Budapest

When a Christmas market trip turns out to be the best Christmas present you could wish for….

Budapest is somewhere that has intrigued me for a while, mainly because I’m a massive Formula 1 fan and it always looked like a great place to visit from their TV coverage. So when a cheapie offer popped up on one of the many holiday sites I follow for four nights in December to go to the Christmas markets, I thought why not?! Thankfully my husband never takes much convincing when it comes to booking the next trip, he is as in love with travelling as I am so Budapest was soon on our list of travels for 2019!

I personally love a winter break, so after some research, Budapest looked like a great place to have some winter fun and take in the Christmas markets. By the way, these have been voted the best Christmas markets in Europe, which after visiting, does not surprise me!

When we first arrived in Budapest, we did our usual and met the driver we’d arranged through Welcome Pick Ups (see my Handy Hints & Travel Tips page for more information on this service). This particular driver was great, and was like having our own personal travel guide. He gave us a long list (in addition to the one we’d already made) of things we needed to make sure we included in our stay. He educated us on the local tipples (Palinka and Unicum) and told us a must eat whilst we were here, which was Chimney Cake.

It turned out we’d be very grateful of this recommendation. Chimney Cake is delicious, made from a thin sugared dough rolled around a wooden cylinder then cooked over hot coals before adding your choice of flavours, cinnamon, almond or just sugar for example. Make sure you try one!

The thing we were most interested in asking him about however while we had his undivided attention were the famous Budapest Ruin Bars. There’ll be more information about these below but a local’s view on something like this will always be priceless! Be sure to quiz your taxi driver when you arrive somewhere new to see what he/she suggests. Everyone will have something slightly different to suggest but all of them will be worth exploring further 🙂

When we arrived at our hotel, the first thing we did was to grab a city map from Reception and start to figure out what we wanted to do and when, which of the sights were an absolute must for us and to figure out how soon we could get started and get exploring!

Now Budapest in December is pretty cold so make sure you pack everything you’ll need to keep warm, as long are you are dry and warm, there’s nothing stopping you from spending the whole day out sightseeing taking in all the good stuff, the same as you would on a summer holiday.

So now you’ve arrived, you’re warm, dry and raring to go, here are what we found to be the best bits and absolute musts when visiting the beautiful city of Budapest…

Budapest Market Hall – first things first, head somewhere to get something to eat and drink to get yourself ready for a day of exploring. Budapest Market Hall is great for this. All under cover there is everything you could imagine in this vast building. Not only do they serve hot and cold food/drinks on the upper floor but this is a bit of a find if you’re looking to pick up a souvenir or would enjoy witnessing just what a traditional Hungarian food market is really like.

On the ground floor you’ll find mainly fresh food; fresh meats, cold meats, traditional flavoured sausages, cheeses, spices, honey and sweet treats.

On the upper floor is where you will find most of the places to eat, there’s plenty to choose from and all will be cooked fresh in front of you as you walk through, everything from traditional Hungarian (like Langos pictured below) to more familiar options. On this floor as well there is a labyrinth of smaller stalls selling clothing, bags, leather goods, lace and local crafts. It’s a great place to have a wander. This was our first stop in Budapest and it set us up very well!

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Fisherman’s Bastion – this place was high on my list, probably top if I’m honest. Of the research I’d done before we left it looked like a stunning place to visit. Located in the area of Castle Hill with panoramic views of Budapest, Fisherman’s Bastion was even more beautiful in real life than I’d imagined.

Arguably the most picturesque and photographed attraction in Budapest, with 7 turrets there are plenty of angles to admire the views from. Complete with a cafe on site at the top of one of the towers, this is a special place for a spot of lunch, well worth the visit and spending a little more than usual (if you can get a table).

We spent quite a bit of time here, there are small surprises around every corner and the attention to detail at Fisherman’s Bastion is fantastic.

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Note: if you’re a lover of photography, an early morning visit might be your preference, as they open the doors maybe. This place is so popular and trying to achieve the perfect photo without anyone in it felt almost impossible. So before the crowds arrive might be your best bet 🙂

Castle Hill – there is a lot to see and do at Castle Hill, if you pair this with your trip to Fisherman’s Bastion you will probably be able to spend a full day exploring this area.

Here you can visit Matthias Church which is next to Fisherman’s Bastion, Buda Castle, The Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum. If galleries and museums aren’t your thing then just taking in the outside of these buildings will be impressive enough I assure you. There is some great architecture to be found in Budapest and with a number of cafes, bars and restaurants all within walking distance you can relax and easily lose a day to this part of the city. Note: If you venture one or two streets back from the main street of restaurants near Matthias Church, you’ll find some great little places to eat with set menus that are really good value!

