September 2024

Woo…the last and final country, before I went back to Amsterdam for my flight to go back home.

If you missed it, this Aug/Sept 2024 trip was a birthday present for myself! I went to Amsterdam, Belgium, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria, and now Budapest, Hungary.

I was here for three days and that was enough time to see everything. I have listed the places of things to see and do, and places to eat in alphabetical order. I also added some photos & information below the list that I have experienced.

How to Get Around Budapest
Walking and the metro! There is barely any parking in Budapest, so do not even bother to rent a car. You can get around all over Budapest by walking and taking the metro. The metro was pretty reliable and always on time. It was very easy to get around Budapest. For the metro, you can buy individual tickets or you can just tap in and tap out with your credit card, just like Amsterdam.

Where Did I Stay?
I stayed at Maverick City Lodge and got a private room. The hostel is located on the Pest side, and it was semi-close to all of the sightseeings and the metros. The hostel has AC which is a huge plus, especially if you are going here during the summertime. The hostel has a lot of events going on almost every day and have a group chat if you want to join and meet other travelers. It is a bit noisy at night from the outside music, but other than that, the hostel was clean and safe. I would stay here again if I go back.

How was the weather?
It was almost mid September, and I was here for three days. On the first day it rain and it was cold! The 2nd day was partly cloudy, partly sunny. The 3rd day was super sunny and I was super thankful because it was my last day there! I would definitely recommend to bring a rain proof jacket around this time.

What is the currency?
Euros and Hungarian Forint! The Hungarian Forint is cheaper than Euros, so if you could pay in Hungarian Forint, I would say do so! Majority of the places I went took credit card, except for ONE place (which I will mention down below, so continue reading!!) And, again, it does not hurt to have some cash just incase.

Things to Do/See
Budapest City Park
Budapest River Cruise
Central Market Hall
Fisherman’s Bastion Castle
Heroes Square
Hungarian Parliament Building
Labyrinth Cave
Shoes on Danube Bank
Széchenyi Chain Bridge
Széchenyi Thermal Bath

Things to Eat/Drink
Chimney Cake
Drum Cafe
Fakanál Étterem
Gelarto Rosa
Ha Noi Pho
Langosh Papi
Szimpla Kert Bar

Things to Do/See
Budapest City Park
This is a pretty big park and it is a nice area if you want to get away from downtown Budapest/the city life. There’s a lot of greenery, places to sit and relax, etc. The park also has the Vajdahunyad Castle, House of Music Hungary, Balloon Fly, etc. It was so big that I did not get to explore all of it. The day I visited this park, I also “bumped” into an AI conference at the House of Music Hungary. There was also these huge stairway to see a small view of the park. It looked like a giant skateboarding area.

Budapest River Cruise
I booked a 7:30pm sunset river cruise with: Get Your Guide – Budapest Evening Sightseeing Cruise with Unlimited Prosecco for $28.00 and it was worth it! Oh, the beautiful parliament and other buildings were so pretty at night with all of the lights. I booked this river cruise about 1.5 hour before boarding and it was fine – they did not run out of tickets/seats. The boat has an upstair and downstair, however the upstair is outside, and downstairs is inside. I believe everyone wants to be upstairs and outside. I would recommend to get there early, because the first person in line gets to be the first one to enter the boat and you can choose your seats. It’s pretty much first come first serve. Once you are seated, you can go up to the bar to get started on the prosecco, or get non-alcoholic drinks. The bartenders will go around to give you more processo if you run out. They will not allow you to go to the bar to get more, because that could be dangerous. Anyway, the boat cruise was super nice and slow, and they do announcements throughout the boat ride to let you know about the buildings and history. The bathroom is inside and below the deck and it was pretty clean, I was impressed. It was a nice cruise to see everything during sunset and night time, and I would recommend you to do a budapest river cruise! 

Central Market Hall
This market hall was okay! They were mainly selling groceries and I thought there would be more food vendors and souvenir stores, but there were only a few upstairs and it was very crowded upstairs. There is one big restaurant and I ate there, which more details will be below in the “Things to Eat/Drink” section of this blog.

Fisherman’s Bastion Castle
The view from up here was absolutely beautiful! You can see the Danube River, the city, and its unique architectural design. I recommend to go early in the morning to take pictures, because it will get crowded after 10:00am. It is free to go here, but if you want a higher view, there is a fee.

Heroes Square
This place was under construction when I went, but you can still see some of the seven enormous statues of representing great figures of Hungarian history. This place is a quick stop and is also the entrance point to Budapest City Park!

Hungarian Parliament Building
I passed by here when I was on the river cruise and wow it was beautiful. I am sure it is more beautiful up close and inside too.

