How to Make the Most of 3 Days in Budapest on Your First Visit
- Updated: 04/14/2024
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Is Budapest a Good City Break? An Overview
When you visit Budapest, you get two cities for the price of one. Buda is the old city, with cobblestone streets and hills. Pest is the new city, a bustling commercial center with transportation infrastructure. I’d recommend staying in Pest, on the Eastern side of the Danube, because it’s easier for a short visit.
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I spent a week in Budapest, but three days should be enough to get a feel for the city. This Eastern European capital offers amazing architecture, striking memorials, and the best city park I’ve ever seen. Plenty of travelers get stuck here. They planned on leaving in a few days, “missed” their flight, and stayed for a few months instead. If you find three days isn’t enough, you could always stay longer!
Fly into Budapest International Airport (BUD), get some cash from the ATM, take a shuttle to your lodgings, and get unpacked. Make sure you bring your walking shoes! And get ready for one of the best city breaks you can experience.
Day 1: Budapest Walking Tour & Exploring Top Budapest Attractions
Walking tours are popular in Europe. Your guide takes your group on a long walk to see the major sites in the city. It’s a great way to learn first-hand about what you’re looking at, instead of merely strolling along. You can go on free walking tours which don’t have a set price (because they’re free), but everyone tips the guide at the end. Or you can reserve a spot on a paid one.
5 Best Budapest Walking Tours
I’d recommend a walking tour, but there are other options. Tourist companies offer bike tours (the city is very bicycle friendly) and bus tours as well. Walking lets you take a slower pace along pedestrian trails, resulting in a deeper experience. However, alternative methods are available. These tour groups gather at the main sites. If you head for the Parliament Building or St. Stephen’s Basilica, you’ll find them, or more likely, they’ll find you.
5 Top Budapest Attractions
Whichever tour you choose, you’ll want to cover the top attractions in Budapest:
- Hungarian Parliament Building
- St. Stephen’s Basilica
- Buda Castle
- Fisherman’s Bastion
- Matthias Church
During the tour, you’ll cross one of the bridges over the Danube river to the Buda side. This will most likely be the Szechenyi Chain Bridge, which is the cool one. You’ll get a taste of the old city when you climb up to the Fisherman’s Bastion and Buda Castle. Many walking tours end on the Buda side. This is the perfect opportunity to spend more time in the old city.
There are plenty of dining options at cafes along the riverfront. Enjoy a delicious meal and rest your feet. If you’re up for more walking, you could climb Gellert Hill to reach the Liberty Statue, a war memorial that offers incredible city views.
If not, Buda has museums for everyone. The Fairy Tale Museum, The House of Houdini, Hospital in the Rock Museum, and the Labyrinth underneath Castle Hill. You don’t have to go far to find something interesting in Budapest. I know that was a lot of walking, so the next two days will be more leisurely!
Day 2: Visiting Budapest's Central Market Hall Area & Going on a River Cruise
Go ahead and sleep in, you’ve earned it. For lunch, head South to the Central Market Hall. This neo-gothic hall houses a sprawling marketplace for local farmers, restaurants, and souvenirs. It’s one of the must-see places in Budapest. They have everything from pastries and cured meats to traditional Hungarian dishes. If you want to “eat the world” and sample local cuisine, there’s no better place to try some of everything.
Afterward, you could burn some calories by climbing Gellert Hill to the Liberty Statue if you skipped that yesterday. It’s just across the bridge from the Market Hall. Otherwise, why not stay on the Pest side and visit the Hungarian National Museum, which is down the street. The museum grounds have pathways, statues, and fountains. Inside, see cultural artifacts from hundreds of years of history.
Tonight, make plans to take a river cruise up and down the Danube. You see, in Budapest, the major attractions are illuminated at night. Remember the Parliament Building and Buda Castle from yesterday? They look even more impressive at night.
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3 Best Budapest River Cruise Options
The river is packed with boats, many of which run in the early evening. Some offer full dinner service as they glide along. Others are more of an empty-deck sightseeing affair. For specific boat recommendations, check with your lodgings or any of the tourist information kiosks in the city. You’ll want to bring a sweater or jacket though since it’s colder on the water. Get ready to practice some night photography!
