budapest sights, attractions and itinerary

Welcome to the Drink in the Sights Budapest itierary. Here you'll find all you need to know about all the main Budapest sights and attractions as well as a bit of history and plenty of photos.

Fairy-tail Castles, Beauty on a Budget, and a Severed Hand. 

Budapest is rapidly becoming recognised as one of the great European cities to visit. The fact that Hungary has stayed out of the Euro has kept prices down, making it an excellent budget holiday choice. But this place isn't just for those on a budget. It's a beautiful city, with fairytale like castles, wonderful architecture, museums, galleries, and ruin bars, which have become top Budapest attractions in their own right. Once this was two cities, Buda and Pest (pronounced Pesh) split by the river Danube, but in 1873 the two cities united, not long after the famous chain bridge was built. The two sides of the Danube are still strikingly different, with Buda the more lavish, and Pest the more practical. Despite this you'll want a hotel on the Pest side, especially if you're going to be sampling the local beers, as every good bar is in Pest. You really wont be short of things to put on your Budapest itinerary.

Because Budapest is such a popular location there's loads of cheap direct flights from the UK. You can choose from Edinburgh, Manchester, London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Nottingham, Bristol, Birmingham and Leeds. I put them in that order as it runs from cheapest to most expensive last time I checked. The best way to get from the airport to the centre is via the shuttle bus, which takes about 30 minutes, and will drop you off at the main square, costing 2 euros. There's a lot things to do in Budapest so we better get started drinking in the Budapest sights.

Budapest Sights

Budapest Parliament

The Parliament building tour must be pre-booked. You can do that here.

This is probably the iconic building in Budapest, it's certainly the one you'll see in all the photos taken from across the Danube. I think it's fair to say it's the best looking parliament building in Europe, and as the second biggest it's beauty is matched by its size. There's a story that Queen singer Freddie Mercury once tried to buy the building in the hope of making it his new home. The building was completed in 1904, and tours are available if booked in advance. I really recommend doing the tour, the interior is just as beautiful as the outside, so you wont be disappointed. 

The Hungarian Crown Jewels are also on show, and under constant guard, so make sure you don't miss them. With 691 rooms it's fair to say you wont see every single bit of the Parliament building on the tour, but you'll see all the major, and most luxurious rooms.

In total the tour takes around 90 minutes, the guide is engaging and will give you loads of information, pointing out little features like the solid gold cigar holders outside the main chamber. At 25 euros it is one of the most expensive things to do in Budapest, but also one of the best. This is the link to book the tour.

Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church

​Welcome to heaven. This is where all the photos of Budapest are taken from. The Fisherman's Bastion looks like a castle that's been pulled straight out of a Disney movie, and is the ideal place to just sit and drink in the Budapest sights. Everything about the area is just stunning, including the view from Chain Bridge as you walk across the Danube. There's a funicular that will take you up Buda hill, but the walk only takes 10 minutes, and isn't particularly steep, so I personally wouldn't bother with that.

From the Bastion you'll get stunning views over the Pest side of the city, including St Stephen's Cathedral, Chain Bridge, and the Parliament building making it the ideal spot to drink in the Budapest sights. But more importantly you'll be able to see the exquisite beauty of the Bastions architecture.
Inside the Bastion is the glistening Matthias Church, originally opened in 1255, it's one of the most beautiful churches you'll ever come across, and the setting just highlights its beauty. To go inside costs 1000 HUF, which sounds a lot, but is only £2.50, and it's worth the cost.
The statue next to the church in the Bastion is of St Stephen, the first king of Hungary, whose mummified hand you can find in St Stephen's Cathedral. Lovely. Beyond any doubts this is one of the top Budapest attractions.

Do a Budapest Walking Tour

Yea I know I say it on all of these, but a walking tour is the best way to figure out a city, get to know and understand the people and get a bit of history, usually with a bit of humour thrown in for good measure. As with most cities you can choose between a free walking tour where you tip the guide at the end or pre-booking one. Because Budapest is huge the pre-booked one also involves a bus trip ensuring you don't miss any of the main Budapest attractions, and you can book it by clicking here. If you get the Budapest card this comes with two walking tours as well as access to free public transport and several of the attractions on this list so check it out here. The tour will also give you good ideas for other things for your Budapest itinerary.

The Hospital in the Rock

​This is one of the best museums I've ever visited so it simply had to feature in my Budapest itinerary. The hills under Buda are full of caves, one of which is a church, that's worth a quick visit, but the more important one is The Hospital in the Rock. Construction started in 1939 and finished in 1944, just in time for the siege of Budapest by the Nazis. Designed as an emergency bunker to look after 60 patients, the hospital was soon coping with numbers nearer 600, some of which were Germans. Needless to say the hospital was over used and understaffed.

Following the hospitals closure it became the remarkable museum it is today. Tours are every hour, on the hour, costing 4000 HUF, and the tour guides are remarkable, funny, and informative. The museum is full of waxworks getting on with the tasks of the day, and in one room there's even a full size helicopter, which they had to strip down to its bare bones, and put together again in the museum. At the end there's a touching display about the dangers of nuclear war, with pictures showing the extent of damage current nukes could do to cities. The whole museum is a plea for peace, in a place designed to withstand a war.

Budapest Attractions

Go for a Bath

Budapest is famous for its baths, and they are certainly impressive. Szechenyi and Gellert Baths are probably the most famous. I've visited the Gellert ones, and been told by friends the Szechenyi baths are also excellent. The Gellert Baths were opened in 1918, and have been greatly expanded since. To save money bring your own towel and shower cap, as they will insist you wear one in some pools. The baths aren't cheap at 6600 HUF. There is the option of paying 3000 for a tour without going in the baths, but what's the point in that? There's saunas, steam rooms, loads of different pools at various temperatures, an outdoor pool with a wave generator, and so on. It's a huge beautiful complex, and a really nice way to spend a relaxing afternoon. You can also get free admission to the Lukacs Baths with the Budapest Card. Taking a dip is certainly one of the key Budapest attractions.

