Budapest is one of Europe’s most popular weekend breaks because you can explore the majority of the city in just a few days. The Hungarian capital has a compact center, spread between the two former cities of Buda (west of the River Danube) and Pest (east of the Danube), which means most sights are within walking distance of each other.
Here’s how we spent a perfect weekend in Budapest.
Saturday morning
We started our weekend in Budapest with breakfast at Bechamel, a small Hungarian Café that offers all-day brunch. Having fuelled up, we were ready to spend the day exploring some of Budapest’s prettiest sights on foot.
We began with one of Budapest’s most iconic landmarks, the Parliament building. It’s one of the tallest buildings in Budapest as well as the third-largest national assembly building in the world. Right by Parliament, you can find Budapest’s moving memorial, the Shoes on the Danube. This monument remembers the victims of the Holocaust who were taken to the riverbank, ordered to remove their shoes, and shot before falling into the river beneath them.
From here, we took a short stroll over Margaret Bridge witnessing one of the prettiest panoramas of Budapest. Halfway across, you’ll find the entrance to Margaret Island, the city’s biggest green oasis. The whole island is a huge park in the middle of the city with a Medieval church ruin, a gorgeous Japanese Garden, century-old towering trees, and a large fountain that lights up every hour.
Top tip: Rent a bike and take in everything Margaret island has to offer, in half the time it would take you to walk!
Saturday afternoon
We then finished crossing Margaret Bridge to reach the Buda side, and climb up to the Castle District. There’s a vintage funicular – one of the oldest funicular railways in the world that takes you up the hill in just a couple of minutes. Once there, cobble-stoned streets with a spectacular view over Pest across the river, lead you to Buda Castle and the Hungarian National Gallery.
Next, you can walk down the tree-lined Andrássy Avenue – which is dotted with cafes, fancy shops, restaurants, and beautiful buildings – all the way to Heroes’ Square. The square is one of the city’s most iconic monuments, paying homage to major figures from Hungarian history.
When day turns into night, a visit to one of the city’s ruin bars is essential.
Many people come to Budapest solely for the nightlife, so get lost in it; bar hop, meet locals, and try your hand at local pub games.
Sunday morning
We started our Sunday with a quick breakfast, grabbing a Hungarian pastry from a small bakery close to our Airbnb called
We then walked to Heroes’ Square to gain access to City Park. Here you’ll find Vajdahunyad Castle and a beautiful lake filled with rowboats, which in the winter turns into an alfresco ice-skating rink.
We strolled around the park until we reached the main event of our day, the world-famous Széchenyi Baths. Here, we bathed in the healing thermal waters and enjoyed the sauna and a massage. If it sounds like your thing, I would recommend going to a Sparty event – a world-famous bath party held at Széchenyi Baths every Saturday night from 9.30 pm until 2.00 am.
We ended our weekend in Budapest with dinner at Hungarikum Bisztró, a homely restaurant offering traditional Hungarian dishes.
