Budapest is like this: you can’t help but love it. Having been here once, I want to come back again and again. It is contradictory, mysterious, picturesque, different. Buda is hilly, full of parks and cottages, and Pest is flat, brick, hectic… Connect Buda with Pest eight beautiful bridges, the oldest and most popular tourists – chain bridge Széchenyi.
Maria Zolotareva has been living in Budapest for almost 3 years. Arriving as an exchange student, I fell in love with the city and stayed. Like most Hungarians, he dreams of moving to live in the Buda Mountains.
Which area to choose for living?
Of course, it is better to stay in the center. Then the main attractions will be nearby within walking distance. I recommend looking in 5, 6, 7, 8, 13 districts of the city.
Hotels:
Flow Hostel
Hotel Sunshine
Alfréd Panzió
Avantgarde Apartments
Vagabond Broadway
New York Residence
Iberostar Grand Budapest
Where to eat?
Photo: @spoti / @ashmersch / Instagram.com
You will not walk much on an empty stomach, so first, you need to eat well. Before ordering the first-second-third, ask the waiter the size of the portion – they are relatively large here. Hungarian cuisine is fatty, spicy, spicy, and delicious – a real gastronomic pleasure. Be sure to try gulyás, pörkölt, paprikás csirke, túrós csusza.
Lunch. Elements Budapest is a new but established restaurant. The location is perfect – near the parliament. On weekdays, they offer a two-course business lunch and a drink for 5 euros.
Average bill: 10-15 euros.
Rostelyos is a Restaurant serving Hungarian cuisine in Calvin Square.
Average bill: 15-20 euros.
Dinner. Several restaurants of Hungarian cuisine located in the central areas of the city: Tüköry, Rétesház, Kék Rozsa.
For a special, impressive dinner, head to the restaurant on the ship Vén hajó.
Average bill: 30 euros.
For breakfast, Hungarians prefer scrambled eggs, sausages, a sandwich with cheese, ham, pepper, or local pastries from drinks – cocoa or coffee. Excellent breakfasts are served at Menza and Bubō.
Average bill: 5 euros.
For Hungarian marzipan and a cup of coffee – in the café Számos (this is a whole network of cafes, one of them overlooking the parliament), for a piece of cake – in a centuries-old coffee shop with a history. Hungarians are coffee people, so the choice of tea, of course, is not so rich.
Average bill: 8 euros.
“Cafe of all cafes” in Budapest – Central Kavehaz – one of the oldest, in the Viennese style. Opened at the end of the 19th century, this place was popular with the local intelligentsia: journalists, writers, musicians, and university professors came to light.
Average bill: 13 euros.
For vegetarians and vegans, I recommend Napfényes and Vegacity restaurants in the fifth district. Proper nutrition is now gaining momentum so that a vegetarian menu can be found in any self-respecting restaurant.
Average bill: 5 euros.
Fast food. From Hungarian fast food, be sure to try lángos (lángos) – a flatbread with garlic sauce, sour cream and cheese, and a sweet bun – fragrant kürtőskalács with cocoa, cinnamon or walnut.
Where and what to drink?
Hungarian wines are beginning to gain popularity, and with them, wine festivals appear, wine galleries open. For example, in Cultivini, you can taste wines from different wine regions of Hungary at the touch of a button.
St. Andrea Wine & Skybar is a luxury restaurant. Gorgeous panorama with a view of the main attractions of the Hungarian capital, a large range of drinks, high prices. Expensive but tasteful.
What to see?
Photo: @gracian_hu / @pochekh / Instagram.com
The Jewish Quarter of Budapest is a busy neighborhood in the city center consisting of narrow streets. Here is the largest synagogue in Europe. The facades of houses and signs on the buildings tell about important events and people. This quarter is famous for its drinking establishments: in each house, there is a pub, or even two.
On Mount Gellert, there is a Philosophical Garden. The place is very cozy in its own way. Next to the figures of great thinkers offers a gorgeous view.
You can not visit Budapest and not visit the baths – there are dozens of them for every taste and color. You want an outdoor pool – Széchenyi, a beautiful view – Rudash, a closed in the Turkish style – Kiray. The cost of a day ticket varies depending on the specific bath and is 12-20 euros.
Old furniture, a bicycle, cut cars, a wheelbarrow, and a bathroom are elements of the interior of the ruins-bar of Budapest. Inexpensive drinks, noisy music, and an amazing atmosphere. Szimpla Kert is the first and most famous ruin bar with many tourists, so for those who like calmer places, I would recommend Fogasház.
Photo: @aron_felszeghy / @mywornoutpassport / Instagram.com
If you are suddenly unlucky with the weather, museums will help out. Do you want to get acquainted with the history of the country in pictures? Then you go to the Hungarian National Gallery – it is located on several floors of the Royal Palace in the Buda Fortress.
House of Terror. It is a negative, unpleasant museum, but it helps to look at the history of the 20th century through the eyes of a Hungarian.
The Zwack museum is both a production and a museum. Tsvak Unicum is a famous balm based on 40 medicinal herbs. A magical, mysterious drink helps with colds. A visit to the museum includes a tasting.
Budapest Nearby
Photo: Papp Kornél/@szentendreofficial/Instagram.com
Szentendre
Szentendre can be safely called the most visited suburb of Budapest. Due to the amazing atmosphere and proximity to the capital, the town has become a real tourist center of Hungary. This short trip’s key features are walks along the cobbled streets, a visit to the marzipan Museum, a cozy center, and being carefree.
How to get there: By train from Batthyány Square (Batthyány tér) and the final station.
Ticket price: 1 or 1.10 euros one way (if you have a pass or Budapest card with or without public transport, respectively).
Esztergom
Just an hour by train, and you will find yourself in the “Hungarian Vatican” – the city of Esztergom (Esztergom). The city is located in the picturesque bend of the Danube and borders Slovakia. Here you will see the largest and lovely church in the country.
How to get there: by train from the West Station (Nyugati palyaudvar);
Ticket price: 3, 5 euros one way.