Day 3: Exploring Budapest's Best City Park: Margaret Island & Relaxing in Szechenyi Thermal Baths
Ok, it’s time for a break. Let’s head to Margaret Island. I’ve seen some of the world and I can assure you there’s no better city park than Margaret Island in Budapest.
8 Top Margaret Island Attractions in Budapest
This 238-acre island sits in the Danube River, between Buda and Pest. You could walk/bike/ride to the Southern end as you cross the Margaret Bridge. Even on an island, you have options:
- Music Fountain (near Margaret Bridge, best in summer)
- Small Zoo
- Centennial Memorial
- Japanese Garden and Fish Pond
- Water Tower (protected UNESCO site)
- Botanical Gardens
- Open-air Theater
- Health Spa
Wander through the rose garden and enjoy the tranquil park and thousands of flowers. Explore the ruins of a 13th-century Franciscan Monastery. Get takeout lunch from one of the restaurants on the island and have a picnic (and a nap) in the open park grounds. If you still aren’t relaxed enough, you could visit the thermal health spa at the Northern end of Margaret Island. But the good baths are not too far away on the Pest side.
Szechenyi Thermal Bath is the place you want to go. Budapest has a lot of thermal springs, but this is the famous one. This grand spa has indoor and outdoor pools, each with a temperature sign so you know how hot (or cold) the water is. Get something to eat and relax poolside. Or sweat it out in the hot sauna before immediately jumping into the cold pool for the biggest shock of your life.
While you’re at Szechenyi, look around the area. The thermal baths are nestled in another large park. The Heroes’ Square, Vajdahunyad Castle, and Jaki Chapel are all worth a visit. Even without a tour guide, the ornate architecture is stunning.
Wrapping Up Your Budapest Visit & Ideas for More
You did it! Three days well spent in this amazing European city. You saw the sights, explored the old city, relaxed on Margaret Island, and turned to jelly in the thermal baths. Budapest might have a reputation as a party city. But there are plenty of family-friendly activities here as well.
In fact, why not stay a bit longer? After all, you still haven’t seen the Hungarian State Opera or the Nyugati train station (home of the nicest McDonald’s in the world). Go ahead and change your flight, the rest of the world will still be there in another week!
Additional Trip Planning Resources
To further help you with travel planning, I share my go-to resources for every trip below.
Google Flights. My first research stop for affordable flights for every trip. Learn why here.
Google Hotels. Use its “Where to stay” button to discover the best neighborhoods to base your visit.
Booking.com. For hotel and rental bookings, I appreciate its flexible cancellation, candid user reviews, discounts, loyalty program, and easy-to-use interface.
Viator, Get Your Guide, & Airbnb Experiences. Quickly find and book highly-rated tours and activities on these sites.
Google Travel Things to Do & Google Maps. Find more things to do in your destination on Google Travel, then record where you want to visit on a custom Google Maps list.
AllTrails. Love to hike? Me too. I religiously use AllTrails to discover hiking and biking trails and download its offline maps to manage my hikes.
Guide Along. 5-star self-guided audio tours that are GPS-compatible for US road trips and national parks. We loved the Glacier National Park tour.
Insure My Trip. I never travel internationally without trip insurance. Learn why here. My preferred place to shop and compare policies is InsureMyTrip.com.
Plus, check out the 15 travel apps I use on trips, my preferred guidebooks, and my free customizable travel itinerary template, downloadable in four file formats.
About the author: Janice Moskoff is a travel writer and blogger who loves hiking, exploring the world, and reading. She writes to inspire travel-loving families, adult friends, and couples on her blog, Gather and Go Travel. Check out her bio, learn how she became a blogger, and discover how to work with her. Sign up for her monthly Discovery Newsletter to get her latest travel recommendations and how-to’s.
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Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I only recommend products and companies I use. And the income goes to keeping the site community-supported and ads minimal.
Welcome to Gather and Go Travel, a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, an experienced traveler to over 50 countries and a travel writer, book lover, and blogger. Learn more about me, read our story, and how to work with me.
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