11 Cool Things To Do In Budapest

After just one night in the city, I knew I loved Budapest.

Everything about the city resonated with me from the grunge vibe, to the hip ruin bars and the incredible history.

Major thanks to Ultimate Budapest for their guidance planning our trip! Their website showcases & allows you to book a wide variety of activities around the city. It even has a What’s On This Week page where you can see current events happening around the city. We found it super helpful!

So if you’re looking for an epic couple of days in the capital city, here are my top recommendations!

1. Ruin bars

If you’re coming to the city, then you must visit at least one (or many!) of the legendary ruin bars.

It’s fun to check these places out during the day and see all the unique nooks and crannies.

1.  Szimpla Kert
2. Instant & Fogas Ház
3. Mazel Tov Budapest
4. Csendes Vintage Bar & Café
5. UdvarRom
6. Szatyor Bar

Szimpla is probably the most famous and definitely worth the visit. This place is incredible. Sprawling gardens, multiple floors and countless rooms… it’s abandoned, grunge vibe mixes nicely with the lively crowd you’re sure to encounter on a weekend! It’s a pretty famous bar so I suggest going early to get in. If you wait until 10pm on a Saturday, you may be waiting outside for awhile to get in.

Instant & Fogas Ház isn’t a typical ruin bar but rather a massive complex of bars all in one. This is quite possibly, my favorite bar in the entire world. If you like nightlife, do not miss this one!

As you wonder room to room, you will be shocked by its incredible size. It seems never ending. Countless dancefloors, terraces, side rooms…just don’t lose your friends. It’s a nightmare to try and find anyone here!

2. Széchenyi Thermal Baths

Széchenyi is one of the biggest natural hot spring spa baths in Europe and over 100 years old.

It is open every single day of the year, even national holidays. And is still plenty warm in the winter!

Tips For Visiting the Baths:

-Rent a cabin – the locker rooms are crowded and offer no privacy. You won’t have anywhere to change without a crowd.

-The baths are labeled by different temperatures. We spent a long time in a bath we thought was rather lukewarm before we realized the baths are all different temperatures! We were much happier in a higher temperature bath during winter.

-Go early or go late, to avoid crowds. This place gets crowded!

-They have swimsuit dryers in the locker rooms. This especially nice if you plan to continue sightseeing afterwards.

– You can’t use your own hair dryer (something to do with blowing fuses) but they have some available so you don’t have to leave with wet hair.

3. Sparty

If you’re in Budapest on a Saturday night and you enjoyed the thermal baths, then I suggest you check out Sparty!

“Sparty is the world-famous party series at the largest thermal bath of Budapest. As a guest, you can enjoy quality electronic dance music and a mind-blowing visual experience while partying in the pools, like tens of thousands in the previous years.“

Tips For Visiting Sparty:

-Be prepared to wait in line. 50,000 people attend Sparty a year… the line can be long!

-Bag check is thorough, you can’t bring in your own drinks etc.

-To buy drinks, you have to get a specific card that you load up with money then use at the bar. You can only pay cash for the card and to top it up.

-Come with cash. There was always a line at the ATM then the machine broke so we never could get drinks. It’s a not a great system. If you plan to have any drinks, get the card right away instead of making trips back to your locker.

4. Danube River Cruise

Budapest is beautiful all lit up at night. And there is no better way to appreciate the views than to book a river cruise!

You can book with several different companies for dinner or just a cruise. This is the one we did and I highly recommend it!

What we loved about this particular cruise:

• Only 10 euros for the non-dining option
• It said a welcome drink wasn’t included unless you were dining but the friendly staff included everyone when passing out glasses of champagne!
• The live band onboard is truly fantastic – they will play traditional classical music but then also take requests of modern songs: rock, pop, musical theater, you name it!
• You can buy a bottle of wine or champagne onboard for a really reasonable price!

Book a Budapest river cruise here.

5. Budapest Boat Party with Partybookers

If you’re looking to cruise the Danube with more of a party scene, check out the Budapest Boat Party!

The run party cruises constantly, even weekdays & winter time.

6. Expat Meet Ups with Ultimate Budapest

Ultimate Budapest is a booking platform that also hosts meet ups!

We joined the expat meet up for ax-throwing, which turned out to be a blast. But they also do laser tag etc. It’s a fun way to connect with other travelers in the city, especially if you are new to living in Budapest or traveling solo.

7. Rickshaw City Tour

On Sunday afternoon, we booked to do a Rickshaw City Tour of Budapest. It was a fun way to see the city with a local guide. We got wheeled around to all the iconic places in Budapest like Hero’s Square, the Jewish Quarter etc.

8. Explore Fisherman’s Bastion

One of the most visited attractions in the city, Fisherman’s Bastion was built between 1895 and 1902.

It was part of the series of developments that were to celebrate the 1000th birthday of the Hungarian state.

Located on the Buda side, it provides spectacular views over the Danube River and Pest.

It’s also one of the most photogenic parts of the city so pack your camera!

9. Try Kürtöskalács (the Chimney Cakes!)

The Kürtöskalács (chimney cake) is a traditional Hungarian pastry that is wrapped around a wooden spool and slowly turned over an open fire. The dough is made of plain flour, sugar with some water and yeast. The outside is often covered with cinnamon, crushed walnut or many other sweet toppings like Nutella, sprinkles etc.

You’ll find stands selling these chimney cakes all over the city!

10. Bingo Pub Crawl with 1 hour open bar

If you want to see some of Budapest’s best ruins bars and meet other travelers, the Bingo Pub Crawl with Party Bookers is a BLAST.

You’ll have a 1.5 hours of free open bar then travel around the city to some iconic watering holes. The night ends with VIP entry to a club. It’s a great way to see the city’s nightlife scene with local guides!

CRAWL + DRINK PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• 90 minutes of unlimited Beer, Wine, Vodka, Rum, Gin and mixers at the first bar (20:30 – 22:00)
• Free entry to 3 bars and VIP entry to a club 
• 3 free shots 
• Bingo card with challenges to complete
• Prizes for completing each line of challenges (Win t-shirts, drink coupons or a boat party ticket!) 
• Local and international guides 

Meeting point: 20:30 @ Hoff House, 1065, Nagymező u. 40 (see map)

11. Christmas Markets in November and December

If you’re lucky enough to be in Budapest during the holidays, you can’t miss the Christmas markets! There is no shortage of mulled wine, Christmas shops, light displays and Hungarian holiday food.

 Main Christmas fair: Vörösmarty Square

Famous Advent Feast: St Stephen’s Basilica

Overall, Budapest is an exciting, bustling city to visit!

You’re sure to fall in love with it like I did.

If you have any Budapest recommendations, let me know in the comments!

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