Perhaps I’m biased. Of all the other times I could have visited Budapest, my first experience happened to be under a magical, blanket of snow, leaving me completely snowflake-eyed and bewitched. I really wanted to see some Christmas magic this year and Budapest was the perfect backdrop for my frivolous day dreaming.
Not to mention, this was my first foray into Eastern Europe (other than Russia) and I had no idea what to expect. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a country where I spoke 0% of the language and, for the most part, the Magyars really ventured far from the general mixing pot of linguistics (“Egészségedre” means bless you, but doesn’t it already sound like a sneeze…?)
However, being lost in translation wasn’t an impediment to our enjoyment of Hungary’s capital city. We had three full days to explore, and although I would later have major FOMO as we departed, overall I think we pocketed a good scope of Hungarian culture, food (oh, the food), and architecture. Here’s a run down and some tips on the top experiences to tackle if you’re traveling to Budapest in the winter.
Free walking tours
This is at the top of my list because it has everything in one package – culture, socializing, sight-seeing, exercise, and most importantly, no wallet trauma. The guides are all very friendly and obviously passionate about their city, providing a rich and light-hearted context to the gorgeous buildings, the language, and the people. We happened to do our walking tour on the day that it snowed and I was impressed with how smoothly it progressed, despite. Not to mention, my fan-girlish excitement for the winter wonderland we saw at every turn. There are a few tour companies in Budapest but the one I linked above also has tours by interest – Communism, the Jewish quarter, urban art, and more. Obviously, wear comfortable shoes – our concern was mainly the cold, but the length/strenuousness of the tour was very reasonable. And don’t forget to tip your guide!
Our last stop, the Fisherman's Bastion, closely resembling a snow-covered Hogwarts
Thermal baths
Frankly, I played these up a lot in my head. I had eerily-romantic daydreams of wading around in the steaming outdoor pools while the snow fell around me and I wasn’t cold or uncomfortable by any means and then a Greek god came down from the skies and personally fed me grapes while I soaked in rejuvenating mineral waters… Sadly, this kind of luxurious tourism wasn’t available (yet). We did trek across the bridge to the Buda side to check out the Gellert baths though, and don’t get me wrong, they are beautiful. A main room with a gorgeous blue pool and white columns branches off to smaller rooms with thermal wading pools of various temperatures, all decorated in an Art Nouveau style with tiles of whites, creams, icy blues, and turquoise. Little stone cherubs smile down at you while your hands turn pruny. But alas, the main thing that gets in the way of all this beauty is – the people! And their nasty flip-flops and hair. The outdoor pool was also closed. Overall, I think my expectations were far too high and I didn’t get to fully explore the thermal bath experience, but would definitely want to one day, and probably in the summer. There are many bath houses in Budapest and we didn’t even go to the main one (Széchenyi has multiple outdoor pools and possibly would have been cooler).
Other thermal baths to check out:
Rudas Baths
Kiraly Baths
Széchenyi Baths
Lukacs Baths
Craft cocktail bars
Yes, this is kind of unexpected, especially for those of us that hail from San Francisco and have developed an almost haughty numbness to “craft cocktails” (they are everywhere, and they are most likely average). But somehow, Budapest has tapped into a whole other level of bespoke beverages, absent of any misplaced superiority and abundant in true craftsmanship. I watched a bartender confidently dip my cocktail glass in some kind of salt only to discover that it was actually Pop Rocks that paired dangerously well with the frothy concoction in my glass. Yes, I hear you saying – it’s cool but it’s not that cool. But the truth is, we were able to check out two cocktail bars and at both of them, the professionalism and passion of the bartenders was unparalleled. We learned so much about flavor profiles, what goes with what, the ins and outs of the business… This also extends to the Palinka museum we visited, which had an advanced level of interactive games that taught you all about the liquor’s history, followed by a tasting in their dimly-lit, sophisticated cave.
Cocktail bars to stop at:
Black Swan
Bar Pharma
Barside
Blue Fox
Tuk Tuk Bar
Farm
WarmUp
Ruin pubs
Probably the second most popular thing about Budapest, after its baths, is the abandoned-buildings-turned-drinking-holes that are practically all over the city. And by “drinking holes”, I mean multi-level complexes, outfitted with different themes, kooky decorations, and pulsating bass music, otherwise known as Ruin Pubs. Basically, exactly the kind of debauchery you’d want to meander through at 2 in the morning in a foreign country. Everybody is jovially hammered, the drinks are cheap, and you get all the splendor of a frat party without the nasty, regretful parts (but that’s up to you)!
Best ruin pubs in Budapest:
Fogas Ház és Kert
Szimpla Kert
Anker't
Ellátó Kert
Szatyor
A few other things...
It’s impossible to find bad coffee. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but every place we stopped for a pick-me-up, even the most random little corner store, had amazing coffee. This may have roots in the deep coffee culture Budapest harbored in the early 1900, and why there are quite a few architecturally-impressive “historic coffee houses” scattered throughout the city, where writers and poets used to gather to work. And why now there is a brewing movement of “craft coffee” there. Another thing was that nobody gave us grief for not speaking Hungarian! People are already very friendly but they’re also not unnecessarily haughty about their language (ahem, Parisians) and this makes the city that much more welcoming. We did try our luck with a few Hungarian phrases but, of course, butchered them all mercilessly! And lastly – Hungarian pride. We saw it in the cleanliness of the city, in the lack of Uber and Lyft apps, in their thoughtfully-sourced food and wine, in the upkeep of their architecture… It was refreshing and inspiring to experience and something I’d love to see more of in the near future.
Christmas market and Palinka Museum tasting room
THE PLAN
How to get there
Like I mentioned, there is no Uber or Lyft but the taxi and bus systems are both fairly intuitive. We mainly walked everywhere and grabbed a cab when it was too cold to walk back.
Where to stay
Budapest is broken out into districts like most major cities and each one has its own unique flavor. We stayed in the 9th, on the border of the 5th, and were able to walk to pretty much every district of interest (for a 3-day stay). The ones to focus on for maximum access to everything are:
I – Includes the main architectural marvels like Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion, Mathias Church
V – This is the Inner City and where you’ll find the big shopping streets, Christmas Markets, and St. Stephen’s Basilica
VI – Andrássy Avenue has all of the great theaters and operas
VII – This is the Jewish neighborhood where you’ll find most of the nightlife (and Ruin Pubs)
Where to eat
Deák St Kitchen (V)
Dobrumba (VII)
Getto Gulyas (VII)
Bela Bar (I)
Kispiac Bisztro (V)
Tüköry Étterem (V)
Stand25 Bisztro (V)
Mák Bistro (V)
Zeller Bistro (V)
Intermezzo Roof Terrace (V)
Mazel Tov (VII)
Zoska (V)
Púder (IX)
Where to get coffee
Espresso Embassy (V)
Cafe Gerbeaud (V)
9BAR (VI)
Artist Cafe (VI)
New York Palace Cafe (VII)
Csendes Vintage Bar & Cafe (V)
Bisztronyul (VIII)
Where to get your drink on
Piaf Bar and Disco (VI)
Hello Baby (VI)
Nappali Kávéház (VI)
Piña (VII)
Szomszéd (VII)
Hotsy Totsy (VII)
For Sale Pub (V)
Typo Bar (VIII)
I hope this equips you to plan your own fantastic Budapest trip. As always, reach out with any questions!.
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