48 hours is almost never enough time to spend in a city, but sometimes it's all you've got. So, I'm here to help guide you through Budapest in 48 hours - how to make the most of your time and avoid breaking the bank. Luckily, Budapest is a relatively walkable and inexpensive city, so it makes my job a bit easier!
Budapest was the first stop on my three-city jaunt through eastern Europe (Vienna and Prague came next). I traveled for a total of 9 days during my Christmas holiday, and spent a little over 2 days in each location. Being from the Midwest in the USA, I was prepared for cold weather (and honestly hoping for snow!), and ready to drink a whole lot of mulled wine. So, let's get into it...here is my 48 Hour Itinerary: Budapest edition!
Day "0"
We arrived in Budapest from Madrid at around 8pm, and headed straight to our hostel. They had arranged a shuttle bus to pick us up and drop us off right outside their door, which was very convenient. We stayed at Meander Hostel, and I would absolutely recommend them if you're going the hostel route. The staff was wonderful, the facilities and rooms were nice and kept very clean, and the price was unbeatable. Once we were checked in, we pretty much went right to bed so we could make the most of our first full 24 hours in the city.
Day 1
We started out the day with breakfast at Cafe Vian in Gozsdu Courtyard, which is an area filled with little shops, restaurants, and bars. They had a huge menu filled with traditional Hungarian options, along with typical American, English, and French breakfasts. From there, we walked to, and ultimately crossed, the Chain Bridge.
Castle Hill
The Széchenyi Chain Bridge crosses the Danube river and connects Buda (west) to Pest (east), which were once two separate cities that unified as "Budapest" in 1873. We crossed from the Pest side into the Buda side. On the Buda side you can find Castle Hill, at the top of which is Buda Castle, Fisherman's Bastion, Matthias Church with it's beautifully tiled roof, and multiple museums including the Budapest History Museum. We unfortunately didn't make it inside any of the museums, as we weren't sure if it would fit in our schedule. In hindsight, we would have had time for one, so if you see one that piques your interest, you should definitely check it out!
To reach the top of Castle Hill, there's a funicular railway system (1,000HUF/€3.15 single ticket, 1,700HUF/€5.30), or you can walk. The funicular was the most attractive option, but we decided to walk and save a few HUF, and the walk honestly wasn't that bad. The path winds back and forth up the hill so it's much less steep and daunting than it seems. Once we finished exploring the Buda Castle area and taking in the breathtaking views, we walked around near Matthias church. Right in front of Matthias Church you'll find Fisherman's Bastion, a fairytale-esque lookout tower with more great views of the city.
Once we saw all the major sites, we started wandering around the hill with no particular destination. We found a cute little bakery called Ruszwurm, which seemed to be quite popular as the line was out the door. We ordered coffee and two incredible pastries to share - each about 500HUF/€1.60 and definitely worth the wait!
Christmas Market at Basilica
As it started getting dark out (quite early), we walked back across the Chain Bridge and set out to find the Christmas market at Basilica. This is right in front of St. Stephen's Basilica, and only about a 10 minute walk from the Chain Bridge. We had dinner here, and plenty of mulled wine, or forralt bor, to keep us warm.
Ruin Bars
One super unique thing about Budapest is it's ruin bars. These are built into old, formerly abandoned buildings in what used to be the Jewish Quarter (known as District VII). It was definitely one of the highlights of our time in Budapest. The most popular and largest ruin bar, and the one we visited, is Szimpla Kert which is filled with countless rooms, each with their own funky and unique style. Beer here was around 500HUF/€1.60.
Day 2
We started our second full day in Budapest with a 30 minute trek from our hostel to the Széchenyi Thermal Baths (aside from the shuttle from the airport to the hostel, we didn't use any public transportation. We found Budapest extremely walkable, but there are trams, buses, and a metro system if you'd prefer).
Széchenyi Thermal Baths
We booked tickets for the baths a few days in advance, and opted for the Fast Track ticket which included a cabin (a locked changing room accessible by a bracelet you're given when you check in) for €21. The Széchenyi baths have outdoor and indoor pools with varying temperatures, as well as saunas. The building is beautiful and the thermal baths are so relaxing - I could have stayed here all day.
Parliament Building
You can't really miss the Parliament building while walking around Budapest - it's the grandest, and (in my opinion) most beautiful building in the city. If you'd like to tour the inside of the building, it's definitely best to book your tickets in advance as it's pretty unlikely they'll be available day of. We weren't able to get tickets see inside, but the outside was impressive enough for me. Be sure to check it out during the day, and again at night when it's lit up.
Christmas Markets
After the baths, we spent most of the day wandering around the Pest side of the river (checking out Deák Ferenc, or Fashion Street), and exploring the Christmas markets. We had heard lots of great things about the food and drink at these markets, and were not disappointed. We spent most of our time at the market at Basilica - the food and atmosphere here was amazing. In our multiple trips to the markets, we tried the traditional lángos (fried dough topped with sour cream and cheese - somehow this combo worked), potato pancake topped with rice and vegetables (peppers, lots of garlic), goulash soup in a bread bowl, a sausage as big as my head (probably the best sausage I've ever had), and our absolute favorite - sekler cake, which is a spit cake (essentially a spiral of dough) covered in sugar and other toppings like cinnamon, vanilla, coconut, etc. Watching them cook is half the fun. My friend and I split all of the food to make it more cost effective (and to eat more of course), but as you can probably tell by now, it was not hard to travel on a budget in Budapest! There was another market at Vorosmarty Square which was fun to explore, but our favorite was definitely the one at Basilica.
St. Stephen's Basilica
The Christmas market at Basilica is right outside St. Stephen's, but if you're traveling to Budapest outside of Christmastime, St. Stephen's is still worth a stop. It's one of the tallest buildings in the city, and you can head to the top for a panoramic view of the city. Entrance is technically free, though a donation 200HUF is expected. To get to the top, there is a fee of 600HUF/about €2. Definitely worth it!
Danube River Cruise
We ended our night with a night cruise down the Danube River, which was another highlight of the trip. We booked an evening Danube Legend tour through Legenda. They offer quite a few different cruises - daytime, evening, and dinner. Our evening cruise lasted 1 hour and included a drink, and an audio guide with 30 different languages to choose from. We got a student discount, so the cruise cost 4,800HUF/about €15. The regular price is 5900HUF/about €18. I think this is a must do if you visit Budapest - not much compared to seeing the city lit up from the river!
That brings us to the end of our 48 hours in Budapest - the next morning consisted of trying to find an open restaurant for breakfast on Christmas Eve, and walking to the train station to continue our journey to Vienna. 48 hours was not enough time to get to know Budapest and see everything the city has to offer, but we highlighted the main attractions and left feeling accomplished!
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