Budapest Travel Blog

As a Hungarian girl, it is a pleasure to write about Hungary and especially about Budapest. Since I was a little girl, Budapest had a special place in my heart. I find this city very underrated next to Rome, Paris, or Barcelona. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.

How to get there:

There are several ways to reach Budapest, here you can decide what is best for you.

By plane:

If you are traveling by plane, you will arrive at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. From there you can get a Bolt Taxi, but it has very high costs and there is always traffic jam in Budapest.
The budget-friendly option is to take the airport shuttle from the Airport to Deak Ferenc Ter. It costs 2,90€ you get the tickets from the BKK service point and you can also pay by card. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the center (Deak Ferenc Ter) and there you have connections for 3 metro lines (M1, M2, M3) to reach your final destination.

By train:

Budapest is connected to most big cities in Europe by train. You will arrive at one of the main train stations in Budapest and from there you can take the metro or the tram. If you are doing a road trip around Europe, you are likely to visit Vienna as well. For some reason, the tickets from Budapest to Vienna are way cheaper than the other way around, so if you are on a tight budget, consider visiting Budapest first.

By car:

I don’t recommend arriving by car unless you want to pay crazy parking fees and drive in crazy traffic.

Where to stay in Budapest:

Budget options:

If you are traveling on a budget, you should consider staying in a hostel. Make sure to find a hotel in the city center so you won’t need to take a taxi at night if you want to party. Check some options at hostelworld.

Mid-range:

Budapest is surprisingly cheap when it comes to accommodation. Any mid-range hotel will beat the price of a budget hotel in Paris or Barcelona. I personally stayed at Ibis Budapest Castle Hill hotel, because it is next to the south train station, and it is a 5-minute walk from the Fisherman’s Bastion, where I wanted to be at sunrise.
Airbnb is also a nice option to stay in a decent place and meet some locals.

Luxury:

If you want to treat yourself to a nice hotel, I have 2 recommendations for you:
Matild Palace or Hilton Budapest both hotels have perfect locations and insane views.

What to eat:

Before we jump into sightseeing, we have to fuel our bodies. Here are my favorite Hungarian dishes and some tips on where to eat.

Chimney cake (aka. Kürtöskalács):

This is the sweet smell you find at all metro stations. It is somewhat similar to donuts, but it is not fried. Only watching how they prepare it is very satisfying, but you should definitely try it, it tastes like heaven.

Goulash soup:

It is already famous around the world, but no one does it as well as Hungarians.

Pörkölt (meat stew) with dumplings:

If you haven’t guessed it already, Hungary is not the best place for vegetarians, there is a huge culture on eating meat. This stew has the best Hungarian spices, make sure you take spices with you like souvenirs, so you can prepare some Hungarian dishes at home.

Lángos:

This is probably the least healthy of all. It is fried dough with sour cream, cheese, and garlic. Ultimately, you can eat it with ketchup or mayonnaise. My favorite is the one filled with sausage.

Fried cheese (rántott sajt):

One of my favourite dishes. It is the same as mozarella sticks, but bigger piece and we eat it as a main course with fries or rice. It is usually made from gouda or emmental cheese. Every Hungarian eats it with a special sauce it called Tartármártás (sour cream based, kind of sweet sauce).

These dishes are my personal favorites, but check out this blog post about more yummy Hungarian food.

The famous Hungarian drinks: Pálinka and Uniqum

I usually recommend that you run for your life when you hear pálinka. It is a fruit brandy with 50-60% of alcohol. Trust me if I say that you are not prepared for this. If you are drinking it in a restaurant, it is usually not that strong, but definitely stay away from homemade pálinka.
There is a “female version” of this with different flavors. The brand is called Fütyülős, my favorite flavor is blueberry and honey. You can find it in any supermarket. It is the perfect souvenir from Budapest.
Uniqum is a Hungarian herbal liqueur. If you know the Argentinian Fernet, it is very similar to that.

Tips:

• You should try Hungarian self-service restaurants. You can eat a whole menu for as cheap as 4-5€.
• Try the bakery section of supermarkets. They have a wide variety of tasty Hungarian pastries, the best breakfast you ever had.
• Go to the Street Food Caravan in the evening. It is not the cheapest option but the vibes are great all year around.
• Visit New York Cafe, the prettiest Cafe in the world.

How to get around:

The best option is to buy a 24 or 72-hour Budapest-travelcard. It costs around 4,5€ for a day, super cheap for accessing all the public transport (metros, trams, busses). The tickets are originally valid for some boats lines (D2, D11, D129, but it is suspended because of the pandemic.
Public transport stops working around midnight, but some busses are still available. You should also download the Bolt app, it is like Uber and you can order taxis anytime.

What to see:

Here you find my map of Budapest. I’ve included the best attractions in the city, some drinking spots, and food recommendations. I always make a map before a holiday and I am planning my itinerary randomly once I am there.

Language and currency:

The national language is Hungarian, but most people in Budapest speak very good English. It is worth learning ‘köszönöm’ or ‘köszi’, they both mean thank you. Szia (pronounced exactly like see yaa) means hi and goodbye.
As a personal experience, there are some words that sound inappropriate to English speakers. ‘Puszi’ means a kiss on the cheek, it is completely common to hear it. You can imagine my boyfriend’s face when I said ‘Puszi’ to my mom on the phone. Don’t be surprised, if Hungarians are trying to teach you bad words, there are thousands of people abroad that know a couple of bad words or expressions in Hungarian.

The local currency is called Hungarian Forint. I recommend that you get a travel card with free international withdrawal, and just withdraw cash from a local ATM once you are in Budapest. If you don’t get a travel card, you might find yourself paying very high fees.
Hungarian Forint can be confusing when you see a lot of zeros at the end, but you can download a currency converter app to your phone, it comes in handy every day on your travels.

Thermal baths in Budapest

Hungary is famous for its thermal baths. Szechenyi Bath and Gellert Bath are the most famous ones. It is hard to decide which one to choose, but the Szechenyi bath is more crowded in general. They also offer pool parties on the weekends, you can have further information about it here. To save money, bring your own towel and slippers with you.

Near Budapest:

Most people only visit Budapest, but if you want some off-the-beaten-path destinations, here are my recommendations:

• Lake Cave Tapolca
• Aggtelek National Park
• Lake Balaton (Balatonfüred, Tihany, Siofok)
• Pécs
• Szeged
• Szentendre
• Esztergom
• Visegrád

Thank you for reading my blog, I would really appreciate it if you follow me on Social Media. I hope you will enjoy Budapest and don’t worry about the extra kilos because of all the food, it is just a souvenir from Hungary.