Over half term, my husband, youngest teen daughter and myself headed off to explore Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, a city that none of us had visited before. I do love exploring new places – typically heading off on foot to explore the streets so as get a real sense of the place. The city was officially formed in 1873 by merging three distinct settlements – hilly Budda and Obuda on the west bank of the Danube River and flat Pest on the east bank, forming what we know today as ‘Budapest’. The Danube acts as a central artery connecting the historic, quiet, and residential Buda with the vibrant, commercial, and bustling Pest.
We opted to stay in Pest in a beautiful property called Boho Hotel, which is part of the ‘Small Luxury Hotels‘. It was elegantly designed – more minimalist chic than Boho, but the staff and ambience of the hotel were warm and friendly. The bedrooms were good sized – with the most comfortable mattresses and pillows ever. The pillows were incredible long and narrow, I had never seen anything like it before.
The bathrooms had a large bath and then a separate rain shower and toilet room. I was intrigued to see British toiletries brand Penhaligon installed in the bathrooms. As the winter Olympics were on we were pleased that the hotel rooms had huge TV’s so we could catch up on the events at the end of the day touring the city.
The hotel also offered a large sauna in the basement with a hot tub and lounging area, which was the perfect way to relax after a day of touring. You could also book a massage too should you wish to. In another basement at the other end of the hotel was a pool table and sofas to relax and read. Breakfast was included in the price and offered a wide range of sweet and savoury options.
I thought it would be helpful to list a few things to pop on your to-do/see list when you visit the city. I feel we only scratched the surface so I hope a few of the ideas below might intrigue you to seek out.
1.Visit a thermal bath – Budapest is known for its spas and thermal baths since Roman times, so it is a must to seek one out and bath in its medicinal waters. The three most famous are:
Széchenyi Thermal Bath, which is the largest, featuring 18 pools and is an eye catching yellow with Neo-Baroque architecture.
Gellért Thermal Bath, which is both inside and outside with an art nouveau vibe but is closed for renovations until 2028.
Rudas Thermal Bath, which was founded at the time of the Ottoman rule so has a distinctive hammer vibe about it with an Ottoman dome and an octagonal rooftop pool.
They all have their own rules regarding compulsory bathing hats or not, male or female only times and so forth. After a lot of research we opted for more of a local bath which was nearer to our hotel – described as ‘a bit off the beaten track and therefore quite authentic’ called Dardár Baths.
It had a Finnish sauna, a couple of inside pools at 35 and 38 degrees centigrade and a cold plunge. Outside were a further couple of hot pools which we enjoyed the most – being in nature is really calming and relaxing. We found it clean and user-friendly. We didn’t need to wear swim hats and could all go in together. You need to obviously remember a swim suit, flip flops and towels. I believe you can borrow the latter if required. They have large lockers that you can leave all your belongings. There is also the option of massages as well. For £9 you can wallow and hang out there all day so it was quite busy with local mature residents of Budapest catching up with friends and bathing.
2. Visit Central Market, also known as Great Market Hall
Restored in the 1990s the Neo-Gothic building was pretty spectacular. It has two storeys filled with Hungarian foods – a lot of salami – and crafts including a lot of Christmas decorations. I made a beeline for the hot and sweet smoked paprika in the pretty blue and white tins. The upper level has lots of eating options, where you can stand and watch the throngs below or sit down in a canteen style eatery. We devoured a few large Hungarian sausages known as kolbász, that are seasoned with a distinctive blend of spices, most notably paprika, served alongside some fries, pickles, and mustard. Delicious and £27 for the huge plate below.
3. Explore Old Buda, visit the Hungarian National Gallery and stroll around Fisherman’s Bastion
Heading over one of the bridges, walk to old Buda with its impressive view across to the parliament building and Pest. Housed in several wings of Buda Castle is the Hungarian National Gallery which has some spectacular art work. You could literally spend hours here and if the day is overcast, wet or snowy it is a good place to keep warm and enjoy the art. Below are few that caught my eye.
Over on the old Buda side there are some wonderful streets to wander down and churches to admire. You’ll also see Fisherman’s Bastion a Neo-Romanesque and Neo Gothic panoramic terrace built between 1895 and 1902 to celebrate the 1000th birthday of the Hungarian state. It looks like a medieval fortress with a sprinkling of ‘Disney magic’ and has seven, white-stone towers, arches, and courtyards connected by stairways and is located just behind Matthias Church. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and a popular must see when visiting Budapest.
4. Ride on Budapest’s iconic yellow trams, known as villamos. You need to purchase a ticket before getting on and then activate them in the machine once you board the tram. The tube/underground/metro works really well too. Make sure you go on the M1 (yellow line) which is the oldest and features historic tram like carriages built in 1896 and runs below Andrássy Avenue.
