District V, Belváros
First-timersThe inner city: the parliament, the basilica, the river promenade and the main shopping street.
12 hostels · from €6
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Budapest city guide
Things To Do In Budapest
Thermal baths fed by hot springs under the city, bars built into derelict buildings, and the most theatrical parliament in Europe — at central European prices.
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Hostels in the city
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118
Thermal springs under the city
1896
The Millennium metro line, the oldest in continental Europe
96 m
The parliament dome, matched exactly by the basilica
Two cities either side of a river, sitting on hot water
Budapest was Buda and Pest until 1873 — hills, castle and quiet on the west bank, flat grid and noise on the east. The Danube between them is wide, fast and lined on both sides with buildings designed to be looked at from the water.
Underneath it all is hot water. More than a hundred thermal springs feed the bath houses, which range from Ottoman domes built in the sixteenth century to enormous neo-baroque complexes where people play chess in the steam.
The ruin bars came out of the old Jewish Quarter in District VII, where derelict pre-war buildings were filled with mismatched furniture and left deliberately unfinished. The first and most famous is still going and the district around it is now the nightlife centre of central Europe.
The history is heavy and well presented — the Shoes on the Danube memorial and the House of Terror both deal with the Arrow Cross and the state security years directly.
It is cheaper than western Europe and not as cheap as it was. Three or four days.
Where to stay
Flat, dense Pest on one bank; hills and quiet on the Buda side.
District VI, Terézváros
Central and handsomeAlong Andrássy út: the opera house, wide boulevards, restaurants and good transport.
12 hostels · from €9
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District VII, the Jewish Quarter
NightlifeThe ruin bar district: the Great Synagogue, dense bars and the loudest nights in the city.
Buda Castle and Víziváros
Views and quietThe west bank: the castle hill, Fisherman's Bastion, the Ottoman baths and far fewer people.
1 hostel · from €20
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District VIII, around Keleti
Value and transportEast: cheaper beds, the main international station and a short metro ride into the centre.
1 hostel · from €9
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Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 12 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Budapest
Go to a bath. Széchenyi in the City Park is the big neo-baroque one with outdoor pools that stay hot in winter and the chess players everyone photographs. Gellért is art nouveau and more ornate. Rudas is the Ottoman one, built in the sixteenth century with an octagonal pool under a domed roof, and it has a rooftop pool over the Danube. Entry runs roughly 8,000 to 12,000 HUF — about €20 to €30 — and varies by bath, by day and by whether you want a cabin or a locker.
The parliament is the other headline, and tours must be booked ahead. Note that ticket prices differ for EU and non-EU citizens, with non-EU visitors paying significantly more — check which applies to you before booking.
The Shoes on the Danube Bank is free: sixty pairs of iron shoes on the embankment, marking where Arrow Cross militia shot Jewish Hungarians into the river in 1944 and 1945.
The House of Terror, in the former secret police headquarters on Andrássy út, covers both the fascist and communist regimes.
Then ride the Millennium metro, line 1, opened in 1896 and the oldest underground railway in continental Europe.
Free things
Free things to do in Budapest
The Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial is free and open at all hours.
Walking the Danube embankments on both sides costs nothing, and the view from the Pest side back to the castle and the Fisherman's Bastion at night is the image of the city.
Fisherman's Bastion charges for the upper terraces in daylight hours but the lower levels are free, and the whole thing is free outside those hours.
Margaret Island, in the middle of the Danube, is a free park with a musical fountain, running track and ruins.
Gellért Hill is a free climb to the Citadella with the best panorama in Budapest, and the Great Market Hall is free to walk through — the upstairs food stalls are a cheap lunch rather than a free one.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Budapest
Goulash is a soup here, not a stew — gulyás is a paprika-heavy broth with beef and vegetables, and the thick stew foreigners expect is called pörkölt. Ordering confidently and getting soup is a standard visitor experience.
Lángos is the street food: deep-fried dough with sour cream and cheese, around 1,500 to 2,500 HUF (about €4 to €6).
Kürtőskalács, the spiral chimney cake sold everywhere, is Transylvanian rather than Hungarian, which locals will point out.
A main in a normal restaurant is 4,000 to 7,000 HUF, roughly €10 to €18, and the Great Market Hall's upper floor does lunch for less.
