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I recently visited the central European city of Budapest in Hungary. It’s the ideal location for a city break on a budget and I absolutely loved the city and the people who live there.
Read on for my four day Budapest itinerary.
How much spending money do you need for four days in Budapest?
Budapest is relatively cheap compared to some other European cities like London, Paris and Rome. Accommodation, food and drink, and activities are comparable to city breaks in Prague and Wroclaw.
You can pick up flights for around £50 from budget airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet and I saw lots of accommodation options for around £100 for three nights.
Food and drink is also reasonably priced in the city, depending on where you go. I would recommend budgeting around £200 for your trip.
Credit cards are accepted in most places.
How long to spend in Budapest
We spent four days in Budapest which I think is an ideal amount of time for sightseeing on a city break.
There’s plenty to see here without needing to shell out a fortune for various attractions. If the weather is fine, you can easily spend four days walking round and admiring some of the beautiful architecture that the city is home to.
Things to do in Budapest
There’s so much to do in Budapest that you’ll be spoilt for choice!
Take a free walking tour
A free walking tour is my favourite thing to do on day one of any city break. It’s a great way to get your bearings and to learn a little bit of the history around the city.
We took a free walking tour of Budapest which took us to some of the main squares and monuments in the city.
We visited Elisabeth Square, St Stephen’s Basilica and the Parliament building.
Our guide was super passionate about Budapest and very knowledgeable, so we really enjoyed it and we learned lots about the city and its history that we didn’t know before.
Strictly speaking, these walking tours are not free as you do pay a tip to the guide at the end of the tour. However, it’s up to you how much you want to give, based on how good you think the tour was.
Shoes on the Danube
The Shoes on the Danube is a memorial which gives remembrance to the 3,500 people who were shot into the Danube by the Hungarian Militia during the Arrow Cross terror in the Second World War.
These people were made to take off their shoes so that the shoes could be resold as they were valuable. They were then shot on the river bank so that their bodies would fall into the river and be carried away.
There are 60 pairs of shoes here which were created by Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauer and they are made from iron. It’s a really poignant memorial and worth visiting while you’re in the city.
City Park
You could probably spend a whole day in City Park without going anywhere else! You’ll find its main entrance at Heroes Square, an impressive World Heritage site and one of the major squares in Budapest.
Heroes Square features an impressive monument with statues of some of Hungary’s most important leaders. The square has been host to a number of political events throughout history.
City Park itself is home to art galleries, a zoo, museums and an ice skating rink.
Head to the spas
If there’s one thing that Budapest is known for, it’s the abundance of thermal spas there. In fact, there are more thermal spas here than in any other capital city in the world.
There are 118 thermal springs in Budapest and there are plenty of baths to choose from.
Probably the most famous spa is the Szechenyi Thermal Baths which are located within City Park. The baths have 21 pools including a couple that are outside and they are the largest and most popular baths in Budapest.
Enjoy the indoor and outdoor pools, pop into a sauna, get a massage and relax. Bathing outside in a geothermal pool in February is definitely a unique experience and one which you shouldn’t miss!
Buda
Did you know that Budapest used to be two cities – Buda and Pest? Now the cities have merged into one, but the river still separates the two sides.
On one of your days, take the Elisabeth Bridge over to the Buda side of the city. It’s a longish walk from Pest, around 30-40 minutes depending on where you’re going.
If you don’t fancy the walk, you can take the city’s underground instead.
Gellert Hill
Once in Buda, you can walk to the top of Gellert Hill. This is a pretty steep climb but you’ll be rewarded along the way with fantastic views over the city below.
At the top you’ll find Liberty Statue which was erected in remembrance of the Soviet liberation of Hungary which ended the Nazi occupation.
Unfortunately the area surrounding the statue was closed off when we visited so we couldn’t get too close, but it was still an impressive sight.
