10 Reasons You MUST Visit Budapest
Budapest is fun, beautiful and has the best type of Europeans: Hungarians! There's plenty to see and do and it's surprisingly good value.
We spent an entire month in Budapest and loved every minute of it. It's without a doubt our absolute favourite city in the whole of Europe.
Here are 10 Reasons You MUST Visit Budapest
1. HUNGARIAN PEOPLE ARE AWESOME
Okay I borrowed this photo from Pixabay because I thought it was funny - we never saw Hungarians in Budapest on horses or dressed weirdly, in fact they all dressed pretty cooly.
And that's one of the reasons we LOVE Hungarians: they are really, really cool! Really chill, really passionate with AMAZING taste in music - like, without being super rude about other countries in Europe, I've never found a European country (outside of the UK and Ireland) that has GREAT music, okay you'll find the odd great rap song or two but that's it.
But then I found Hungary, and found out (through some lovely Hungarian friends), that Hungarian music is dope! Like this funky one, this pop-y one and this hip-hopy one.
[Do you have a favourite Hungarian song? Write a comment below or message us on Facebook and tell us what it is!]
But even more than we love their coolness, we love their niceness. Every Hungarian we've ever met and/or spoken to has been super nice. For example, we decided to embarrass ourselves on YouTube and try to speak Hungarian:
Needless to say, our Hungarian is awful, but man the comments and messages we had from Hungarians were so LOVELY, they were so helpful and supportive and kind about our awful Hungarian.
2. BUDAPEST IS A BEAUTIFUL CITY
2. BUDAPEST IS A BEAUTIFUL CITY
Did you know the Hungarian Parliament Building is the prettiest parliament building in Europe, if not in the world?!
And it's not just that, the whole of Budapest is filled with beautiful architectural structures - religious buildings and residential apartments alike!
And it's not just the buildings, Budapest has a lot of beautiful parks and open green spaces. It's also the perfect place to bike around (it's super flat).
3. THERE ARE SPAS EVERYWHERE
Hungary is the third most thermal country in the world, and Budapest is the only city in the world with natural and healing spas!!
There are lots of spas dotted all across the city - there are outdoor pools, indoor pools, saunas, tiny pools of different temperatures - it's the perfect way to spend an afternoon or two.
Our favourite spa was Gellért - it's so beautiful inside!
Also sparties are a thing in Budapest - night time parties in the spa, complete with drinking!
4. THEY HAVE A CAT CAFE
Budapest has a cat cafe!! Okay the cats didn't like us, the coffee is awful and it kind of smells like cat pee but still - KITTIES!!
5. THE BARS ARE THE BEST IN EUROPE
If you're looking for SUPER cool bars with cheap drinks and fun people, Budapest is for you.
Ruin bars are also a big thing in Budapest - abandoned buildings that were due for demolition were taken over my artists and turned into hot bars. Graffiti is everywhere (and actually is encouraged).
Everyone told us it was a big tourist trap, but we still loved Szimpla!
6. THEY HAVE THE BEST WINE
Before we'd been to Hungary we'd never tried Hungarian wine - in fact we didn't even know Hungary made wine.
It's obvious though: Hungarians don't shout about their wine too loudly because it's SO GOOD and they clearly want to keep it to themselves ;) I don't blame them. Actually don't try Hungarian wine, just give it all to me.
Whilst we're talking about alcohol, let's not forget unicum which is our favourite spirit:
And Hungarian beer is also top!! Our favourite was a local, cherry draft beer. So good.
7. YOU CAN GO ON A RIVER CRUISE
8. THE FOOD IS DELICIOUS
Hungarian food: not the most famous of the European cuisines but it's definitely still delicious.
Goulash is warm and filling - not great in summer but perfect in winter. We also loved how paprika and/or poppy seeds play a big part in a lot of Hungarian foods.
More proof that Hungarians are the nicest: we don't eat meat or fish, and every Hungarian we met said 'oh no, that's hard, all our food has meat in' and then proceeded to help us find loads of yummy meat-free meals. Yey!
We HIGHLY recommend you eat Hungarian food with real Hungarians: check out Vizeat where you can book an authentic Hungarian meal cooked by authentic Hungarians (bonus: you get to dine with them too)!!!
Find out more about Hungarian food with our blog post: Quick Guide to Hungarian Cuisine
9. THE WEATHER
Hungary has our perfect weather: hot summers and cold winters. When we were there in the summer there were beautiful blue skies and it was hot everyday (and only rained once).
We've heard in winter it gets super cold, snows and the Danube freezes!! We'd love to go back to Budapest in the winter (and try out those spas again).
10. YOU CAN SEE A 1000 YEAR OLD HAND
If you've made it this far and haven't booked your flight to Budapest then maybe this will persuade you (though probably not)...
In St Stephen's Cathedral you can see the actual hand of St Stephen's!!! It was super special and when he died they were worried about it being stolen, so they preserved it. To this day you can see the mummified hand of a saint. Kind of ew, but something cool to tell your grandkids.
Hungary is the third most thermal country in the world, and Budapest is the only city in the world with natural and healing spas!!
