BUDAPEST · HUNGARY
Two cities, one river, the whole of Hungary’s capital.
Thermal baths, Danube cruises, ruin bars and the grand sights across Buda and Pest. Széchenyi, the Parliament, Buda Castle, St Stephen’s and the quiet courtyards in between.
Only in Budapest
Three things you can only do here.
Cities have baths, rivers and bars everywhere. These three are different. A thermal palace you bathe in, a river that splits the city in two, a bar built inside a ruin. Each one belongs to Budapest. Build the rest of the trip around them.
City of spas
Soak in a Thermal Palace
Budapest sits on more than a hundred thermal springs, more than any other capital on earth. At Széchenyi the water comes up hot beneath a lemon-yellow neo-baroque palace, and locals play chess waist-deep in the steaming outdoor pools while snow settles on the stone. The bathing culture here is Ottoman-old and entirely its own.
- 1 Budapest: Széchenyi Spa Day Ticket with Optional Upgrades
- 2 Budapest: Mandala Day Spa & Luxury Pool Experience
- 3 Budapest Széchenyi Thermal Spa Ticket
On the river
Cruise Between Buda and Pest
The Danube is the seam that holds the two halves of the city together. From the deck you slide under the Chain Bridge with the castle lit on one bank and the Parliament on the other. After dark both burn gold on the black water, and the short evening cruise quietly becomes the best hour you will spend here.
- 1 Budapest: City Highlights Sightseeing Cruise
- 2 Budapest: Unlimited Prosecco, Beer and Aperol Spritz Cruise
- 3 Budapest: Nighttime or Daytime Sightseeing Cruise
After dark
Drink in a Ruin Bar
They began in the abandoned courtyards of the old Jewish Quarter: derelict buildings filled with flea-market furniture, fairy lights and a bar wedged in the corner. Szimpla Kert was the first, and the idea spread across District VII. No other city turned its ruins into its nightlife quite like this.
- 1 Budapest: Ruin Bar Pub Crawl with Entry Tickets
- 2 Budapest Original Ruin Pub Crawl Including 5 Shots
- 3 Budapest: Pub Crawl & Ruin Bar Tour – Free Shots & VIP Entry
Start on the water
If you do one thing, make it this.
More travellers book this than anything else in the city. An hour on the Danube, the banks lighting up on either side, the whole shape of Budapest in one trip.
The classics
Budapest’s Most Popular Experiences
Cruises, baths, castle tours and the Parliament. The handful of things almost everyone does on a first trip to the city.
Buda or Pest
One river, two different cities.
The Danube doesn’t just run through Budapest, it splits it in two. Hilly Buda on the west bank, flat and grand Pest on the east. Knowing which is which is half of planning a trip here.
The hill side.
The west bank rises into wooded hills. Up top sit the castle, Fisherman’s Bastion and the cobbled old town; below, the thermal baths fed by the springs in the rock. Quieter, greener, and the place to come for the view back across the water.
The grand side.
The east bank is flat, busy and built for show: the Parliament on the embankment, Andrássy Avenue running up to Heroes’ Square, the Basilica and the Great Market Hall, and the ruin bars that fill the old Jewish Quarter after dark.
The landmarks
Start with the postcard Budapest.
The sights everyone comes to see, each with its own tours and tickets. The castle for the views. The Parliament for the grandeur. The Basilica for the dome. The Market Hall for the paprika.
By the kind of day
Or pick how you want to spend it.
A cruise if you want the river. A walking tour if you want the streets. Wine if you want the cellars, a bath if you want the steam, a concert if you want the night. Pick the mood and follow it.
Hungarian wine
The wine the rest of the world forgot.
Hungary was pressing sweet golden Tokaji while half of Europe’s vineyards didn’t exist yet. Add the deep reds of Eger’s Bull’s Blood and the cellars dug into the Buda hills, and the whole city turns into a tasting room. Most of it never leaves the country, which is exactly the reason to drink it here.
Dinner on the Danube
Make a whole evening of the river.
A Hungarian dinner, a glass of Tokaji, sometimes a folk band or a piano, and the lit banks sliding past the window the entire time. These are the three evenings worth dressing up for.
When the music starts
The city after dark, sitting down.
Organ recitals under the Basilica dome, a string quartet in a gilded hall, an evening at the Opera. Budapest takes its music seriously, and these are the nights to book ahead.
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