Trip Itinerary
- Fisherman’s Bastion
- Matthias Church
- Ruin Bars
- Széchenyi Thermal Bath
- St. Stephen’s Basilica
- The Great Market Hall
- New York Cafe
- Coffee Shops
- Michelin Star Restaurant
Fisherman’s Bastion
We came here because a friend of mine said this was the best view in Budapest. She was ABSOLUTELY right! If you want the best panoramic view of the city, head across the Danube.
This beautiful view had us coming back twice during our trip. It does get quite crowded during sunset. If you’re an early riser, a sunrise visit might be the best option to avoid the large crowds.
Matthias Church
Now if you just walk a little behind Fisherman’s Bastion and its beautiful view you will see Matthias Church.
It was built back in the 1300s and has an intricate and colorful tiled roof.
When the sun hits the church it’s stunning!
Ruin Bars
Szimpla Kert
Are you ready for the fun part? If you’re looking for the coolest bar with the liveliest atmosphere, I’ve got just the one.
Only on our last night did we finally discover the mega ruin bar, the original ruin bar in Budapest, Szimpla Kert. Oh, and how we wish we had been there sooner. It oozes with cool and fun vibes. It’s like a house party that comes with 9 bars and tons of quirky fun furniture and live music. Your senses will be buzzing with all of the things to see, drink, and hear.
Our particular favorite bar that we stopped at was called Labor, but also seemed to be called the Mad Scientist too. This is a craft beer bar. I’m not a huge beer drinker, but really enjoyed my mango beer called “Mango Bay.” Each of the beers looks like an element on the periodic table.
They serve the beer in an Erlenmeyer flask. First, you give a deposit for the glass. Then, later you can decide to return the glass and get your deposit back or simply keep your glass as a souvenir. If you’ve ever been to a Christmas market in Europe, it works just as it does with the mugs.
There are quite a few bars sprinkled between the two floors of Szimpla. The trick is trying to find a spot to sit once you have your drink.
I would highly recommend coming here and exploring and maybe coming back another night to your favorite bar and finding a spot to chill or listen to whatever band is playing downstairs.
Not all of the ruin bars are in Szimpla. We also went to Anker’t. It had a nice aesthetic. The drinks were a bit pricey-er. I ended up trying a cherry beer which was recommended to me by a friend. I enjoyed it.
Ruin Bars
Mazel tov
Technically, this is one of the ruin bars. It has a completely different vibe from Szimpla Kert. This is a stunning restaurant with equally yummy food. We attempted to go here one night, but the line was out the door with a one-hour wait time.
After seeing the beautiful interior that was dripping with vines and bistro lighting, I knew I had to eat here. So the next day, I made sure we showed up at lunch to get a spot. I was willing to wait, but thankfully they sat us immediately.
If you couldn’t tell by the name, the Hebrew phrase for good fortune, this place makes Israeli fusion foods. You can expect things like shawarma, pita, kebab, falafel, and so much more. This place was one of my favorite food stops in Budapest. If you go anywhere, please go here!
I ordered the shawarma sandwich that came in a warm pita with potatoes and several sauces. It was wonderful! I would highly recommend drinking one of their lemonades. Mine was the raspberry basil and it was so refreshing and tasty. The prices seemed really fair for the quality and size of the food and the stunning interior of this restaurant.
Széchenyi Thermal Baths
So after a night of drinking and partying maybe you’re ready for some relaxation. Budapest is well known for its thermal baths and they do not disappoint!
We visited the Széchenyi thermal baths. We booked our tickets online the night before. Here’s the website we booked our tickets Thermal bath tickets. I think it was about $20.
Once we arrived, we went down to the changing rooms and put on our swimsuits.
Then we headed up to the baths. We spent about 3 hours here in total. After we swam and chilled in the baths we headed back to the changing room and took a shower.
Feeling relaxed and refreshed we headed out to eat lots of food in the city.
St. Stephen's Basilica
To find a stunning view from the Buda side of Budapest climb to the top of St. Stephen’s Basilica.
The basilica is located in the center of the city and it’s hard to miss. Entrance into the basilica was about $3.
We climbed the spiral staircase to the top and saw a beautiful panoramic view of the city.
Great Market Hall
Here you will find local produce inside a beautiful building. Downstairs is full of produce and food vendors. Walk up the stairs to find some eateries. We ate at the one in the far corner. We ordered some goulash and paprika chicken with dumplings. Both were pretty good.
New York Cafe
Come here for the stunning interior, live music, and a lovely cake and coffee break.
We simply walked up and we were sat at a table in the main area. We ordered coffees and a dessert each. Honestly, thought about sharing one dessert since each was about €9, but I have a huge sweet tooth and wanted my own.
I ordered the Cottage Cheese Cake (the long rectangular one) and it was okay, nothing spectacular. My friend Katie ate the cheesecake with apricot jam. (the more traditional-looking cheesecake). I am pretty sure nearly everything sweet within Austria and Hungary includes a little apricot jam. Again, it was fine but nothing great.
You are definitely paying for the ambiance more than the amazing food, but the food is decent.
Coffee Shops
9Bar
Loved the coffee and the croissants. They also sell extremely fancy, quality coffee that is completely missed on me. I am not worthy of such good coffee since I cannot tell those upper echelons apart. Nitro brew what? If this is you, please go enjoy the coffee I could not fully appreciate.
Also, the latte art was top-notch.
Madal
This was a nice coffee shop near the river. There were plenty of seats and the coffee was decent. Half of the building looked like it was a pasta bar. It smelled good, so that might be worth checking out.
Borkonyha WineKitchen:
Michelin Star
If you have ever wanted to eat at a Michelin-starred restaurant but your wallet has been telling you no way, this might be your opportunity. For us it was. We decided that because Budapest is on the cheaper side, including its fine restaurants, it was time to spring for a fancy, Michelin meal. This meal for the two of us included a shared appetizer, two glasses of wine, two main dishes, and a shared dessert. The cost was about €120. So what did we eat at this fantastic meal you ask?
The first course, we had an appetizer of veal sweetbread with broccoli and sesame. I’m going to be honest and say I had no idea what sweet bread was prior to eating this dish. I might not have ordered it if I had known it was the pancreas or thymus of a calf or lamb. I might have been less interested. But, it was absolutely delicious. I wish there was more to be quite honest.
For the main dish, we both ended up ordering the saddle and shoulder of lamb with stuffed cabbage. The meat of this dish was divine. They cooked it perfectly and then covered it in a savory delicious sauce. The cooked cabbage was novel, but not amazing.
Last and certainly not least, was our dessert. The name did not entice me, buckwheat, coffee, passion fruit, but our server said it was his favorite and we took him up on his suggestion. I am sure glad we did. The dessert was full of complex flavors I would have never thought to put together myself. You take one bite and it tastes like coffee, then you are hit with a lovely sweet mango flavor. There was a little cookie beneath ice cream that was delicious and even an edible pansy flower on top.
I say this place is well worth its price. The food was perfectly cooked full of wonderful flavor pairings. You will likely need to call ahead to guarantee yourself a table since the restaurant is not very large. Go, you will not be disappointed.
Will you go to Budapest?
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