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Tip: Take the cable car up to the top of Castle Hill, cheap, good fun and some great views of the Danube river as you travel up (or down) the hill. Enjoy!

Evening Danube Cruise – we booked this before we left home as we knew it was something we really wanted to experience and didn’t want to miss out on.

We had looked at a number of experiences for our time in Budapest but this (for us) looked like something pretty special, and like most other things in Budapest, very reasonably priced!

We met the boat a little way down the Danube with the Chain Bridge behind us in the background. The theme of this boat ride was romantic and romantic is exactly what it was. After being greeted with a welcome drink when we boarded, we made ourselves comfortable inside which was beautifully lit enabling you to see the sights of Budapest without reflections on the windows. This meant we could enjoy every minute and capture new memories with a drink in hand 🙂

The famous sights of this city at night lit up in all their glory is well worth the slightly colder evening venture out. Particularly the stunning Parliament building, if you have the opportunity to hop on one of these boat tours do, day or night it’ll be worth it for the views of the city.

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St Stephen’s Basilica – this place is an absolute must visit. At the centre with the Christmas market just outside you’re not only able to explore inside but you can go up to the roof of this beautiful building and take in the impressive views below. Worth the trip up a fair few stairs I promise! (or of course the lifts if you’d prefer). If you’re clever you may be able to plan your visit in time for sunset for a real treat.

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Christmas Markets – these were of course the main reason for this trip and I can see why they are as highly thought of as they are in Budapest. Apart from being great fun with tasty local food and plenty to see, do and experience, this is a great way to get you feeling all Christmassy and ready to enjoy the festive season to the max!

There are a couple of markets to choose from in Budapest, the Christmas market in front of St Stephen’s Basilica was the best, the most popular and a must visit. It had the best choice of Christmas treats, unique gift ideas for loved ones, personalised presents and even tree decorations. There is a great selection of food to try and of course, copious amounts of mulled wine. In our opinion, Budapest hands down has the best tasting and the best selection of mulled wine EVER.

What’s more festive than sipping on hot mulled wine in the cold weather shopping for gifts walking round a Christmas market in December? Enjoy your time here, you won’t be disappointed, Budapest does Christmas extremely well!!

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Tip: there is a small ice rink here around the Christmas tree, if you’re looking for more space when you skate make sure you visit the City Park ice rink.

Chain Bridge – this spans the Danube river, connecting the regions of Buda and Pest, the western and eastern parts of the city. This is a popular spot for visitors and the foot path that runs across the bridge is open all year round so take a walk across the bridge, you get great views of the river and the city. At night the bridge is lit up, making it look even more impressive than during the day!

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Heroes Square – one of the major squares in Budapest, famous for the iconic curved statue complex which features the Seven Chieftans of the Magyars and other important Hungarian National Leaders. This is a major attraction in the city and is a must when you visit.

In the centre of this vast square is the Millennium Monument (which isn’t easy to get a picture of as it’s so tall). This is a quiet and calm part of Budapest and is a great place to take five minutes out to take in these incredible buildings and their surroundings.

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Tip: although we weren’t able to on our visit, it is highly recommended that you try and visit this square both during the day and at night to see it lit up. It’s apparently an impressive sight!

Trams – Budapest has a great network of trams, which are the best way to get around the city. If you can, make sure you take a tram ride as it’s all part of the Budapest experience 🙂

Rooftop Bars – admittedly not something you’d probably have high on your list of things to do for a trip to Hungary in December, but if you’ve read any of my other blogs, you’ll know that we love a good rooftop bar, whatever the weather (clearly)! So we did some research and decided we’d go with what looked like the best option in Budapest as even for us, we were only likely to do one! 😉

So we treated ourselves to an afternoon at The High Note Sky Bar in The Aria Hotel, which is not far from St Stephen’s Basilica. A very luxurious hotel, fantastic views with the Basilica as a back drop, creative cocktails, and (thankfully) plenty of outdoor heaters! Here are some of the cocktails we tried whilst here and some pictures of just how beautiful this place is, day and night.

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Having visited only one rooftop bar in Budapest, it would be unfair to claim that in our opinion this place was the best, but I think it would be pretty hard to find another that compares. If you choose to visit The High Note Sky Bar during your stay then cheers! I am confident you will enjoy every second, whatever season you visit in!

Ruin Bars – OK, by far my favourite thing about this city. We’ve saved the best until last! You MUST visit a ruin bar (or two) when you are in Budapest, the history and stories behind these places are mind blowing.

