Travelogues: Guide to Budapest — #vesticonversations

Where to Stay?

● Aria Hotel Budapest - I’ve stayed here before and it’s a truly amazing hotel. Best service and beautiful music themed interior. The rooms don’t have a view but the location is really central and has a great rooftop bar with a stunning view of our biggest church in the city.

● New York Palace Budapest - I haven’t tried this one yet for staying but I can say that their kitchen is amazing as I ate there several times. Beautiful, authentic interior and really classy hall and restaurant. I’m sure your parents would love this one.

● Four Seasons Budapest - Beautiful landmark hotel on the side of the river on the Pest side. You can’t get a place more central than this. Spacious rooms with beautiful interior.

● Clark Hotel Budapest - Brand new development and another landmark building alongside the river but this is on the Buda side, just opposite of the Four Seasons. I don’t know much about this hotel but a friend of mine was staying here lately and he spoke really highly about it.

How to Go Around the City?

I wouldn’t recommend you to bother much with the public transport system.

If you take a taxi to the central upon arrival, it shouldn’t cost you more than around 8000 HUF. Short trips are pretty cheap 1000 – 1500 HUF.

You can also download the app ‘Taxify’ which is the equivalent of Uber in Hungary. Works exactly the same, fast, cheap and reliable.

What to Do?

The castle and the Fisherman’s Bastion is a must on the top of Buda hill. You can either wall up (it’s quiet long) or use the cable car thing just in front of Chain Bridge. We also have the National Gallery in the castle.
You should also visit St. Stephen’s Basilica, this is our biggest and most well-known church in Budapest. You can also walk up to the tower and have a 360 panoramic view of Budapest.
The Parliament is also a must, it’s the biggest one in whole Europe, even bigger than Westminster! Beautiful building what you can see from outside or take part in a guided tour.
The Synagogue might also be something you’d want to see. This is the biggest and most beautiful of its kind in Europe. Your father will need to wear a kippah here :D
The market hall on Fövám Square. It’s a big market hall for fresh and prepared food and souvenirs. Architecturally beautiful and you can buy some great ground paprika powder here!
Heroes’ Square and Város Liget. It’s a huge square dedicated for the statues of our ‘founding fathers’ with a huge park behind it. We also have two museums surrounding it. The park is ideal for a nice walk. Ohh and this is at the end of our high-end shopping street Andrássy street so pointing out this you might be able to attract more attention :P But to be fair, I don’t recommend shopping in Budapest as we have 27% VAT on all clothes and accessories so anything branded is really expensive ☹
Baths, baths, baths! We have a big bathhouse culture in Hungary dating back to the XIVth century. I’d either recommend to visit Széchenyi or Rudas Baths. The first is more touristic but it has an amazing and large outdoor pool. The second is less well known and I think a bit more developed, it also has a roof terrace and a Jacuzzi on top.

Where to Eat?

For authentic Hungarian food go to Urban Betyár. Has a central location, amazing selection of Hungarian dishes, spirits and wines. They also have a small gallery downstairs showcasing Hungarian culture.
For contemporary Jewish cuisine you can visit Mazel Tov. Looks shit form the outside but has a beautiful inside garden and live music during nights. Amazing food! Try the shakshuka!
360 Budapest is a great rooftop bar on Andrássy street. Spacious and clam during the day and almost a club during night. Best time to go is afternoon with parents for a glass of refreshment and a beautiful view. Book a table!