with cream-coloured walls, cobbled streets, and flower boxes overflowing with blooms. And now a final note on transportation. Getting around Budapest is super easy and they have a vast network of buses, trams, and metro lines to get you wherever you need to go. We used public transport a lot of the time but there were also days when the weather was beautiful and we did nothing but walk. And that's a wrap for our time in Budapest. We hope you enjoyed this video guide and that gave you a few ideas of things to do around the city. As always, if you have any other suggestions of things to do in Budapest that travellers should know about, feel free to share those in the comments below. Wishing you happy travels and until next time!