This post may contain affiliate links, which means that we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. More information can be found under the site's privacy policy.
A Weekend or 3 Day Itinerary
Are you looking for a weekend couple’s guide to Budapest, Hungary? Or maybe just visiting for a few days? Well, look no further I have you covered here! My husband and I recently were able to visit Budapest, Hungary for 3 days. We were there for a weekend in February and tried to squeeze in as much as we could during our short stay but also with relaxation in mind.
Arrival:
The first thing that you will need to do when arriving to Hungary is convert your money to Hungarian forint.
If you are arriving by plane, you can grab a taxi outside of the airport. There is a taxi stand outside and they will ask you for your destination. Once you give them your hotel address, they will give you an estimated amount. Our taxi ride ticket to center city was estimated at 27 euros, which is 8070 HUF. It ended up actually being a little bit less once we arrived to the hotel.
Tip: You can download the taxify app to help you with taxis and the globe convert app to help you with currency exchange during your stay.
Where To Stay:
Budapest is spilt into two sides: Buda and Pest. We chose to stay on the Pest side of Budapest, close to the Danube River. The Pest side has all of the fun! The Buda side has the majority of the main attractions and sites.
The Intercontinental Hotel or the Marriott Hotel are two very nice hotels that are located in the heart of the city on the Pest side right by the river. We stayed at the Intercontinental, but spent happy hour with friends at the Marriott, so we were able to see and enjoy both of the properties.
The Marriott has stunning views of the Buda side and is the perfect location for watching a Budapest sunset, but the Intercontinental has killer specialty cocktails.
Don’t forget your travel insurance! We recommend World Nomads. Make sure to have coverage that includes medical expenses, trip cancellations, and coverage for your belongings from theft or damage. If needed, you may also want to include car rental insurance as well.
Day 1: Couple’s Guide To Budapest
(Jewish District, Synagogue, Budapest Eye)
Day 1 was our arrival day, so we checked into our hotel and explored the Jewish district. Dohany Street Synagogue is a site that you can easily walk to from the recommended locations. It cost 4500 HUF or (12euros).
It was also a Friday night and many of the restaurants were fully booked. In Budapest, you can use the Open Table App to help you make reservations.
After a lot of “Hungary” walking, we ended up finding the perfect place called Central Cafe and Restaurant 1887. They had live music and a relaxing atmosphere, yet it was also very chic! After dinner we made our way to Hotsy Totsy, which is a cozy cocktail bar.
If you are staying close to one of the recommended hotels, you can easily walk to the Budapest Eye your first night in Pest.
Day 2: Couple’s Guide To Budapest
(Saint Stephen’s Basilica, Castle Tour, River Cruise, and Ruin Bar Exploring)
Major Budapest Sites:
After breakfast, head out to see a few of Budapest’s main attractions. We started our tour by walking first to Saint Stephen’s Basilica. You can either pay a small fee to go to the top for a view or enjoy browsing the bottom level. It is only open from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM on Saturday, so we visited this site first.
The other two main sites that we wanted to see were the Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion. You can walk across the Szechenyi Chain Bridge from the Pest side. Make sure to look for the giant famous lion statues that guard the bridge. You can then take a funicular up the hill to visit these sites or hop on a castle bus tour. We recommend the castle tour, especially if you want to maximize your time seeing more and walking less.
The Castle bus tour will first take you up to Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion.
It’s a must see for a great view of the Pest side of Hungary. The tour will also take you to Buda Castle. It was timely, coming every 15 minutes to take you to the next stop.
After the Castle Tour, stop to see the historical Shoes on the Danube Bank.
Vegan Lunch in Pest:
We found a little gem on the Pest side of the city where I could eat meat-free and my husband could try the Hungarian dishes. Everyone was happy! Koleves had a vegan soup, vegan burger, vegan zucchini fritters, and a vegan jewish matzo cake. The salads could easily be made vegan as well. The menu clearly labeled things with gluten, eggs, dairy, etc.
After a late lunch, you can head to Szimpla Kert, which is the original Ruin Bar. It was the perfect time to visit because it wasn’t too crowded and there were still plenty of places to sit, relax, and walk around to see all of the junkyard/antique-like decor. Each room had a different theme, but the bathtub room was the most interesting one to see!
Sunset and River Cruise:
If you are staying at the Marriott, head to the rooftop for an aperitif and a beautiful sunset view of the Buda Castle.
After sunset you can head to the dock which is located right across from The Marriott. The winters are really cold in Budapest, so a river cruise is a nice way to stay warm while still seeing the city and the stunning views of Parliament at night. We booked the 6:30-7:30 PM river cruise that included the audio guide and a beverage of choice, but there are several different cruises to choose from online with Viator.com.
Ruin Bars:
After the cruise, we headed back out to the bars. Ruin bars were created by young people drinking in abandoned buildings when they couldn’t afford to go to the public bars. Now they are a major part of the culture and nightlife in Budapest.
Simpla Kert is the original one that was mentioned above. Udvar is your classic ruin bar that’s simple with long tables and local beers. The Instant ruin bar is popular with long lines and known as the best place to go dancing and it includes a pizza bar. We skipped this one due to its long lines. Another ruin bar that is known as a place to go dancing is the Kuplong ruin bar.
