Overview
Budapest is a city colored by history and tradition. The union between two cities, Buda and Pest, has truly been a match made in heaven for locals and tourists alike. The Hungarian capital sits along the banks of the mighty Danube river and is a place that is just begging to be explored. A favorite among the central European backpackers, a great place to party, eat, and work, it has ample activities for every kind of travelers and one of the best summer vibes of a city anywhere in the world.
Budapest is trendy, hip and accessible; the perfection combination of foreign and comfortable. It’s different districts are home to some of the world’s most unique bars, best foreign restaurants and outstanding nightlife that is unmatched by any other European destination. It’s a city you’ll plan to spend a few days in and leave a few weeks later. Prepare correctly, get your plan in order; Budapest is waiting.
Is it Cheap?
Not any more but better than other major western European cities. Budapest, along with Prague are incredibly metropolitan and exciting cities that are reasonably affordable. In Hungary they use the Forint, which allows for their goods and services to be non-impacted by the changes of the Euro. You can buy an excellent meal for about 7-10 dollars and a beer for around 4. This makes Budapest one of the best cities to have a night out in. The public transportation is cheap and efficient with trams, metros and buses at your disposal.
Sunset on the Danube
Cityscape during January
City View
What to Do
During the warm summer months, Budapest is at its most majestic. While being loaded with tourists both international and domestic, the city lights up and is full of amazing things for you to do. If you happen to be travelling or working in Budapest during the winter, please, bring a jacket.
Discover the Jewish Quarter
The old Jewish Quarter of Budapest not only holds Europe’s largest synagogue but has turned into one of the most unique and hip neighborhoods of any great city around the world. Small, trendy cafes, excellent foreign food spots and ruin bars have become the bedrock of the area, creating a diverse and youthful environment. Many of the hostels in Budapest are located in this district, making it an easy spot to go out and meet other travelers. Going out and finding a good spot to spend a night with friends or make some new ones is not only possible but inevitable.
Spend some Time on the Danube
The Danube river is a major attraction for any visit to Budapest. The best way to see it would either be hopping on a boat, many of which have party cruise options, or by heading a bit north of the city to some of the small islands that within. The islands are the perfect place to spend a day, filled with cafes and recreation facilities. The river a perfect way to end your day and watch the sunset on one of Europe’s great capitals.
Get Artistic at the Buda Castle
Hike over to the Buda side of the city and up the flights of stairs to catch one of the best views of Budapest. The Buda Castle is not only gorgeous but also an art museum containing some of Hungary and eastern Europe’s most valued artistic creations.
Stay up all Night at a Ruin Bar
Ruin bar culture is something that has been uniquely growing in the streets of Budapest’s Jewish Quarter. A ruin bar is basically an old bombed out building from World War II or the Soviet occupation that has been transformed from an abandoned building to a vibrant, open air bar. They are typically in a courtyard style, with trendy lights, modern music and a creatively run bar all being housed in the shell of a building from years before. While there are dozens of ruin bars in Budapest, Szimpla Kert has become the grandaddy of them all, becoming increasingly popular with the tourists. over 6 different bars, walls adorned with everything but the kitchen sink and loud music all night long, Szimpla is something you have to check out on your trip to Budapest.
Fill Your Stomach at the Central Market
The central market in the southern part of the city has been active since the early 1900’s. Today it captures the best of Hungarian food culture. Shops lined with domestic fruits and vegetables and the all too present ‘paprika’ have become a staple of the market. The second floor is occupied by souvenir shops selling everything from traditional clothing to hand carved wooden masterpieces. On the opposite side of the souvenir area you will find some excellent examples of Hungarian food housed in small food stalls. While being a bit pricy, this is the best place to try stuffed cabbage, roasted meats and langos, the de facto king of Hungarian food. While you can find Langos all over the city, many claim that the best one is made at one of the stalls in this market. Pro tip: It’s the stall with the line of 100 people.
Soak in a traditional Budapest Bath
Hungarians are known for their illustrious bath culture, which may have been related to the years of Ottoman rule in years far gone. Since then the bath has become a symbol of Budapest and something anyone going to the city should check out. In Parc Varosliget in the northeastern region of Budapest you can find the most famous bathhouse in the city, Thermes Széchenyi. While that may be challenging to say, the bathhouse is as simple as can be. Walk in and buy a ticket, change your clothes and hop in their massive thermal bathes.
