Getting around
Buses and trams are included in the day passes. We downloaded the Budapest Go app and purchased the passes directly. You must validate your pass by scanning a QR code on the side of the bus/tram. If an inspector asks to see your pass he will want to see the moving image that is generated after validation. The only thing not included in the pass the is the airport bus (100) – tickets for this must be purchased and validated separately. There are plenty of staff on hand where the bus departs from to help with this if you are unsure. Make sure you set up a payment method in the app. I didn’t do this in advance and had to sit in the airport and do it, get my bank validated etc. Some of the older trams are an attraction in themselves, its great to see that these lines have been preserved and not replaced by the more modern metro style trains.
Shoes on the Danube and Parliament Building
We spent our first afternoon walking along the Danube. There are a number of floating bars and also river cruise liners moored up. We tried a couple of the bars through the week – such a lovely setting. The memorial was created by Can Togay and Gyula Pauer and installed on the river bank in 2005. The shoes are made of iron and fixed to the ground. They represent the shoes of the men women and children who were shot on the banks of the Danube in 1944-45 in a mass slaughter of Hungarian Jews. They were made to leave their shoes behind, most probably to be traded or sold. A sombre reminder that this beautiful city has seen some tragic events in its history.
The parliament building is stunning, we saw it from various viewpoints around the city in daytime and nighttime such is its dominance on the Danube – but we didn’t go inside and that is my biggest regret of the trip. Tickets are reasonably priced at around £15 per adult for a tour. The spectacular gothic style building was competed in 1904 and is home to the Hungarian National Assembly.
Budapest Park – Bring Me The Horizon
This is an open air venue not too far out of the centre. On the way, we caught the number 2 tram which runs along the Danube. The venue itself is clearly signposted, we got into our section with no issues after a routine search. We had Mastercard Terrace tickets which meant we were up on a raised platform that had a small amount of seating and a private bar which never got busy. Lovely atmosphere, and no trouble that we could see anyway, just one very drunk man who fell over at the end but he was happy drunk and his friends made sure he was alright. We decided to walk back to the centre rather than wait in the tram queue. This took about 40 minutes and we treated ourselves to a McDonalds on the way back as we were starving after all the jumping around.
Puskas Arena – Coldplay
Easy to get to on the tram. Not easy at all to find our gate and we wasted over half an hour walking around the perimeter only to find we could have gone in the first gate we came to, even though signing told us not to! Very good cup return system for drinks and security do check your ticket several times even when inside. Well equipped for toilets and refreshments. Big queue for the tram at the end of the night and a little confused about where we were going as Google Maps tried to take us into an underground car park but we figured it out. Nice post concert atmosphere with people singing in the queues and all the way back into the city. Police were at the tram stations to make sure a limited amount of people were on the platforms to avoid crushing, very reassuring and much like the way things are run at the 02 or Wembley to prevent overcrowding on the trains. We actually returned to this area a couple of days later as there is a huge shopping centre nearby.
Margaret Island
We wanted a chill day after back to back concerts and decided a park was just the place. We got the tram to Margaret Bridge and then walked over the connecting bridge.
There is plenty to do here, including swimming baths, sports areas and a mini zoo. Like many places in Budapest there are water fountains dotted around the park where you can refill your water bottle. A highlight is the dancing fountain which does its sound and light display every hour. We watched this on arrival (I imagine it would be stunning at night) and then decided to hire a bike to see a bit more. Bike rental is simple, you can pay at one of the manned stands or download an app and unlock one automatically, you are then billed by the minute and charged to your payment method when you return the bike. We paid a few pounds each for 1 hour.
We walked some areas of the park and saw the ruined Dominican church the water tower and walked through vibrant rose gardens. A lovely relaxing place to unwind from the hot city streets.
Pinball Museum
A fun way to spend a couple of hours of nostalgia. The museum has pinball and also some early classic arcade games such as pac man, space invaders and super Mario. It wasn’t busy when we visited so we were able to sample everything at our leisure. Everything was free to use with the entrance ticket. There was also really interesting section of very old games which predate most of the classic pinball machines. Cost was around £12 per adult and all the games were playable.
Zugliget Chair lift and Elizabeth Lookout
This is a short bus ride from the centre. From our hotel we caught the tram to Nyugati Palyaudvar and then the number 291 bus, which drops you right at the entrance. This was my favourite thing that we did on this trip mainly because I am scared of heights (unless its on a rollercoaster as I know its coming down but pretty much hate all lift hills!) Tickets can be bought on automated machines at the entrance for one way or return trips (there is a hiking route too). We opted for a return as we were planning on walking further to see the Elizabeth Lookout. The lift is a constantly moving system so you stand with your back to the oncoming lift, sit back into it when it arrives and the attendant pushes the bar down which you put your feet on and have another bar to hold on to. We had a lovely scenic view up the hill and at no point are you so high off the ground that you feel unsafe. There is a camera that takes your photo near the top and you can get your image put on a key ring, fridge magnet etc for a few pounds. The ride takes a little under 15 minutes each way. There is a cafe and shop and pleasant seating area outside where we stopped for an ice cream.
We continued on foot up Janos Hill to the Elizabeth Lookout, the highest point in the city, offering by far the best views. The structure was built In 1911 and named after Elizabeth the Queen of Hungary. It is made of limestone and has three levels with fantastic panoramic photo opportunities. One can see the Danube with its bridges and Parliament Building to one side and the lush green countryside to the other. We visited in the morning and there was a very short queue for the lift, probably five minutes maximum each way.