Budapest’s ruin bars sprung up in abandoned buildings of the old Jewish Quarter of the city which was left to decay after World War II. Proving the perfect place to develop a new ‘underground’ bar and nightclub scene.

Still with a large element of being ‘hidden’ these super cool bars from the outside look untouched and just like normal buildings. Ruin bars can be found in a host of unused properties, they are not ‘advertised’ from the outside, you won’t see any signage nor will you join the back of a queue when you arrive because there won’t be one, you’ll simply just be allowed in by bouncers on the door. You can easily identify a ruin bar from the music you’ll hear coming from inside as you approach, then you’ll notice a bouncer and you’ll know you’ve struck gold. Definitely go in and check it out. You can’t just walk past!!

Most have a shabby-chic, up-cycled type feel to them with the most random and cool retro items used to decorate the space. The atmosphere once you’re inside is like no other and everyone is so friendly. There’s no place quite like a ruin bar!

The Mecca of ruin bars and most popular has to be Szimpla Kert, if you visit no others during your time in Budapest please please visit this one. Thinking back to our (multiple) visits to this place automatically makes me smile, the best nights out can be had here I promise you and it’s a great place to make some pretty special memories.

So full of colour and fun Szimpla Kert is an old converted apartment building, different themes can be found in each ‘apartment’ (which are now separate bars), with a small indoor garden on the first floor, an outside bar with an abandoned car that is now a seating area and a selection of food served upstairs, you can easily spend an afternoon exploring, drinking (of course) and enjoying the traditional Hungarian Goulash that is served here (BTW this was the best Goulash we had whilst in Budapest)!!

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For all travel related hints and tips, click on my Handy Hints and Travel Tips page, no matter your destination!

Do’s & Don’ts

DO – Walk as much as you can in Budapest, a lot of things are within walking distance.

DO – Use public transport if not (lots of walking may be seasonal or just not your thing), it’s great value and very easy to use. Note: on the buses make sure you validate your tickets before you travel.

DO – Opt to use Hungarian Forint, you have the option to use Euros in Hungary but you’ll get a better exchange rate using their own currency (HUF).

DO – Enjoy your beer whilst here, Budapest is the cheapest place in Europe for a pint! Local beers are well worth a try here.

DO – Download BOLT on your phone, Uber is not available here but this is the equivalent, works exactly the same and is very efficient.

DO – Have some fun on the large temporary ice rink (for winter travellers) in City Park close to Heroes Square. This is much better than the smaller plastic rink outside St Stephen’s Basilica.

DO – Try Chimney Cake, and if you enjoy it as much as I did, make sure you eat your body weight in it before you leave! 😉

DO – Give Palinka and Unicum a try. Palinka is more of a clear fruit brandy and Unicum is more of a herbal liqueur. Choose your poison and have a go, it’d be rude not to 😉

DO – Visit the thermal baths, there are a number to choose from in Budapest but the Szechenyi Baths are regarded as the best. We personally weren’t able to experience these but I know we were in the minority of people visiting Budapest who didn’t. It’s a very popular attraction and although we didn’t make it I’d say if you can, add it to your list of things to do and enjoy!

DON’T – Plan to visit St Stephen’s Basilica on a Sunday. You may not be able to go in as Sunday Mass could be in service.

DON’T – Opt for an unauthorised taxi. Stick to BOLT if you can as they are reliable and you know your fare before you even get in the car.

DON’T – Plan any museum visits on a Monday as many museums are closed. Always check the website first.

DON’T – Clink beer glasses, any other glasses are fine by the way! There was an old legend which forbade the clinking of beer glasses after it was used by the Austrians as a symbol to celebrate Hungary being defeated in an ancient revolution, and to this day it is still frowned upon. Useful one if you like a beer!

DON’T – Allow yourself to be drawn into a bar by an attractive female. My husband told me of this one so it must have been on a previous stag do that this one was discovered 😉 But apparently it is a thing and something men or groups of men need to be aware of when out and about in the evening. It’s a ‘scam’ so to speak and could leave you severely out of pocket!

So to summarise Budapest then…if you’re looking for a Christmas Market break away that won’t break the bank and will be full of fun and great memory making, then this is your place! Obviously we went with Christmas in mind, but from what we saw and experienced this city should be high on your list of destinations all year round. The people here are great, food is delicious, everything is reasonably priced and if you are a lover of history there is plenty here to take in, admire and learn. Plus of course those all important ruin bars which need to be appreciated to the fullest! If you’re looking for your next European city break, no matter the time of year, please consider this place because it will not disappoint. From a couples perspective, we would highly recommend Budapest. We give it a 10/10!

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Thanks,

Claire x