Labyrinth Cave
This cave is near the Fisherman’s Bastion Castle and it is where Dracula was once imprisoned. This cave costs about $10-20 euros – CASH only. This cave was pretty cool. It was dark, semi cold, and there is a maze in there. You may need to use your phone for some light because it is dark and can be a bit scary in there. When you walk through, there’s little boards to read about the history and the cave. Please wear close toe shoes because there are some spots that are wet and you do not want to slip! 

Shoes on Danube Bank
This is a sad memorial. This place gives a remembrance to the Hungarian Jews who were shot by the Arrow Cross Party. The arrow cross party told the men, women, and children to take off their shoes, and they were shot into the Danube river in 1944-1945. This area is a moment to reflect.

Széchenyi Chain Bridge
There are a few bridges in Budapest, but this bridge was the MOST beautiful one in my opinion. The bridge spans over the River Danube between Buda and Pest, the western and eastern sides of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. I walked across this bridge from Buda side to the Pest side. I saw this bridge during the day and at night. At night, it lights up and it is beautiful.

Széchenyi Thermal Bath
I highly recommend to go early in the morning so that you have some space to yourself to enjoy the quietness and no crowds, and for you to take some pictures if you want to! When you check in, they will give you a wristband, and I remember there was two types of tickets one with lockers/private change area. I did the non private change area and it was empty for me. If you want a changing room, then it will cost a little bit more. My area had a locker, showers, etc. It was fine, just not the cleanest. The inside spas/pools water were a bit muggy and gross. I loved the sauna though, it was hot! The outside spa/pools were much better! I left my cellphone and towel on a chair, and luckily no one stoled it! It seemed “safe” to leave out, but be cautious just incase. After 10:00/11:00am, it got a bit more crowded. Budapest are known for their thermal baths, and it’s amazing how they take care of their health so well by relaxing like this!

Things to Eat/Drink
Chimney Cake
I forgot which shop I got the chimney cake from, but it was better than I expected! I thought it was going to be super sweet but it was not. You can also add nutella or ice cream inside the chimney cake if you like. The chimney cake is not “soft”, it had more of a “hard” cookie texture. Something to try since it is one of Budapest’s famous foods/snacks!

Drum Cafe
I went here for lunch and it was empty, and I sat outside. I had some delicious goulash soup and langosh bread here! Service was fine. I know there is no tipping in the European culture, but this restaurant had it on their machine as the first thing to select, before you get your bill. I am sure there are other good/better places for goulash soup and langosh bread too, and possibly, better service too.

Fakanál Étterem
This restaurant is located in the Central Market Hall and you select what food you want, put it on your tray, then pay at the end, then you can choose your seats. They will not allow you to choose/save your seats first, then have someone in line get the food. You have to do the opposite. I got langosh soup and I thought it was fine. I thought the Drum Cafe soup was better. They also had live music at the restaurant, but insisted a tip if you request a song from them.

Gelarto Rosa
This gelato spot is known for their “rose shaped” gelato. You pay first, then they give you a paper number, then you give the paper number to the staff member and let them know which flavor(s) you want, then they will serve you your gelato, and boom, you can enjoy! It is a very small shop with no place to sit. It is more of a grab and go. I forgot what flavor I got, but I think I got either strawberry/raspberry & lavender white chocolate. It was yummy.

Ha Noi Pho
After a few days without my Asian food, I was craving some soup, specifically: pho! This place has the northern style pho with the garlic oil on the side. It was fine. It did its job! The waitress was super nice too!

Langosh Papi
This is a famous spot for just langosh bread and you can add any topping you want on it. At the Drum Cafe, I got paprika topping, and this time I got the cheese topping with sour cream and it was good! I am not fan of cheese, but it was good. The langosh bread is pretty big and it’s better to share this with another person!

Szimpla Kert Bar
The famous ruin bars in Budapest! This was a super fun area because there are a TON of bars inside this building. One bar leads to another and another. They have upstairs and downstairs. Super fun with all of the decorations and everything. Definitely check it out and get a drink or two!

Budapest, oh you were nice, and I am thankful you were sunny on my last day here! To be honest, I may/would have enjoyed this place more in my early 20s – it’s a place to party forsure, but nonetheless, it was enjoyable. Three full days is a perfect amount of time to see all of Budapest! I am HUNGARY for more travels!

As always, thank you for visiting Vivian’s Ventures. Have you been to Budapest? If so, tell me in the comments/reply section about your experience. What should I do if I go back? If you haven’t been, tell me what you are planning to do there. Any questions or comments, let me know. Let’s chat! #viviansventures