There are lots of spas dotted all across the city - there are outdoor pools, indoor pools, saunas, tiny pools of different temperatures - it's the perfect way to spend an afternoon or two.
Our favourite spa was Gellért - it's so beautiful inside!
Also sparties are a thing in Budapest - night time parties in the spa, complete with drinking!
4. THEY HAVE A CAT CAFE
Budapest has a cat cafe!! Okay the cats didn't like us, the coffee is awful and it kind of smells like cat pee but still - KITTIES!!
5. THE BARS ARE THE BEST IN EUROPE
If you're looking for SUPER cool bars with cheap drinks and fun people, Budapest is for you.
Ruin bars are also a big thing in Budapest - abandoned buildings that were due for demolition were taken over my artists and turned into hot bars. Graffiti is everywhere (and actually is encouraged).
Everyone told us it was a big tourist trap, but we still loved Szimpla!
6. THEY HAVE THE BEST WINE
Before we'd been to Hungary we'd never tried Hungarian wine - in fact we didn't even know Hungary made wine.
It's obvious though: Hungarians don't shout about their wine too loudly because it's SO GOOD and they clearly want to keep it to themselves ;) I don't blame them. Actually don't try Hungarian wine, just give it all to me.
Whilst we're talking about alcohol, let's not forget unicum which is our favourite spirit:
And Hungarian beer is also top!! Our favourite was a local, cherry draft beer. So good.
7. YOU CAN GO ON A RIVER CRUISE
Whilst we're talking about alcohol, we should mention that in Budapest you can go on a river cruise and drink lots of wine (you can also go on a river cruise and drink no wine, but that's not as fun).
Like I just said, Hungarian wine is dope, and the Danube River is beautiful - combine the two!
Hungarian food: not the most famous of the European cuisines but it's definitely still delicious.
Goulash is warm and filling - not great in summer but perfect in winter. We also loved how paprika and/or poppy seeds play a big part in a lot of Hungarian foods.
More proof that Hungarians are the nicest: we don't eat meat or fish, and every Hungarian we met said 'oh no, that's hard, all our food has meat in' and then proceeded to help us find loads of yummy meat-free meals. Yey!
We HIGHLY recommend you eat Hungarian food with real Hungarians: check out Vizeat where you can book an authentic Hungarian meal cooked by authentic Hungarians (bonus: you get to dine with them too)!!!
Find out more about Hungarian food with our blog post: Quick Guide to Hungarian Cuisine
9. THE WEATHER
Hungary has our perfect weather: hot summers and cold winters. When we were there in the summer there were beautiful blue skies and it was hot everyday (and only rained once).
We've heard in winter it gets super cold, snows and the Danube freezes!! We'd love to go back to Budapest in the winter (and try out those spas again).
10. YOU CAN SEE A 1000 YEAR OLD HAND
If you've made it this far and haven't booked your flight to Budapest then maybe this will persuade you (though probably not)...
In St Stephen's Cathedral you can see the actual hand of St Stephen's!!! It was super special and when he died they were worried about it being stolen, so they preserved it. To this day you can see the mummified hand of a saint. Kind of ew, but something cool to tell your grandkids.
Where to stay in Budapest
Airbnb
We stayed for a whole month in Budapest at an Airbnb - they're great for long term stays because you get a good discount. Actually they're great for short term stays too because you get a kitchen and all your other usual home comforts.
If you're new to Airbnb have a voucher from us!
House sitting
We've never house sat in Budapest, but we did spend two whole years house sitting in Australia and Europe. House sitting in Budapest is definitely a great option - you can really immerse yourself into everyday living and have the company of a pet or two. Find out more about house sitting in Budapest here!
The Aria Hotel
We also spent two nights for Tanbay's birthday at the Aria Hotel and HIGHLY recommend it. They have a complimentary wine and cheese hour, a cool rooftop bar and an awesome spa.
We stayed for a whole month in Budapest at an Airbnb - they're great for long term stays because you get a good discount. Actually they're great for short term stays too because you get a kitchen and all your other usual home comforts.
If you're new to Airbnb have a voucher from us!
House sitting
We've never house sat in Budapest, but we did spend two whole years house sitting in Australia and Europe. House sitting in Budapest is definitely a great option - you can really immerse yourself into everyday living and have the company of a pet or two. Find out more about house sitting in Budapest here!
The Aria Hotel
We also spent two nights for Tanbay's birthday at the Aria Hotel and HIGHLY recommend it. They have a complimentary wine and cheese hour, a cool rooftop bar and an awesome spa.
Conclusion
Conclusion: tip top. Budapest is the best and you've simply got to visit! We'd love to go back asap, but we'd also love to explore more of Hungary!! Top of our Hungary bucket-list is to visit Balaton and visit the wineries where my favourite Hungarians wine are made (literally anything from the Tokaj-Hegyalja region.)
Conclusion: tip top. Budapest is the best and you've simply got to visit! We'd love to go back asap, but we'd also love to explore more of Hungary!! Top of our Hungary bucket-list is to visit Balaton and visit the wineries where my favourite Hungarians wine are made (literally anything from the Tokaj-Hegyalja region.)
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