Budapest is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities of planet Earth. It always shows us it's different faces with the changes of seasons. The "Queen of the Danube" is steeped in a very rich history, culture and natural beauty, where the weather, food and wine is really divine. The city is known for its beautiful sights, its bridges, its Houses of Parliament, its castle on hill, and its wonderful thermal baths. You definitely need to walk round and experience. A pub, a restaurant, a market, a park and an opera will surely catch your interest through your way.
You have to visit Budapest at least once in your lifetime!
It’s worth it.
All you will need, when you visit us:
for festivals
for nature and parks
for museums
for spas and beaches
for night life
for hotels and restaurants
for sights and attractions
Sights, attractions
The Castle District in Buda is the ancient kernel of the capital’s right-bank settlement. Everything that surrounds it was once only suburbs. From whatever direction you reach the Castle District, you cross the ramparts which completely encircle Castle Hill. The whole area within the ramparts is protected as an ancient monument: the lines of the streets and the foundations and architectural remains of the buildings retain the atmosphere and memories of the medieval and eighteenth and nineteenth-century capital.
We recommend you this attractions:
- Fisherman’s Bastion
- Matthias Church
- Royal Palace
- Trinity Square
- Museums

The Chain Bridge was the first bridge to permanently connect Buda and Pest. At the time of its completion, Chain Bridge was considered to be one of the wonders of the world. Chief engineer Adam Clark completed the span in 1849. Crossing the bridge is just a short walk and no matter which direction you go, the view is beautiful.

Gellért Hill (Gellért-hegy) offers some of the best panoramic views of Budapest. Starting your sightseeing here is not just a wonderful experience and a good first impression of the city, but it also makes orientation much easier.
Besides the wonderful view, there are several attractions worth visiting:
- St. Gellért Monument
- Citadel (Citadella)
- Statue of Liberty (Szabadság Szobor)
- Gellért Hill Cave Church (Sziklatemplom)

When you walk through the Andrássy street you will arrive the largest and most impressive square of the city. The Millennium Monument standing in the middle of the square was erected in 1896 to commemorate the 1000-year-old history of our country. The Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum) is located at the north side of the square. The National Art Gallery (Műcsarnok), an exhibition hall for the contemporary arts, is at the south side.
Behind the square there is a Central Park (Városliget) where you can find the Vajdahunyad Castle (Vajdahunyad vár), the Széchenyi Medical Bath and the Zoo too.

Margaret Island provides a peaceful hideaway from hectic downtown Budapest with large green areas, flowery gardens, old trees, and lots of entertainment.
The island’s attractions include:
romantic walkways, japaneese garden, medieval ruins, a small zoo, a rose garden two musical fountains, a historic water tower, swimming pools, a water park, playgrounds, open air theatre and cinema, and some great clubs.

Market Halls are a good source of Hungarian products. You can also make it a pit-stop for a quick bite of traditional Hungarian food when touring the city. Shop with the locals for sausages, meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables and pastries. Fancy bottles of hungarian wines, a variety of paprika and handicrafts are also available.
There are few examples:
- Central Market Hall (Fővám tér)
- Downtown Hall (Belvárosi Piac, Hold utca)
- Rákóczi Hall (Rákóczi téri piac)

Built in neo-gothic style at the turn of the 19th -20th century, its numerous small towers and fine stone laces make it the symbol of Budapest and of the Danube panorama. It is one of the biggest parliamentary buildings in the world, with a length of 265 metres.