What to Eat and Drink
Langos and Goulash: Langos is essentially a potato and flour dough that is shaped into a large thin circle and then fried. Greasy, hearty and absolutely delicious, the Hungarians traditionally top it with cheese, sour cream and garlic, although you can pretty much ask them to put whatever your heart desires lovingly on top.
Goulash is a stewed beef dish that can be found all over central and eastern Europe, although it originally hails from Hungary. It’s hearty, rich and delightful.
Chicken Paprikash: It would be hard to leave Budapest without eating something heavily spiced with Paprika, the Hungarians favorite seasoning. Chicken paprikash is a stewed chicken dish served typically with potatoes or rice, heavily spiked with local paprika.
Sweet Local Beer: The Hungarians are a beer drinking culture and it is not hard to find good local beer for very fair prices. If you are into trying something a bit different, Hungarians drink beer flavored with different berries and ginger, making for a unique and foreign experience for something we all know too well.
Unicum: We are not exactly sure where this tradition started but you will notice all bars in Budapest offering shots of Unicum for around 2-3 dollars. Notably the bottle shaped like a black cartoon bomb with a large red and silver cross in the middle, Unicum tastes a bit like Jagermeister but without the aggressive sweetness.
Tokaji: Hungary is actually one of the larger wine producing nations in Eastern Europe and people from all around the world have fallen in love with their sweet white wine known as Tokaji. It’s actually made with grapes that have been rotted before distillation taking away the tannic flavor often found in whites and replacing it with a smooth and fully bodied background.
Transportation
The transportation in Budapest is cheap and effective, which is good news! When taking the subway, take notice of the yellow line because of the small trolleys cars and beautifully designed stations. They haven’t really been renewed since their creation, giving them a totally quaint and unique feel. The blue line also has trains unlike those in other European cities, that really embody how far the city has come over the past hundred years.
Many of the cars on the blue line are direct imports from USSR in the 70’s.
While it seems like it would be easy to not pay for a ride in the subway, they often check and bust tourists for not paying, which could lead to a fine of around 50 dollars. Play it safe and pay the 1 dollar it costs to take a ride. If subways aren’t your thing, you can also take a bus or an above ground tram which are equally fast. The city is quite big, (much bigger than Prague), so walking isn’t always the best option. During your trip in Budapest however, you will most likely spend all of your time on the Pest side of the city unless you go to the Buda Castle or the Fisherman’s Wharf in Buda.
Clubbing and Nightlife
The clubbing and nightlife scene in Budapest can be denoted as epic, and we at BeyondThePack definitely agree with this sentiment. Open air bars and clubs make up the bedrock of the party scene in Budapest, with backpacker and tourist focused clubs not interfering with where the locals tend to go out and party. Since the drinks are cheap and plentiful and young people flock to the city in the summer, partying in Budapest becomes more of a lifestyle than simply just something to do.
My Travel Essentials For A European Backpacking Trip
Below you'll find a list of my must bring backpacking items. I have gotten this list down to my essentials through trial and error over 4 years of living in a backpack. I hope you'll find these items helpful on your journey!
►Main Backpacking Backpack: https://amzn.to/3vUHdik [Amazon]
►Great Front Facing Duffle-bag : https://amzn.to/3SjK6Ra [Amazon]
►Quick Dry Towel : https://amzn.to/3uarxH8 [Amazon]
►Multi Country Charger Adapter : https://amzn.to/3Ul37p0 [Amazon]
►Refillable Water Bottle : https://amzn.to/48SnG0n [Amazon]
►Padlock : https://amzn.to/3SdyYp7 [Amazon]
►Earplugs : https://amzn.to/498xTpl [Amazon]
►Power Bank : https://amzn.to/3SyXP8e [Amazon]
Travel Photography & Video Favorites
If you're interested in creating your own video content on your trip, these are some of my favorite items I've had. They work, they're effective and besides the Sony Aa7C, they aren't going to break the bank either!
►On the Go Video | Go Pro Hero 12 : https://amzn.to/3u38oHh [Amazon]
►Photography | Sony A7C : https://amzn.to/3u1Y6ap [Amazon]
►Portable Tripod | https://amzn.to/42ojHqc [Amazon]
►Lavalier Microphone | https://amzn.to/3SbL41U [Amazon]
►Drone | https://amzn.to/47TCwSY [Amazon]
►Portable Monitor | https://amzn.to/3Hzv2dg [Amazon]
All links are affiliate links with amazon which I may generate revenue from. These are products I actually have used for years and would feel comfortable recommending to first time and experienced travelers alike.
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