Heroes Square and Vajdahunyad Castle

One of the best photo opportunities in Budapest comes from visiting Heroes Square, with its huge Millennium Monument, flanked on both sides by art galleries. The monument was built in 1896 to celebrate the founding of the Hungarian state, and is truly epic in proportions.

Behind the monument is the gorgeous Vajdahunyad Castle and the city park. The castle is as fascinating as it is beautiful. A mash up of different designs copying Hungarian landmarks, including Dracula's tower. Within the castle grounds is the statue of the unknown soldier, which is certainly worth seeing. The whole area is a great free Budapest sights.

The Hungarian National Museum

Since the early 19th century this gorgeous museum has been telling the story of Hungarian art and history. The museum takes you on a journey from prehistoric Hungary, right through to modern day works. The building itself is exceptional, and I always think this adds to the works inside. A must for anyone that wants a thorough history of Hungary. Admission is 2600 HUF.

Kerepsi Cemetery

I do like to throw in one off the beaten track piece, ideally slightly macabre attraction and this is it for Budapest. Located a little way out of the centre, passed the train station, is this prestigious burial ground. The monuments are truly epic works of art, and you'll find poets, prime ministers, scientists, artists, and everyone in between here. It's very much the fashionable place to rest in peace in Hungary, and a wonderful freebie to visit if you have time. This is definitely top of my off the beaten track Budapest attractions. 

If you want to see Budapest and much more without any hassle have a look at Travelsphere.co.uk. They have both the Imperial Cities Trip which covers three of my favourite cities Budapest, Prague and Vienna or the more lavish 12 day Danube Cruise Tour. Travelsphere will sort out the transfers, the flights, the hotels, two meals a day and the tours for you while you just sit back and enjoy the trip. Check them out here.

The Hungarian National Gallery

It's scarily easy to confuse the National Gallery with the National Museum, and I had to check and double check myself before writing this, despite only visiting a few weeks ago. Just to clear things up this epic gallery is in Buda Castle, while the museum is across the Danude in Pest.
Other than the Hospital in the Rock this is my favourite museum/gallery in Budapest, partly because of the work inside, and partly because of its incredible setting inside the giant castle.

While the cost of 3200 HUF makes it one of the more expensive attractions in Budapest, it's always important to remember that the exchange rate is ridiculous, and that's only about £7. Some of the artwork downstairs, and the ancient wooden alters in particular, are worth a look. But the real joy comes from getting to the top floor, and finding the giant statue waiting for you, above which is a dome full of almost Peter Pan like flying children.

St Stephen's Cathedral

St Stephen was the first Hungarian king and his mummified, incorruptible right hand can still be viewed in this Cathedral. While I did my best to get a photo of this no doubt very important, but also very weird relic, the best I could do was a photo of the ornate box it's stored in to make it easier for you to find. Completed in 1905 this is the most important church in Hungary, and the joint highest building in Budapest, alongside the parliament building, which makes the views from the tower quite exceptional. So take your time and drink in the Budapest sights.

The Neoclassical interior of the cathedral is quite beautiful, as you'd expect from a Catholic building, they really do love their lavish things after all. The art work is outstanding and the interior of the dome is magnificent, so have a good look around before heading outside. On the street outside the cathedral there's the names of possibly the most important people in Budapest, the wine makers, so don't forget to pay your respects. There's also the lovely statue of the fat policeman whose belly it's good luck to rub, so make sure you don't miss him.

The Shoes on the Danube

The shoes on the Danube are probably Budapest's most chilling monument. Created in 2005, this is where Hungarian Jews were killed in World War II. They were ordered to take off their shoes, before been shot and thrown in the Danube.

​Budapest Itinerary Extras

Margaret Island is a lovely outdoor area, with a stunning dancing fountain, small petting zoo, and a tower you can climb to get views over the city. This is where the locals go jogging as the path round the Island makes for a pretty good track. I can safely vouch for this, as having realised I was running late for my boat back to the centre I had to join the locals in their exercise.

The Great Synagogue is the biggest in Europe, and well worth a look from the outside. However it is very expensive to get in, so to save you the cost here's a photo of pretty much all you get to see. I was expecting a much more thorough tour for the price.

Inside the imposing Buda Castle you'll find the Budapest History Museum and Hungarian National Gallery discussed earlier, either of which will provide you with plenty to look at on a rainy day. The castle itself is magnificent to just walk around, and as it's next to the Fisherman's Bastion you're bound to be up there at some point. From the balcony and the outside you'll get a great view of the city and all the other Budapest attractions.

The Museum of Fine Arts is one of the buildings next to Heroes Square, and while it does contain a few excellent pieces, for me the real surprise was finding a mummified crocodile in the Egyptian section. You don't see that every day.​

Day trip and tours from Budapest

As with any city doing a walking tour is a great way to get your bearings, and a little more information about what you're seeing. In Budapest it's also worth taking a boat tour down the Danube. But my suggestion would be to do the wonderful Danube Bend tour, visiting the towns of Esztergom, Visegrád, and Szentendre. This includes seeing the biggest Cathedral in Hungary, some fantastic views of the Danube, and a cruise back to Budapest. It really is an excellent tour.

I hope you enjoyed my Budapest itinerary. Now that I've introduced you to the best Budapest sights and attractions it's time to go see them yourself. You can search Expedia for your Budapest trip using the search box below. If you want anymore help or advice you can contact me on Facebook Messenger or via the contact form on my city break planning service page.

Please also check out my guide to the best pubs in Budapest