The sumptuous interior design with abundant golden ornaments is unique; governmental receptions are also held inside the dome hall. Since 2000, the Hungarian coronation symbols —St. Stephen’s crown, the sceptre, and the orb— have been on display in the Parliament and there is an interesting political museum too, which is free.
Rebuilt in the 17th-19th centuries in baroque style, the Royal Palace dominates the southern part of the Castle Hill. The National Széchényi Library, (Széchényi Könyvtár) holding the country’s most important collections, book rarities; the Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria), the Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art, displaying masterworks of contemporary art; Budapest History Museum (Budapest Történeti Múzeum) are housed in the Royal Palace.
Budapest’s biggest church is built in the mid-1800s, in classicistic and eclectic style. It has a unique dome with 360° panorama of Budapest, there is lift up to the dome. There are several artworks in the basilica commemorating the name giver, St. Stephen, founder of the Hungarian state and church.
Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe with the Holocaust Memorial (weeping willow statue)
Corvin tér
Shoes on the Danube Promenade Gyula Pauer – Holocaust Memorial
Statue Park
Tomb of Gül Baba
Váci utca and Vörösmarty Square
Nature and parks
Luckily, Budapest is not only rich in places for a good party, but also offers diverse green spaces that are transformed by the autumn leaves into brilliant expanses of yellow, orange, and brown. You can reach many of these places by public transport and be back home well before sundown, calming your nerves in just a few hours.
These are the best places for hiking in Budapest
- Danube
- City Park (Városliget)
- Budapest Zoo
- Margaret Island (Margitsziget)
- Gellért Hill
- Buda Hills: Living museum of Sas Hill, Chairlift and János Hill
- Hármashatár Hill, Nagy-Hárs Hill and the Kaán Károly Tower, Normafa
- Széchenyi Hill
- Public Park (Népliget)
- Kopaszi Dam & Park
- Római Part
- Farkas Hill
Spas and beaches
Budapest holds the title “City of Spas” since the year 1934, as it has more thermal and medicinal water springs than any other capital city in the world.
There are 7 public thermal baths in Budapest, not counting the private thermal spas established in some luxury hotels, such as the Ramada Plaza, Thermal Hotel Margitsziget and the Corinthia Royal, which have their own spas.
Some of the city’s bath & beaches
- Széchenyi thermal bath
- Gellért thermal bath
- Lukács bath
- Rudas bath
- Paskál bath & beach
- Palatinus beach
- Római beach
Night life
Budapest is one of Europe’s hottest destinations – it’s cheap, wild and attracts top DJs from around the world. The best time to party here is the summer, when rooftop bars and decadent spa parties take over the city.
By the way the ruin pubs has taken over Budapest’s nightlife a couple years ago too to establish a far-reaching success formula. However, it’s not only the rickety furnishing, the psychedelic interiors, and the hipster crowd that make these ramshackle properties popular, but the dilapidated edifices also boast a distinct charm.
Some of the best Budapest’s nightlife places
- Szimpla kert
- A38 ship
- Akvárium
- Peaches and Cream Club
- Instant
- Doboz
- Fellini Kultúrbisztró
- Hello Baby Bar
Hotels and restaurants
Festivals
Cultural festivals
The Budapest Spring Festival is one of Hungary’s largest cultural festivals, taking place over a two-week period at the end of March, beginning of April. There are approximately 200 events held in over 50 locations including classical and pop music concerts, theatre performances and film screenings.
Every June a selection of museums in Budapest are open to the public free of charge for one night, until 02:30. The event is an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The list of participating museums can be found on many websites, such as the Hungarian Tourist Programmes.
Main square and stage of the Castle of this lovely town north from Lake Balaton, Veszprém hosts this cultural and music festival. Classic music, jazz, opera – almost all genres will be represented.
One of Hungary’s most popular and Debrecen’s biggest festivals, the carnival is a spectacular event with beautiful flower cars and dance groups coming from Debrecen, her sister cities and other countries as well. A week long fiesta in the spirit of flowers, dance and music. The highlight of the festival is the carnival parade on 20th August.