Pálinka is fruit brandy at 40 per cent and up, often homemade and stronger. Unicum is the bitter herbal liqueur. Tokaji is the famous sweet wine, and Hungarian dry whites are seriously underrated.
A beer is 1,200 to 2,000 HUF, about €3 to €5.
More on food and drink in Budapest
Nightlife
Going out in Budapest
District VII, the old Jewish Quarter, is the centre of it. Ruin bars occupy derelict pre-war buildings and courtyards, filled with salvaged furniture and left deliberately unrestored — Szimpla Kert was the first and is now a fixture on every itinerary, which means it is busy and touristed without having stopped being good.
The streets around it — Kazinczy, Király, Dob — hold dozens more, and prices drop the further you get from the main drag.
A beer is 1,200 to 2,000 HUF (about €3 to €5) and cocktails €6 to €10.
Budapest is a major stag and hen destination and District VII is where those groups concentrate, particularly at weekends.
Bath parties, held at Széchenyi on some Saturday nights, are a separate and expensive thing — they are club nights in a thermal bath rather than a bathing experience.
More on nightlife in Budapest
Getting around
Getting around Budapest
Metro, trams and buses run on one ticket at around 450 HUF (about €1.15), with a 24-hour travelcard at roughly 2,500 HUF (about €6) that most visitors should just buy.
Validate single tickets — in the machines at metro entrances or on board trams and buses. Inspectors are frequent, visible and unsympathetic, and the fine is substantial.
Tram 2 along the Pest embankment costs a normal fare and gives the best view in the city, which makes it the cheapest sightseeing anywhere here.
From the airport, bus 100E runs to the centre for around 2,200 HUF (about €5.50) and is the straightforward option.
Use Bolt or a booked taxi rather than hailing one on the street — street taxis overcharging visitors is a long-standing problem.
Trains reach Vienna in two and a half hours and Eger, Pécs and Szeged in two to three.
Costs
What Budapest costs
Cheaper than western Europe and rising steadily. Dorms are €12 to €28, a main €10 to €18, and a beer €3 to €5. A day is €35 to €70.
You pay in forint, not euros. Hungary is in the EU but has kept its own currency, and places that accept euros use poor rates.
Exchange carefully. Use a bank or an established bureau in the centre, never a street tout, and never an exchange office that advertises a rate without showing the commission. Airport exchange rates are poor. Cards are widely accepted and are usually the simplest answer.
The baths at about €20 to €30 are the main spend and worth it.
Check whether service has been added to a restaurant bill before tipping again — some places add 12 to 15 per cent automatically.
More on costs in Budapest
Safety
Staying safe in Budapest
Budapest is a safe city with low violent crime, and the problems visitors hit are commercial rather than physical.
Currency exchange is the first one. Street offers of a good rate are a scam, and some bureaux advertise a headline rate then apply a large commission. Use a bank or a well-reviewed exchange office, and count what you are handed before leaving the counter.
Taxis are the second. Hailing on the street, particularly near tourist areas and the airport, is where overcharging happens. Use Bolt or have a venue call one.
The third is inflated bills, historically associated with a handful of bars near Váci utca and with venues that use street promoters to bring people in. Check prices before ordering, and be wary of anyone approaching you on the street to recommend a bar.
Drink spiking has been reported in the District VII nightlife area. Watch your drink, stay with your group.
The Danube is fast, cold and has steep stone embankments with no railings in places. Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Budapest
A Danube bend, a wine valley and central Europe's biggest lake.
Szentendre
A riverside town of baroque houses, galleries and Serbian Orthodox churches on the Danube Bend.
Eger
A baroque town with a castle that held off the Ottomans and a valley of wine cellars outside it.
Lake Balaton
The largest lake in central Europe, with swimming, vineyards on the north shore and resort towns on the south.
Visegrád and Esztergom
A hilltop citadel over the Danube Bend and Hungary's largest basilica, on the Slovak border.
Vienna
A different country and a much more expensive one, easy as a long day.
Day trips from Budapest
What's on
What is on while you are there
One of Europe's largest festivals, on an island in the Danube.