The best ruin bar that we found was Fuge Ubvar. It was like a giant underground maze with lots and lots of little rooms everywhere. This ruin bar was so big that you could either be dancing in one of the two dance areas or chilling in a little brick nook in complete peace and quiet. Gozsdu Udvar is an open courtyard gallery that is fun, lively, and full of locals.
By the way, Hungarians say,”Egeszsegedra” for cheers!
Day 3: Couple’s Guide To Budapest
(Massage, Thermal Baths, New York Cafe)
Thermal Baths
On day three, you can begin the day by heading to Szechenyi thermal baths. They offer massages at the baths or you can schedule one at your hotel before going to Szechenyi. We hoped for less crowds, clean pool water, and a fresh start to the day. Definitely try to go as early as possible because we could see it getting busier and busier as it got closer to noon. We booked ahead of time with Viator.com. We booked the tickets that included a cabin/changing room.
- Szechenyi Bath is the largest and most visited bath in Budapest.
- Rudy’s is another thermal bath that is known for its rooftop views.
- Gellert Bath is known for being a bit more like a spa versus a tourist attraction.
There are other thermal baths in the city, but these are the three that are the most well known and also closest to the city center.
Tips:
1.You may want to pack flip flops, a towel, a water, and a swim cap. You can rent these at the baths, but you will pay a fee if your towel disappears.
2. The day that we were visiting showed that tickets were no longer available, so I recommend booking your tickets ahead of time.
Restaurants of Budapest:
Barka Wine Bar:
After the thermal baths, you can easily grab a taxi to the New York Cafe district. If you are ready for a mid-day glass of wine or some lunch, you can also stop by Barka which is right across from The New York Cafe. It’s has a nice selection of French and Hungarian wines, along with an array of small plates.
New York Cafe:
This is a couple’s guide to Budapest, so we definitely wanted to check out the romantic The New York Palace Cafe. The cafe is famous for being “the most beautiful cafe in the world.” We didn’t eat a full meal here. Instead we chose to make a reservation for coffee and dessert only. They did have one dairy and gluten free option as a dessert, but I believe it had egg so it was not fully vegan.
Budapest Food and Restaurants:
- Traktor is a nice restaurant located close to the river and books quickly. RSVP through Open Table App
- New York Cafe is known as “the most beautiful cafe in the world.” RSVP online
- Barka Wine Bar is directly across from New York Cafe and has a nice selection of wines and small bites.
- Sir Lancelot is a fun and quirky, but touristy site.
- Karavan Street Food is close to Simple Kert and offers food trucks and street food, but it was closed for us during February. You will see other street food vendors selling langos, a traditional fried dough with cheese, garlic, and onion.
- Indoor Food Market and Hall
Vegan and Vegetarian Options:
There are hummus bars all over the city, so don’t worry you won’t starve dear vegan friends.
- Mazel Tov – This place is known for being the top vegan restaurant option in Budapest, so book it early. I tried to make a reservation online one week ahead of time and it was fully booked for the entire weekend, including lunch hours!
- Koleves is the restaurant that I mentioned above that was great for vegans and omnis.
- Retro Langos Bufe offers vegan langos.
- Ecocafe offers vegan sandwiches, cakes, and lattes.
- Fill Good is a bakery with veg options.
- Las Vegans is a food truck with vegan burger options.
- Flow is a great coffee spot with cashew cheese options.
- Vega City offers buffet style vegan options where you pay by weight.
- Fragola offers vegan ice cream and vegan cones as well!
- Monkeys has GF options and its a quick 8 minute walk from the Intercontinental.
- Peas and Love offers GF and vegan.
More Sites To See:
The Hospital in the Rock, the Dracula Labyrinth, and the Citadella are all located on the Buda Side.
The Terror Museum is located on the Pest side.
If you are visiting during the summer, make sure to visit the Margit Island, which has a park and beer gardens.
Entertainment:
Hungarian Folk Traditional Dancers
The Opera of Budapest
I hope that you have enjoyed this couple’s guide to Budapest, Hungary. Do you have more time to explore Europe? If so, you may want to check out my Prague or Krakow blog posts. Thanks for stopping by!
Sharing is caring. Save the image below for later.
8 Comments
Mariah
March 4, 2020 4:45 pmWhat a great guide for visiting Budapest! I’ve always wanted to go to the thermal baths!
msaal
March 5, 2020 12:32 pmVisiting the baths was definitely the highlight of the trip!
Lerato | Life from a Bag
March 4, 2020 4:59 pmI’ve always dreamed of visiting Budapest. Loved this detailed itinerary
msaal
March 5, 2020 12:31 pmThank you for stopping by the site. I too dreamed of visiting it for a long time!
Josy a
March 5, 2020 4:58 pmThis looks like an amazing getaway! I love the sound of thermal baths, ruin bars and that sunset river cruise looks dreamy! Both Buda and Pest sound great!!
PATTI BOO
March 5, 2020 6:23 pmBudapest looks wonderful! I definitely have it on my list when I take my big Euro trip!
Daniela Z
March 6, 2020 6:53 pmOmg! love Vega City..!! I was there last year 😀 definitely one of my favorite places … Budapest is so pretty
msaal
March 13, 2020 8:06 amYes it is a really pretty city 🙂
Leave a Reply