Buda Castle
Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion are all in the same area on Castle Hill which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You could spend a whole day or more there depending on what you want to see. There are buses (we got the 16 from Deak Ferenc Square) that bring you up to an area in between the two sites. We explored and took in the fabulous views of the Danube. Most of the buildings were built in the 18th Century and then rebuilt again after being badly damaged in the Second World War. The complex has a number of interesting museums including The National Gallery and Budapest History Museum all of which must be booked separately. There are also guided tours of the Royal Palace which can be booked online. We didn’t do any museums on this trip due to time constraints but next time we will definitely be visiting as many of the Buda Castle Museums as we can. Depending on what you want to see it may be more economical to get a Budapest Card.
Fishermans Bastion and Matthias Church Tower
I got my best photos of the Parliament Building from here. This is a stunningly unusual building and instantly recognisable with its gothic looking towers and turrets. The lower terraces can be accessed free of charge and it is about £3.50 per adult to access the higher terraces. The building was completed just after the turn of the twentieth century as part of the celebration of 1000 years of the Hungarian State. This area does get busy so it was a case of waiting for the prime photo spot to become free, getting your photos and moving on. There was a lovely bar/cafe style area here where you could enjoy the views over a drink.
For more views we bought a ticket to the Matthias Church Tower, which was well worth the £6.70 ( my daughter paid slightly less as was offered a student ticket) and 197 steps we climbed.
Castle Hill Funicular and Szechenyi Chain Bridge
I think we saw the Chain Bridge from every angle and crossed it by tram, train and went under it by boat so we had to top it off with a walk over. The best views of the bridge are from the Fishermans Bastion and Buda Castle but if you take the Funicular Railway from the Castle area down to street level you can get some great photos straight across the bridge.
The railway has operated since 1870, but was sadly destroyed in WWII so the version we see today is what was rebuilt after the war with great care taken to keep the original style.
There seemed to be a lot of groups waiting at busy times and they did seem to get priority over the general public but possibly they had timed bookings, it wasn’t clear – in any case we didn’t wait long. The cost is around £10 per adult for a return journey. The ride is a few minutes each way. There is seating in the carriages however if you want photos you need to stand up to see out of the windows!
When we got off the railway at the bottom we were then able to walk straight over the stunning Szechenyi Bridge which connects the main areas of Buda and Pest.
St Mary Magdalene Tower
We stumbled upon this tower when we were wandering around in the Castle area looking for somewhere to fill our water bottles. The tower is still its original 15th Century form and has stood tall throughout all the change that the city has undergone in the intervening years. For a time during the Ottoman occupation it was the sole Christian Church in operation.
This area is being developed to include art installations and other exhibitions. It cost around £5 for both is us to climb the tower and and see some stunning views over the castle area and beyond.
Szechenyi Thermal Baths
We saved this one for our last day mainly because I am a germaphobe and was a little worried about catching a cold on the holiday. We had wavered back and forth through the week about which baths to visit as there are several and a couple of the smaller may possibly have been less busy. We knew Szechenyi would be very busy as it the most popular choice for most people but we decided to go for it. We booked a slot for first thing in the morning and travelled by tram on line M1, the oldest in Budapest. On our way we travelled through some of the oldest tram stations on the route which was like stepping back a hundred years.
We paid around £30 each for fast track tickets with locker as we had heard that the queues could be long. We arrived at opening time and were directed to a different entrance with out fast track ticket. We were able to walk straight in and were directed downstairs to the changing facilities and lockers. We didn’t buy private changing but it is available for a further fee. The complex is made up of different sized baths, saunas and pools each with their own health benefits. We spent quite a lot of time in the salt inhalation chamber and saunas. There is also something called a Beer Spa which I think is more of a stag/hen party thing!
The outdoor area was more like a swimming pool with people sunbathing and swimming. We were there from around 9am until just before noon and by that time the smaller pools were very full to the point of it feeling uncomfortable so I would recommend getting there as early as possible.
On the plus side my skin felt amazing the next day and my daughters insect bite which had been painful all week was much improved.
Szimpla Kert Ruin Bar
We didn’t visit too many bars on this trip as we had so many activities packed in that we didn’t have a lot of time left over however this one was a must see that we managed to fit in on our last afternoon. Located in the Jewish Quarter, this is the largest of numerous ruin bars throughout the city. The building consists of several smaller bars each serving different types of drinks. We found some nice sounding cocktails and sat in the main terrace area. It was very busy even in the early afternoon so I would imagine it gets absolutely rammed at night. It host live music and offers street food across its two floors. Unique and fabulous.
River Cruise
There are lots of boats along the banks of the Danube offering various packages of food and drink. If you are looking for unlimited Prosecco, there are plenty of options which can be booked in person or online. We had checked out a few options on our walks earlier in the week and could see that the time slots get booked up early on so we decided to book online. We wanted to see the sights at night and a drink would be nice but we didn’t want unlimited drinks, I didn’t feel that would end well!
We went with Legenda Cruises, after already checking out their boats and details of the different packages we booked online and opted for an evening cruise with a complimentary drink which cost just under £20 each. Boarding was very well organised with screens telling which line to join for which time. Choice of seating upstairs and downstairs. Upstairs better if you want to take photos without window glare but we sat downstairs as it was a little windy. We had an audio guide which told us interesting facts about Budapests history and a little bit of detail about each landmark that we passed. Lasted around an hour which we thought was good value.
compass and coaster 