As it is the summer time and holiday season is in full swing I thought I would write about one of my favourite holiday destinations, Budapest.
I first went to Budapest back in 2016, not knowing much about it whatsoever. All I knew was that it would be warm in the summer time and that the city itself is pretty cheap compared to other main European cities.
It wasn’t until I actually got to Budapest that I realised just how amazing the place was. So here are my experiences and tips on having a good time in Budapest.
Budapest is one of the most budget friendly cities in eastern Europe. With the average price of a bottle of beer costing £1.50 its no wonder this place is getting more popular each summer.
This factor did play a part in choosing Budapest as a destination, although it wasn’t a determining factor as we have had brilliant experiences before in cities much more expensive (like Paris and London).
Location
The location for us was so good that we stayed in the same place each time we went to Budapest.
We stayed in Pepper Apartments. I honestly don’t have any complaints about them whatsoever. They were in perfect condition and had no hassle meeting the rep to collect the keys.
Located right on Andrássy Avenue it was around 10 minutes walk from the Jewish Quarter which is were all the night life is along with plenty of restaurants.
As you can see the apartments themselves are quite central and are conveniently located within walking distance of the rooftop 360 bar (5 minutes) and the famous Széchenyi Thermal Bath (25 minutes).
Key places to visit
There are so many key places to visits in Budapest that I was actually very surprised. It has endless things to do as well as plenty of bars, clubs and restaurant’s. I can only give you my experience and tell you about the places I visited personally, so I suggest doing your research before going.
Lupa Beach
A beach in a land locked country? YES!
I only heard of Lupa Beach the second time we visited Budapest in 2018 due to the fact it was only opened around a year! I am convinced we were the first one’s from Belfast there! Lol
This for me was one of the highlights of the entire holiday. We were literally sitting by a beach, drinking beer in 28 degree heat 20 minutes from the city centre of Budapest.
The beach has plenty of other things on offer with a water assault course and other sporting activities such as volleyball and football.
It also works as a cashless system were you top up a wristband with money and pay with that. Really handy if your in and out of the water and don’t want to leave your valuables beside a sunbed.
Getting to Lupa by public transport can be tricky as you need to get a train or bus then walk a good 20 minutes. We got a taxi instead and it only cost around £15.00 which I was happy to pay.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
There are more baths dotted around the city but the Széchenyi Thermal Bath‘s were the close to our apartment and they also hosted a Sparty (Spa-party) so these were the ones we stuck to on both visits to Budapest.
The Sparty was an unbelievable experience and we had such a good time. We got talking to people from all over the world and also got to drink and swim in a warm bath so the experience was completely unique.
Here you can see just how close the baths were to our apartment. I recommend walking as it is a nice walk through the affluent part of Budapest.
360 bar
We did hear of the 360 bar before we went to Budapest as a friend told us about it but we did’t know that it would be a 5 minute walk across the street from our apartment!
We couldn’t believe our luck! The views alone are enough never mind the cheap drink (around £2.50 a pint) and delicious food.
The best time to go up is just before sunset, which means you get the heat but its not as intense and the view of the sunset over the city is phenomenal. You need to visit this bar when in Budapest, its the best rooftop bar I have been too by far!
Getting around
Getting around the city is very easy as Budapest has a great Metro system. There are 4 lines which get you to all the main attractions in the city. Each station will have tickets machines where you can purchase tickets.
Always remember to use the weird orange machine which verifies your newly bought ticket. If you don’t verify it you can face a heavy fine! We used the metro quite a lot but we also liked to walk wherever we could.
Another great way to travel the city is to take an open top bus tour. We travelled with Big Bus. Tickets are around £20.00 and it’s a hop on hop off service with stops dotted all across the city so no need to keep paying for public transport of taxi’s.
I loved the guided tour while on the bus itself, but I suppose if your not into history then this may not be an added bonus, but its something I always try to do while in a new place!
FOOOOOOD
Now onto my favourite part of any holiday….. the food places!!
Budapest does not disappoint when it comes to nice food. There is literally thousands of places to eat that you have a wide variety of choice. I will no doubt have missed quite a few places but I will tell you exactly were I went and why I loved it so much.
Karaván Street food
If you love street food then Karavan is the place to be! There are tons of variety; Vegan, BBQ, Pizza, Mexican. Its located in the Jewish Quarter right next to Simpla Kert so right in a nice location with other bars and restuartns ate your finger tips.
I loved this place so much as well because we found it by a pure fluke. We were just exploring the city and walked past this and had a look inside. It didn’t disappoint one bit!
Trofea grill
Trofea Grill has to be on the food list simply because it is and all you can eat and drink buffet! And as far as buffet food goes this is actually really nice high quality food.
You basically get a 2 hour slot for around £20.00 and in that 2 hours you can eat and drink as much as you want. The food isn’t fancy but it tastes really nice, especially the meats and the Goulash (which I think tastes like Irish stew).
Bamba Marha Burger Bar
Again we found this by complete accident as it was literally down the street from our apartments. It was only after that I realised it has a few shops dotted around the city.
Simple burger and chips but really tasty and at a very reasonable price! Check them out.
Gringos Amigos
This was the only Mexican place we really tried but I had absolutely no complaints about it. Straight up burritos with a nice relaxed and chilled atmosphere. A typical burrito bar with fantastic food!
Unfortunately I have no photos to do it any justice but check them out on tripadvisor, they have plenty of photos and reviews to sway your mind!