Day 1 in Budapest
We were staying in the Heroes Square area, which was perfect for getting into the city easily. We downloaded the BudapestGO app and bought 72-hour tickets, allowing us to use the buses, trams and trolley buses. Side note, you DO need your data switched on whenever you use the ticket!
Our first stop was Fisherman's Bastion, so we got the bus right over the Chain Bridge and got off at the bottom of the castle funicular. From here we had a wander through the park to see some stunning views, then got confused and headed back down to the bottom to get the bus to the bastion itself. We could have walked it but we got a bit muddled, and it is super steep so it's great that there's a bus which drops you right at the bastion.
We really enjoyed wandering up and through Fisherman's Bastion - it's a great spot for photos and the views are amazing, plus it's FREE. You can pay to go up one side of it, but if you opt for the other side (on the left as you're looking out over the Danube) there's a bar/restaurant there where you can stop for a drink and enjoy some stunning scenery. This is called Halaszbastya and we paid roughly £11(GBP) for a mocktail and a cappuccino; well worth it in our opinion. We sat outside and it was just perfect!
From here we walked through the castle district, enjoying the architecture of Matthias Church and the cute buildings - unfortunately during our visit there was a LOT of construction taking place, mainly all over the castle as well as a lot of the roads. This meant we couldn't explore the castle as much as we wanted to, but we did stop for lunch at a little cafe on the corner called Ruszwurm - really tasty and filling sandwiches. We paid about £10pp for lunch and a drink here.
We walked back down to the Chain Bridge and stopped for a few photos; the bridge was the first permanent one to connect Buda and Pest, so it's pretty iconic. Then we jumped on the tram to Gellert Hill, where we visited the cave church - it was £5 for the two of us, and I found it really interesting to hear about the history behind the church and its conception. Definitely worth it for some culture!
On the other side of the bridge I got myself a chimney cake (not worth the hype) and we had a wander along to St Stephen's Basilica. We didn't go in, but it's a beautifully impressive building nevertheless. From here we headed back down the river to see the really haunting Shoes on the Danube. It really is beautiful, and we managed to catch it at golden hour which was particularly stunning. To carry on our sightseeing, we hopped on a tram round to the Parliament Building, which is also a big 'wow' kind of building.
Then it was time to head back towards our hotel area, via Vajdahunyad Castle - a really gothic building within a stunning park, with some brilliant photo opportunities. The sun was setting and the autumnal vibe was really on top form at this point. After some chill time at the hotel we headed off to Margaret Island, which we'd heard great things about - there's a fountain with a light show, and some beautiful bars and restaurants. However, being November, everything was closed and the light show wasn't on which was a real shame but proves you *do* need to do your research! We ended up stopping for a McDonalds because by the time we figured out there was nowhere to eat on the island and made our way back to Budapest itself, we were ravenous.
Day 2 in Budapest
After cramming quite a lot into day 1, we were equally as determined to enjoy our second day of exploring the Hungarian capital. We started with a trip to Cookie Beacon, which we'd seen all over TikTok and had been recommended by one of my colleagues. There was no queue (yay!) and we sat upstairs which was lovely. I had the red velvet oreo cookie and it was genuinely so good - my other half had a coffee which she said was also really nice. I'd definitely recommend, but probably wouldn't say it's worth queueing for ages.
We then hopped on one of the iconic yellow trams and headed to Central Market Hall which again, we'd seen all over social media - huge disappointment, very much like a local town market at home, really nothing special! Such a shame but you live and learn. From here we navigated to the Jewish Quarter of Budapest, where we visited the Ghetto Wall memorial to pay our respects. This is a really interesting area of Budapest, and we stopped for a drink at the gorgeous Twentysix, a bar/restaurant within a hotel filled with gorgeous plants. It's a very Instagrammable spot in Budapest, that's for sure, but the drinks were lovely.
After a lovely mooch back down to the river, it was time for something I'd been waiting for: the Budapest funicular. I'm a sucker for an interesting mode of transport, so we couldn't miss it. It's 5000 HUF per person for a return journey, so just over £10, and while the actual journey itself is incredibly short it's absolutely worth it for the views right across the Danube. Stunning, honestly!
Finding ourselves in the castle area once more, we watched the guards marching into position before heading for lunch at Spíler Biergarten. We had huge burger meals and cokes, and it was £33 for the two of us which is about right for somewhere in the heart of the castle district. Then it was back down on the funicular for stunning views round two.
Our last evening in Budapest was lovely - we stopped for drinks at St Andrea Skybar, which was soooo posh and lovely with really friendly staff who couldn't do enough for us. We both had fancy flavoured lemonades, which came to just under 6000 HUF (£13 ish). Expensive? Yes, but given the setting and vibe we didn't mind. We sat inside as it was really cold but the outside area would be perfect for sunset drinks in the summer!
To round off our 48 hours in Budapest we had booked an evening river cruise down the Danube - I booked this on Get Your Guide which was really simple, and honestly it was amazing. Seeing the city all lit up at night is genuinely breathtaking, and we had the downstairs indoor area pretty much to ourselves which was perfect for us. So romantic! You can choose loads of different versions of this tour, with unlimited prosecco or even a party boat, so there's something for everyone.
We had a short but sweet 48 hours of exploring Budapest - could we have done more? Yes, but it was really nice to enjoy a slower paced city break and I still feel like we packed a lot in. It's a beautiful city with loads to see and do, and it can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be!
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