Image Credit: Ruby Thorpe

After finishing my second year of University, I was itching to get out of the country and scratch the travel bug I have had since last summer. However, as I am on a student budget, I only had a short couple days to tick one of the cities off my bucket list. Here is everything I did to make the most of my visit to Budapest and a couple recommendations to add to your itinerary. 

For context, Budapest was created after the union of three cities, Buda, Obuda (or old Buda) and Pest that reside on different sides of the river Danube. We were staying on the more modern Pest side of the river which has the shopping quarter and the nightlife.

DAY 1

Travelling from Budapest airport was extremely easy with a short bus ride costing around £4.50 and dropping us right in the city centre. Our first stop was Karavan, a food market stacked with traditional Hungarian dishes where you can stop for a cocktail and a langos burger or pizza – which uses a crispy, fried dough in place of a normal bun or pizza base. While this was not the cheapest option for food, it is so centrally located that after refuelling we started on some sightseeing straightaway.

Only a short walk from Karavan is the beautiful St. Stephen’s Basilica, a 19th Century Roman Catholic landmark which regularly holds live concerts. For £5 you can enter the gorgeous basilica and for a little more, you can climb up to the panoramic viewpoint from the terrace and treasury, allowing for an astounding view over the city landscape.

The next stop is the river front, which looks out onto the Pest side of the city, allowing you to take in the gorgeous orange rooftops and medieval castles. Head over the Szechenyi Chain Bridge that will take you up to Castle Hill, which has the Fisherman’s Bastion – a 19th Century fortress that towers over the whole of Budapest as well as the 13th Century Buda Castle and National Gallery. This side of the river is so rich with history, with the fortress and castle originally being the home of the Hungarian monarchy before it was abolished under Soviet occupation. However, the buildings are still preserved and have evolved over time to incorporate gothic, renaissance and baroque architectural styles onto the medieval foundations. General admission is free to walk around Buda Castle and the Fisherman’s Bastion. However, if you want to dive deeper into Budapest’s history, entrance to the National Gallery costs around £12.

After a long day of sightseeing, walk back over to the Pest side of the river for a meal at Babka. We found this restaurant when searching for a last minute dinner reservation, and it was probably the best meal of the trip. Babka is a Middle Eastern inspired restaurant that offers mezze and shakshuka as well as some larger plates. We opted to share the mezze board (which included some of the best hummus I have ever eaten) and get an additional small plate each. Everything from the steak tartare to the halloumi in spinach was so delicious, it is still on my mind today. The cocktails served were a bit pricey but so tasty with everyone opting to try the mysterious ‘Ruby Surprise.’

If you’re not too full from dinner, have a night-time walk along the Danube river to see the lit up sights of Budapest. It was absolutely magical seeing the gothic Hungarian parliament lit up against a starry sky as well as seeing Bastien in a whole new light from opposite the river.

Now it’s time to party! After getting out of the sweaty sightseeing clothes, it is time to hit Szimpla Kert, or the Ruin Bars,   famous for their unique mismatched decor, graffiti and colourful lighting. Although it gets super packed as it is quite a tourist attraction, there is always a vibrant atmosphere here. Be warned, check your drink measurements before ordering as instead of the usual 5cl of spirit for a double in England, a double in Hungary a whopping 8cl. Szimpla Kert is open until 4am every night, so if you are more of a bar person rather than a club, this could be the place for you.

Way into the next morning, we decided to go to the infamous club in Budapest: Instant-Fogas. It has 7 floors, free entry every night and it is always open until 6am. While we went on a Monday and there were only 3 floors open, it was still packed. The DJ gave us a mix of iconic Europop songs and 2000s club bangers all night – it was a shame that there were no dance floors offering alternative genres like RnB or House to avoid the overcrowding. 

After working up an appetite on the dancefloor there are many street food shops on your walk home, most of which are offering gyros and kebabs – a perfect way to end a long day.

DAY 2

The next morning it’s time for a bit of a lie in after partying hard last night – but we still have to make the most of Budapest. Our first stop of the day was a bit out of town as we took one of the old trams out to Trafik. Speaking of public transport, I have never used such an efficient and cheap system as the one on offer in Budapest, even though parts of the tram network are as old as 1887. With a single costing less than a pound and a day ticket costing around £6 it was such an easy way to get around the city and see everything in a short amount of time.

Trafik provided the perfect start to the day as we tasted both the bavarian grilled sausage and a fresh melon and burrata salad on toast for breakfast. The drink menu was also brilliant with my iced salted maple matcha being the highlight of my trip. We realised as we left that there were only two employees running the whole cafe, this is definitely a brunch spot to keep an eye on.

After fuelling up, we grabbed the metro to Budapest Zoo, one of the oldest zoos in the world as it opened its doors in 1886. With over 1000 species in the zoo we saw so many different animals from lions, gorillas, bats, kangaroos and lizards. However, the main attraction was the sea lion training where we fell in love with Jaques and Noir. They flipped, splashed, caught and threw balls and waved at the crowd – it was brilliant to see their connection with their keepers as well, who were giving them hugs and kisses throughout their performance. For the £8 student admission fee, we spent around four hours exploring all the different exhibits and definitely got our money’s worth.

Our flight was coming up and we needed to grab something to eat before we got the bus back to the airport. A place that caught our eye was Kiosk, which has an extremely cheap set lunch menu that changes each day. With so many options from grilled toothfish fillets to a pumpkin bundt cake for your main, with the price of £8.50 for two courses or £9.60 for three courses, Kiosk should definitely be added to your itinerary. 

The only way to finish off a trip to Budapest is by eating a traditional Szeleky chimney cake, a sweet cinnamon-covered pastry baked in a hollow cone shape covered in chocolate or nuts. You can find these desserts from little kiosks around Budapest, selling them for as little as £3 if you are away from the main tourist attractions. 

With sticky fingers and full stomachs we disappointingly had to pick up the bus back to the airport, satisfied by our short city break but saddened that we could not stay longer.