72 Hours in Budapest

Destination: Budapest, Hungary
Time Spent: 72 hours
Transportation: Flight
Hotel: 3/5
Walkability 5/5
Food: 5/5

What I did:
Day 1: Arrival
Checked in at Hotel (next to St Stephen's Basilica)
Sunset Tour on Danube
Walked back, passed Vigado Ter on the way to
Vorosmarty Ter for Christmas markets and Shopping
Fashion Street Budapest
Back for Dinner at Baba Budapest
All done by walking *Budapest is extremely walkable and I felt very safe

Day 2: Buda
Took Taxi to Buda across the Bridge
Breakfast at Steamhouse Cafe
Walked through Corvin Square to
Buda Castle
Panoramic Views of Budapest across Danube
Matthias Church
Stopped at Ruszworm confectioner cafe open since 1827
Hungarian National Gallery
Try Sekler Cake if you get the chance!
Walked back, stopped at Zerge Coffeeshop (did I mention I drink a lot of coffee?)
Took the bus back to the hotel
Got my swimwear, headed back to Gellert Hotel Thermal Spa to relax after long day walking
Afterwards, got dressed and headed to Beerstro14, a famous steakhouse *reservations highly recommended
Walked back towards hotel, explored Christmas Markets at Fashion Street

Day 3: Pest
New York Cafe-
Voted the most beautiful cafe in the world, and it carries the honor well. Honestly, the breakfast itself was nothing out of this world HOWEVER the representation, ambiance and the views inside this Italian renaissance inspired building is absolutely brilliant. I felt like I was in a James Bond movie.
*Do arrive early as lines fill quickly and dress properly! You WILL want photos taken inside.

Vorosmarty Square: markets and shopping
Gerbeaud Cafe: cafe open since 1858 (recommend the dark chocolate cacao & rasberry)
St Stephen's Basilica- Christmas markets
Parliament Building : Not a fan of tours but definitely recommend. Recommend reservations, I booked last minute on an italian tour that was still available.
Last Dinner: Turkiz Budapest (best lamb I've had, even topping the Middle East)

QUICK LIST:
Baba Budapest
Steamhouse Cafe *Buda (across from Parliament)
Ruszwurm *Buda (near Matthias Church)
Sekler Cake (near Hungarian National Gallery overlooking Danube)
Zerge Coffeeshop *found walking back from Buda Castle
Beerstro14 - famous steakhouse (recommend reservations)
Mon Cheri Coffee Shop
New York Cafe -Pest (*a MUST)
Gerbeaud - near Vorosmarty Square
Turkiz Budapest - near Parliament
Gelato Rosa- artisan ice cream

72 hours in Budapest! I visited during December when there are lots of Christmas markets throughout the city as well!

Bit of background, Budapest is the capital city of Hungary, which is also famously divided by the Danube River into two distinct parts: Buda and Pest which were formally united in 1873.

Each side has its own unique charm and landmarks, making Budapest, in my opinion, extremely underrated and very picturesque. Buda is on the western bank of the Danube River and Pest on the eastern bank.

It is in Buda where you will find the historic charm and medieval architecture at Buda Castle and Matthias Church against the backdrop of rolling hills and cobblestone streets along with the panoramic views of the Pest skyline near Fisherman’s Bastion and Gellért Hill.

I highly recommend visiting one of the famous thermal spas if you’re visiting. I took a taxi from the Pest side to Buda and enjoyed Gellért Thermal Bath at Hotel Gellért.

On the Pest side, you can visit St Stephens Basilica, Vaci Street and Héroes’ Square that will be filled with foods and local vendor arts and crafts shopping for the holidays.

If there’s one place you can’t miss, it’s a visit to the Parliament building. Notably, it is the third largest in the WORLD… I can’t express how beautiful and breathtaking it truly is. On a sunset tour on the Danube (which I highly recommend your first day at sunset if possible) the Parliament building can be seen in all her glory and you can also get a good look at the surrounding city and landmarks for ideas where you would like to go while relaxing from travels. Just as grandiose as it is on the outside, the inside does not disappoint. Inside, I felt like I had stepped into a James Bond film. Better to book a tour early as they fill quickly and the only language option I had available was Italian. Luckily my background in languages paid off.

Overall I loved Budapest. Food was good, people were kind and the city was very walkable, or a taxi or us could easily be taken. I felt safe the entire time I was there as well but it’s always best to be very cautious, don’t walk with headphones in and pay attention to your surroundings.