5. Walk along the Danube and then board a river cruise
Stroll along the Danube and you will find many companies offering river cruise. We found one that was about to leave so secured some tickets and headed down the river to watch the sunset. We sat above deck initially all wrapped up warm and then when the weather dipped dramatically we headed downstairs to the warmth to watch the world go by. The cruise offered glasses of bubbly and orange juice and lasted around 45 minutes.
I noticed a rather charming wooden boat known as the ‘Kisfaludy Paddle Steamer’ as we cruised by, which apparently is a 2014-2015 replica of the first 19th century steamboat on Lake Balaton. You can book a trip on it here.
6. Art lovers will adore The Museum of Fine Art
We initially had plans to visit ‘The House of Terror Museum’ to learn more about the history of the region. It was raining and the queue was long and apparently not going anywhere. After talking to some fellow Brits at the front of the queue we learned they had not moved in 45 minutes and were letting people out but not in. I can’t stand queueing at the best of times so we all agreed we would give it a miss and head on to The Museum of Fine Art.
Housed in one of the most spectacular buildings the museum is as much an architectural masterpiece as it is an art gallery. The permanent collection houses Egyptian antiquities, European art and sculpture across the ages, classical antiquity. You could spend days in here without even seeing the exhibitions which are on for a few months – The Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties is on at the moment.
7. Enjoy the local cuisine, as well as the international food on offer.
We couldn’t go to Budapest and not have some goulash so we headed to Mama Goulash. They don’t take reservations so there is always a long queue. Not to be discouraged we were given an option to eat outside under a warming lamp so agreed to skip the queue and eat our goulash and schnitzel – thin breaded fried meat cutlet. It was tasty and well priced. We didn’t linger as it was February and just a little chilly.
Another couple of restaurants that were on my radar but sadly didn’t visit were:
We did however eat a tremendous ramen virtually next door to our hotel at Ramen Nikko. My love for Japanese food runs deep so I’m afraid it won out over local Hungarian food – please don’t hate me ;o).It doesn’t actually have a website and is very much a place you turn up. It’s on Krúdy utca 6, 1088 – literally next door to Boho Hotel. It’s on instagram as @ramennikko and run by friendly Japanese folk.
Another night we visited a family run Vietnamese called ‘Ciao Siagon‘ – again walking distance from our hotel and really delicious. Again it has no website and we simply turned up. It is located Vas u. 2, Budapest. On instagram it is @ciaosiagonbudapest my pho and Banh Cuon – steamed rice rolled filled with mince pork, shrimp and wood ear mushrooms, topped with crispy shallots and served with Vietnamese ham and fresh herbs were superb.
One coffee shop worth a mention was Salt Bakery which is just along from St Stephen’s Basilica. Lovely ambiance and great coffee.
8. Explore the Jewish neighbourhood
Not far from where we were staying was the Jewish neighboured. We wandered the streets, checked out the vintage shops and visited Karavan – where a number of street food trucks enticed passers by. We tried the local Lángos, which consists of a fried dough base with sour cream and cheese. You can have additional toppings but we opted for the traditional variety. It comes from the Hungarian word for ‘flame’. Originally they were made in a brick oven – similar to a tandoor and the dough would be slapped against the ovens hot walls until crisp. It was hearty and I guess comforting in cold weather. I am glad I tried them but probably won’t rush back to get another.
9. Visit Memento Park
We missed this one but if you are visiting in the spring or summer I think it would be great to go and visit. The park includes 42 Soviet-era statues, including Lenin, Marx, and Engels. If you are interested in Cold War history, communist-era propaganda, art, or photography friends have said it is worth a visit although does require a tube and bus ride and walk to reach it, so only for the truly committed.
10. St Stephen’s Basilica
A short walk from our hotel was St Stephen’s Basilica, which is really impressive. It is the largest church in Budapest and the third largest in the whole of Hungary.
The basilica features a mix of neoclassical and neo-Renaissance styles with a Greek cross floor plan. Its 96-meter dome offers spectacular views of Budapest for those who want to go to the top. It’s interior has marble columns, gold leaf decorations, and mosaics of St. Stephen’s life and Hungarian religious history. There is even a mummified hand of Saint Stephen – a sacred relic of Hungary’s first king. It is displayed in a glass cabinet for those are curious to see. Apparently it was found preserved when his tomb was opened in 1083. Each August 20th it is paraded around the basilica.
Have you visited before? Do add any recommendations in the comments below so others can take notes.
CHILLI & MINT 