Staff pick
10–11 October
SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival
The SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival is Hungary’s largest running event, drawing over 40,000 participants to the heart of Budapest each autumn. Runners of all…
Staff pick
15–18 October
Art Market Budapest
Art Market Budapest is a leading international contemporary art fair that has been drawing art lovers to Hungary since 2011. Hosted at the MTK…
2 October
Deep Purple
Deep Purple, a legendary hard rock band, will perform in Budapest on October 2, 2026. The concert celebrates their enduring influence on rock music,…
2–3 October
Dzsúdló
Dzsúdló returns to Budapest Park with a new album and a special double concert event. Across two nights, you'll experience two different musical styles,…
3 October
DJ BoBo
DJ BoBo returns to Hungary with his 2026 Arena Tour, performing at the MVM Dome for the first time. Expect a grand production with…
5 October
A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky is bringing his Don’t Be Dumb World Tour to Budapest, showcasing songs from his latest album. The tour marks a significant return…
10 October
Arena Retro Party
The Arena Retro Party 7 brings back the biggest live show of the 80s with a lineup of both international and Hungarian stars performing…
1–3 November
Flower Fair
The Flower Fair brings a vibrant selection of blooms and plants to brighten your days. It runs from November 1 to November 3, offering…
Hostels
Where to stay in Budapest
A large scene concentrated in Districts VI and VII, at some of the lowest prices in the EU. Live from Hostelworld.
Lavender Circus Hostel, Doubles & Ensuites
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AVAIL Hostel
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Onefam Budapest
Dorms from €12 a night
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Gaia Astoria
Dorms from €30 a night
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The Loft Hostel Budapest
Dorms from €12 a night
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Shantee House
Dorms from €18 a night
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Big Fish Budapest Hostel
Dorms from €12 a night
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Budapest Bubble
Dorms from €10 a night
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Spicy Hostel
Dorms from €14 a night
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Green Bridge Hostel and Apartments
Dorms from €12 a night
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Maverick Budapest Soho
Dorms from €11 a night
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Maverick Central Market
Dorms from €10 a night
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When to go
April to June and September to October. The outdoor baths are better in winter than summer.
Jan
Cold and grey. Cheapest, and the outdoor baths steam
Feb
Cold. Quiet and good value
Mar
Improving. Terraces starting
Apr
Excellent. Warm, green and not yet crowded
May
Very good. Long evenings and everything open
Jun
The best month before the heat builds
Jul
Hot. Sziget festival in August approaches and the city fills
Aug
Hottest and busiest. Sziget mid-month
Sep
Superb. Heat breaking and crowds thinning
Oct
Excellent value. Autumn in the City Park
Nov
Grey and cold. Baths weather
Dec
Christmas markets and steaming outdoor pools
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. The outdoor thermal pools are kept at bathing temperature year-round, which makes sitting in one at minus five with snow on the ground a better experience than the same pool in August.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros — you will pay in forint.
Shown in euros for comparison; Hungary uses the forint and places accepting euros use poor rates. A bath at €20 to €30 sits in the doing line.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Budapest travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Which thermal bath should I go to?
Széchenyi for the big neo-baroque experience and the outdoor pools, Gellért for art nouveau, or Rudas for the sixteenth-century Ottoman one with an octagonal pool under a dome and a rooftop pool over the Danube. Entry runs about €20 to €30 depending on bath, day and whether you want a cabin or a locker.
Are the baths better in summer or winter?
Winter. The outdoor pools are kept at bathing temperature year-round, so sitting in steaming water at minus five with snow around you is the version people remember. Summer is fine but unremarkable.
Does Hungary use the euro?
No. It is in the EU but kept the forint, and places that accept euros apply poor rates. Pay in forint, use cards where you can, and exchange at a bank or established bureau rather than a street tout.
What is a ruin bar?
A bar built into a derelict pre-war building or courtyard in District VII, the old Jewish Quarter, filled with salvaged mismatched furniture and left deliberately unrestored. Szimpla Kert was the first and is still good despite being on every itinerary. Prices fall as you move off the main streets.
Is goulash a soup or a stew?
A soup. Gulyás is a paprika broth with beef and vegetables. The thick stew most visitors are picturing is pörkölt, and ordering the wrong one is a rite of passage here.
What should I watch out for?
Commercial problems rather than crime. Street currency exchange offers are a scam, bureaux that advertise a rate without showing commission are worse, street-hailed taxis overcharge, and a handful of bars near the tourist streets inflate bills. Use Bolt, check prices before ordering, and ignore anyone approaching you to recommend a bar.
How many days do I need?
Three or four. The baths take half a day each and deserve it, the Buda side needs a day, and District VII plus the parliament and the memorials fill the rest.
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