3 days in Budapest for baths, architectural gems and nights out in the ruin bars

Travel Tips

• Stick to two sight seeing spots – like most cities steeped in history and with architecture exploding from every street, it can be quite easy to get a bit palace’d / church’d / latest historical bulding’d out and quickly become tired.  I’d suggest focusing on the Castle Hill area to soak up the Palace and views over the Danube and the opposite views from the Parliament area.  Yes, you’ll miss some of the galleries and a church or ten, but you won’t be disappointed and, critically, won’t tire yourself out.  To be able to “see” rather than visit everything, there is always the hop on hop off tourist buses that run the full route
• Baths – the highlight of Budapest for me because they added such a different dynamic.  Be sure to try:
  • Szechenyi Baths – a large and wonderful series of baths just a bit further out of town. The outside bath area is worth the trip alone. A must
  • Rudas Baths – slightly smaller, but make up for it with a cracking location with various views over the Danube and a jacuzzi area on the roof, slightly warmer water options and a sensational old Turkish-style Thermal area. Just check the website though for when you plan to go as some days have some areas make / female only
  • Gellert Baths – we didn’t get a chance to go, but it sounded like the third of the 3 main bath highlights in Budapest
• Bars and going out areas – Budapest has well deserved reputation for one of the best nightlife destinations in Europe.  The area in particular around the Jewish Quarter and Erzsebetvaros has some brilliant beer garden style areas, the famous ruin bars and a series of arcade-style places with multiple bars to choose from with a shared central area.  Great fun and easily accessible if keen even for just one drink (compared to some cities where there is a tight dress code / more clubby vibe).  Some bars in particular we’d recommend:
  • Jewish Quarter – within the square block of Dob u, Hollo u, Kiraly u and Rumbach Sebestyen u in the Jewish Quarter is a series of covered small lanes absolutely rammed with bars.  Even if you don’t fancy a big night out, it’s worth wandering through here on an evening – it really brings to life why Budapest has such a great reputation for nights out
  • High Note Sky Bar – for a nice vibe and great views over St Stephen’s Basilica
  • Koleves Kerr and Backyard – for beer gardens right in the centre
  • Szimpla Kert and Blitz Kert for ruin bars – but expect long queues to get in
  • Parisi Udvar – pop in for a coffee / drink / food in the magnificent interior
  • I’ve mention it already, but having beers in the sun in the outside pool area (and of course the Beer Spa!) of the Szechenyi Baths is not to be missed
  • Panoramia Cafe & Bar – on the Buda castle side, this place is very touristy, but if you can get a spot by the park edge, it’s a great spot for a drink and views of the Danube and city
• Restaurants – we ate at quite a few restaurants (ate a lot of Goulash) and had a bit of a mixed bag.  The ones we would recommend are:
  • Puder Barszinhaz – for a super colourful spot with a good younger atmosphere and great food
  • Ruben Etterem for a slightly more upmarket spot
  • 2 Spaghi – it may look very basic from the outside, but this Italian run restaurant specialises in only pasta and is superb (I’d go as far as to say this was our favourite)
• Szentendre – there is a half day trip up to Szentendre just to the north near the bend of the Danube. It’s cute with its cobbled streets and artsy vibe, but I wouldn’t prioritise over any of the above
• Getting around – super easy either from public transport or Bolt (Uber equivalent with same interface but cheaper) or the electric scooters all over town.  For the electric scooters, be aware of a couple of things: 1. There are 3 main companies (Bird, Lime and Tier) so you’ll need to download each to use.  We found that we were able to get round with only Lime ones. 2. They’re not allowed in or around some of the main tourist areas (roughly 400m either side of the Danube) and won’t run if you venture into them. The off-limits area is shown very clearly in the app and I’ve added a photo so you can see
• Accommodation – I stayed in the Mystery Hotel Budapest (USD180 per night) which had its own mini spa, rooftop bar area, helpful and knowledgeable staff.  I’d very much recommend