A weekend in Budapest: The ultimate itinerary

Budapest Airport is 16km (ten miles) south-east of town, connected by frequent bus 100E that takes 40 minutes to reach central Deák Ferenc tér. Buy your ticket (Ft2,200) from the English-friendly machine outside Arrivals, payment by card or cash in Hungarian forints, or through transport app BudapestGO.

Alternatively, an English-speaking dispatcher outside Arrivals can allocate you the next Főtaxi (+36 1 222 2222). Expect to pay Ft12,000-Ft14,000 for the city centre.

Coming by train, you arrive at Keleti, Nyugati or Déli station, each with its own stop on the city’s four-line metro system. Trams, buses and trolleybuses complete a superb 24-hour transport network, accessible with the same tickets and passes as the metro.

Nothing is very far in Budapest, so wherever you stay, you’re only a few metro or tram stops from where you need to be. 

A central lodging brings you close to the nightlife action, plentiful restaurants and the river. The music-themed Aria near the Basilica provides panoramic views from its rooftop cocktail bar, while the more wallet-friendly Király 44 booked through Airbnb is right in the bar quarter yet peaceful and luxurious.

Opting for Buda over Pest, the spacious Five Seasons Apartment sits right by the famed Gellért Baths (whose hotel is under renovation), on café-lined Bartók Béla út, a hop by frequent tram to downtown Pest.

Arriving early afternoon, acquaint yourself with the city of two halves: Buda and Pest.

Scale Castle Hill

Head for Clark Ádám tér, the roundabout on the Buda (west) side of Chain Bridge. Take the Funicular to Buda Castle, and the other key sights of Matthias Church and Fishermen’s Bastion. From this vantage point, the Pest cityscape spreads before you, punctuated by Parliament and the Basilica. 

In the foreground, flanking Chain Bridge, are Margaret Bridge pointing towards verdant Margaret Island, and elegant Elizabeth Bridge between Gellért Hill and facing palaces on the Pest side, both now luxury hotels. Further south, downstream, criss-cross Liberty Bridge links the Gellért Hotel with the Great Market Hall. Pest will be a-bustle, Buda backdropped by bucolic hills.  

Before plunging into Pest, indulge in a coffee and cake at 200-year-old Ruszwurm near Matthias Church. 

Get ruined in the Jewish Quarter 

Pick up the diminutive 16 bus trundling through the cobbled Castle District, over Chain Bridge to Pest. From Deák Ferenc tér, you’re at the gateway to the Jewish Quarter, with the huge Great Synagogue nearby. 

After a stroll along Rumbach Sebestyén utca, admiring the murals of Hungarian icons, you’re within easy reach of acclaimed Levantine restaurant Mazel Tov on Akácfa utca. Pleasantly replete, you’re ready to let loose at nearby ruin bar Szimpla on Kazinczy utca.

Sightseeing in style

Start by gliding along the Pest embankment by number 2 tram, the outstretched arms of Lady Liberty atop Gellért Hill beckoning from the Buda side. At the Kossuth Lajos tér stop in Pest, bronze footwear represents the victims of war-time brutality, the Shoes on the Danube installation. 

At Széchenyi István tér, near the Academy of Sciences and Chain Bridge the namesake Anglophile nobleman established, the Gresham Palace is an Art Nouveau masterpiece, now a five-star hotel with an upscale brunch to match.

From the waterfront, sightseeing boats whisk you on an hour-long jaunt beneath the bridges, Duna Cruises heading to the contemporary millennial arts complex, past the sleek events centre, Bálna Budapest, its whale shape inspiring the name.

Historic landmarks and starlit leisure

Docking at Március 15. tér, by a scattering of Roman remains, you’ll see the Inner-City Parish Church, Budapest’s oldest house of worship. Scale the tower for panoramic views. Alongside, literary café Három Holló provides a handy pit stop. Away from the river, cross pretty park Károlyi-kert to reach Múzeum kórút, and the National Museum, with its walk-through history of Hungary. 

By now, evening beckons – hop the tram over Liberty Bridge, and in minutes you’re among the trendy terraces of Bartók Béla út. Béla probably wins out for variety of menu.

The night can then go two ways: from the Gellért Hotel, turn right along river for the A38 live venue and party spot aboard an open-air cargo ship, but if Hungarian rap or retro pop doesn’t float your boat, turn left at the Gellért for the Rudas Baths, open until 3am on Saturday nights, with a panoramic jacuzzi overlooking the Danube. Authentic Ottoman elements from the sixteenth century await within.

Avenue A

Budapest’s scenic boulevard, Andrássy út, links the centre to Heroes’ Square, a 30-minute tree-lined walk or ten minutes by heritage metro, the oldest line on continental Europe.

If strolling, sights come thick and fast, starting with the gilded Opera House – English-language tours available. Coffee and pastry at the elegant Művész opposite is a must.

Then comes statue-dotted Nagymező utca, Budapest’s Broadway, followed by Liszt Ferenc tér, bookended by the Liszt Academy founded by the composer himself.

Past Oktogon, the House of Terror is the former HQ of the Secret Police whose tortuous methods are graphically documented here. You’ll need a walk afterwards – look for the towering figure of the Archangel Gabriel centrepiecing Heroes’ Square ahead, flanked by the Museum of Fine Arts and Palace of Arts. 

Culture old and new

Depending on the exhibition – a permanent collection of Old Masters or temporary contemporary shows – you should still have time to explore City Park beyond.

Those after more bathing can indulge at the grandiose Széchenyi, though should allow three hours to do the myriad pools justice – non-spa seekers can visit the House of Music, a new museum of revolutionary design dedicated to sound. Each attraction features a terrace eatery to fuel up for the journey home.

And if you’re staying one more night…

For a more substantial spread, ride the 105 bus from Heroes’ Square to Clark Ádám tér, where the charming Lánchíd Söröző serves authentic Hungarian goulash. Alongside, a cocktail with panoramic views awaits at Leo Rooftop Budapest, the Chain Bridge below.