Budapest: 10 Things To Do

Be ready to be captured by the allure of Budapest: the Parliament, the Danube, the Castle, the thermal baths, and the vibrant nightlife will overwhelm you.

10 Things to Do in Budapest & Itinerary

DAY #1

#1 Visit Castle Hill – South

Start your tour on the other side of the Danube to enjoy the spectacular view of the Buda Castle. Then, proceed as follows for the top must-see attractions:

• Széchenyi Chain Bridge
• Siklò – the Buda Castle Funicular to go up – the queue can be very long unfortunately
• Buda Castle & Hungarian National Gallery & History Museum
• Castle Garden Bazaar – to go down

#2 Make your way up Gellért Hill

You may be wondering why we didn’t explore the rest of the Castle Hill on DAY#1. The reason is that, unfortunately, that day was so rainy that we decided to skip the northern section of Caste Hill to go to Gellért Thermal Bath. And this is what we did. However, we were not the only ones changing the plans at the very last minute. There were hundreds of people waiting in line to access the baths. And we just didn’t want to spend 2 hours in line.

At this point, it actually stopped raining, but it was too late to go back to Castle Hill. So, we ended up visiting Gellért Hill and the Citadella, which was in our plan anyway. So the next stops of our tour on the first day were:

• Gellért Hill Cave – just have a look from the outside
• Gellért Hill & Citadella

On top of the hill, where the Liberty Statue is, you will enjoy a beautiful aerial view of the city.

DAY #2

#3 Explore Belváros

Our second day in Budapest was again about revising our schedule, because of DAY#1 issues. As a consequence, we started early in the morning and did a very long tour of several districts. But we ended up seeing so many beautiful places that we didn’t realize we walked so much!

• Széchenyi István tér – several luxe hotels overlook this nice square, just in front of Széchenyi Chain Bridge. From here you’ll get the best view of Castle Hill.
• Vörösmarty tér – the stylish square with old cafés and modern stores
• Vàci utca – the shopping venue
• Duna korzó (passeggiata) – a walk in the riverfront
• Vigadó Concert Hall – in my opinion, the best part is the terrace, to enjoy another great view of Castle Hill.

#4 Explore Lipótváros

• St. Stephen’s Basilica – the most important Catholic church in Hungary, because it houses the most revered relic in the country
• Szabadság tér – one of the biggest squares in Budapest, it has a fountain equipped with optical sensors
• Postal Savings Bank – just a look from the outside, the building is beautiful
• Hungarian Parliament Building – the most photographed building in Budapest, it’s beautiful both outside and inside. Be sure you book your visit in advance
• Shoes on the Danube Bank – a monument dedicated to Hungarian Jews.

#5 Go back to Castle Hill – North

As mentioned above, the first day we couldn’t follow our plan as it was rainy, so we decided to skip the northern section of Castle Hill to come back when the weather would have been better. And this was the case. On the afternoon of DAY#2, we reached the hill once again and had time to enjoy both:

• Matthias Church
• Fisherman’s Bastion – for one of the most beautiful panoramic view in Budapest

There are some more attractions over here, such as the Labyrinth and the Hospital in the Rock, and others. Unfortunately, we had no time left to visit them. However, if you check Matthias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion, you have already seen the most important sites.