Fisherman’s Bastion
I think this just might be the most Instagrammable place in the whole of Budapest…and that’s saying something as it is the most beautiful city!
Fisherman’s Bastion was built during the 19th century as a lookout tower for panoramic views over the city – and boy, does it deliver!
Head up to Fisherman’s Bastion at dusk when you visit Budapest for some beautiful skies and enjoy a mulled wine or a coffee as you look out over the city.
While you’re here, you’ll also see Matthias Church, a Roman Catholic church which was built between the 13th and 15th centuries. It was renovated in the 19th century and has a neo-Gothic style.
The roof is beautifully decorated with different coloured tiles and makes for a spectacular sight, especially when the sun is shining.
Buda Castle
Buda Castle dates back to the 14th century and the gardens and courtyards are open to visitors. The castle complex is also home to the Hungarian National Gallery, the National Library and the Budapest History Museum.
Where to eat in Budapest
As well as the places where we ate, we did have some others recommended to us too. Mazeltov was one of these, and it looked lovely, however, we were unable to get a booking here during our stay.
If you do want to visit here, be sure to book ahead!
I’m not going to lie, I’m not the biggest fan of traditional Hungarian food. I have tried both goulash and chicken paprikash and I wasn’t overly fond of either!
However, there are plenty of options in the city, no matter what kind of food you like.
Bella di Mama
Pizza is my favourite food and this place does THE BEST pizza! They also do wine pairings to go with the pizza and the staff are really friendly.
It’s cool and contemporary inside and they give you hooks to hang your handbag on! It’s a bit of a hidden gem in Budapest.
The New York Café
The New York Cafe has been named the most beautiful café in the world and it’s not difficult to see why. The interior is all gilt gold and velvet, there are opulent chandeliers and if you look up you’ll see Renaissance paintings on the ceiling that might look more at home in the Sistine Chapel.
It was designed as the headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company which is how it gets its name.
We had the afternoon tea here which was delicious and very photogenic with small roll sandwiches, macarons and other sweet treats. We also treated ourselves to a glass of fizz.
The service was a little strange as the food arrived with us before our drinks but we forgave them because of the beautiful setting.
It is a little pricey here compared to some of the other places in Budapest but you don’t need to have a meal, you can just treat yourself to a slice of cake and a coffee. There’s no need to book here.
It’s usually busy but we only queued for about five or 10 minutes.
Koleves
My favourite meal in Budapest was at Koleves which was recommended to us by our guide on the walking tour. Koleves is more traditional Hungarian inside and again had a really nice atmosphere.
The drinks were super reasonably priced and the food was delicious. I had the spring rolls with king prawns.
Mia’s
Mia’s is a cute little bakery in the city and makes a great stop for breakfast or a quick lunch. We had croque Monsieurs here as well as a cinnamon roll.
They also do lots of different flavours of lemonade which confused me at first!
Doblo Wine Bar
This a lovely cosy wine bar with a great atmosphere. There are lots of different wines to try and the staff are happy to recommend one based on what you like.
They also do meat and cheese boards to accompany the wine. When we were there, there was some live music on too.
Where to stay in Budapest
We stayed at the Hotel Memories. This hotel is on the Pest side of town and is ideally located, within walking distance of lots of the city’s main attractions.
The rooms are clean and stylish with spacious en-suites with toiletries and hairdryer, satellite TV and free wi-fi. There’s also a mini fridge and a coffee machine.
The hotel also has lots of on-site facilities including a restaurant and bar. There’s also a fitness suite, sauna and a hot tub which you can book out privately.
We didn’t really make use of the facilities as we were too busy exploring but it was good to know that they were there.
Hotel Memories is also a great budget option for staying in Budapest. It cost us around £200 for a twin room for three nights and breakfast was included in that rate.
Breakfast is a good continental selection with pastries, fruit, toast, bread, cheese and meats as well as tea, coffee and juices. There were also a couple of more Hungarian options – I loved the cabbage strudel!