August 20th commemorates the foundation of the Hungarian state, it’s like Hungary’s 4th of July. Also called as St. Stephen’s Day, remembering Stephen I, the first king of Hungary and founder of the Kingdom of Hungary, who was canonized on August 20th, 1083 by Pope Gregory VII. In Budapest the festivities start in the morning with the raising of the Hungarian flag in Kossuth Square, followed by an air show over the Danube, Holy Mass, and the Holy Right Hand procession around the Basilica. The event ends with a fireworks display over the Danube.
The Wine Festival in September offers a selection of excellent wines, food and music, and features over 250 wineries from 15 countries. The event takes place at Castle Hill.
From the end of November to the end of December, the downtown main square (Vörösmarty Square) is decorated for the annual Budapest Christmas Market. There are dozens of stands where visitors can buy Christmas-themed arts and crafts, hand-made gifts and a selection of toys and Hungarian specialities.
There is also a Christmas Fair on Szent István Square in front of the Basilica with an ice-rink in the middle, which is surrounded by a number of stands selling Christmas-themed arts and crafts.
Gastro festivals
Foodies will love this event, held every October on Castle Hill. Featuring at least 20 different varieties of the Hungarian brandy, palinka, their distillers are on-hand to explain their intricacies along with the makers of the famous Hungarian sausages and their produce. Street entertainment, music, dance performances and general merriment are all part of the gastronomic fun.
Awaiting visitors in every season of the year, Etyeki Piknik held at township of Etyek, 26 kms from Budapest offers both Hungarian and local specialities. Delicacies of gastronomy and wines can be tasted in a pleasant setting, in Szépvölgy and Újhegy area of the township, with typical cellars of this area opening their doors.
Take a big spoonful of happiness, a pinch of humour, and a huge amount of soul! If you already have these ingredients, you can start cooking: this is the secret of Baja fish soup. At the festival, every year around 2000 cauldrons fill downtown of Baja, with an endless variety of versions of delicious fish soup cooked in them.
Goulash is one of the typical dishes of the Great Hungarian Plain. The festival, held at the town of Szolnok, aims to showcase this so well-known Hungarian dish, and offers a great possibility to taste the absolutely authentic version. With cooking contest, other gastro delicacies e.g. handcrafted beer and local products, and other programmes.
Cooks duelling with cauldrons and wooden spoons will enter the competition, aiming to win the Fish Cooking Merit Award, founded by Venesz Prize winner Sándor Frank. While the more then 14,000 portions of fish soup are being cooked, we can try hot-air balloons, sightseeing flight, rafting or wait for Makó onions – one of the basic ingredients of real Szeged fish soup – delivered on Tisza.
Party festivals
Sziget Festival is one of the largest music festivals in Europe with an average of 400,000 visitors each year. Hungarian and international musicians perform at over 60 venues, in addition to circus and theatre shows, and exhibitions. Concerts feature many genres including metal, folk, jazz, blues, alternative and classical. There are around 200 events daily during the festival, which is held in August at Shipyard Island (Hajógyári sziget).
For more than 20 years now, the VOLT Festival is one of Hungary’s greatest annual good-time gatherings, drawing world-famous musicians of diverse genres along with prominent local acts to fill a forested campground in the hills above Sopron.
Cheerful revelers flood to the southern shore of Lake Balaton to let loose amid electronica beats, all happening on the sprawling lawns of a waterfront recreation area in Zamárdi. This five-day multi-stage beach party blasts pulsating music across the “Hungarian Sea”, while headliners spice up the sun-splashed scenes.
Festival of College & University Students, Hungary’s biggest student party. The waterside jamboree – happening at Lake Velence, just 50 kilometers southwest of Budapest – provides lively daytime activities and blasting concerts for an entire week.
Assorted local bands perform merry shows covering all genres of Hungarian music on multiple stages, including pop, rock, hip-hop, and more. This five-day alfresco extravaganza held amid pristine nature just a short drive away from the city of Pécs.
Located on a sprawling lakefront area in Zamárdi on the southern shore of Lake Balaton, B.my.Lake is continually crowded with swimsuit-clad party people from near and far, who congregate to let loose amid epic electronica tunes, while about 100 DJs play in front of sweeping views.