After walking over 37k steps my first day in Budapest, I was ready for a slower, more relaxing Day 2.
A lesser known attraction in Budapest is Margaret Island, which sits nestled in the middle of the city and is super accessible! Students and locals frequent this island for its vibrant hostels and nightlife. From my hotel in Pest, it was super easy to get here via tram!
Day 2 Itinerary: Exploring islands & cafes
1. Margaret Island: Situated between the banks of the Danube River, the island is a great spot for a chill day. You can walk from one end of the island to the other end in 30-45 mins depending on your pace. Along the way, you can see various flower gardens and old convent ruins as well as a medieval Franciscan church. The island is actually named after a 13th century princess ‘Margit’ in Hungarian. She denied the Hungarian king’s order of marrying a neighboring king and was exiled to this island to devote herself to God and become a nun.
2. Central Market hall: After a leisurely nature-filled stroll through Margaret Island, I made it back to the central part of the city to do a little souvenir shopping here. The building that houses the market is beautiful, but the market is definitely not as impressive. I recommend just stopping here to pick up a few souvenirs such as magnets and having a quick look around. All the shops look similar once you walk past the first few options. There is a food court, but it is overpriced so I recommend eating at a nearby cafe instead.
3. Central grand Cafe & Bar: I stopped here for a post-dinner cocktail and I was not disappointed! This is an art nouveau cafe decorated with marble tables with a menu full of coffee, cocktails, cakes and Hungarian dishes. A professional pianist and violinist also play live music and the violinist randomly serenades people too! I had the BEST espresso martini of my life here with the secret ingredient—Unicum—a Hungarian herbal liqueur.
4. Ruin Bar #2 (Csendes Letterem- Vintage Bar & Cafe): I met up with my new friend at this quirky vintage ruin bar. This ruin bar used to be a grand coffeehouse during the days of the Austro-Hungarian empire (1867-1918). The current ruin bar decor features a random mixture of old furniture and has a laid-back but quirky vibe. You can try local Hungarian beers and liquor here too.
Day 3 Itinerary: Thermal baths, chimney cakes & City Park
I’m sure everyone that has traveled to Budapest or is looking into traveling there has heard about the infamous thermal baths. I decided my last day of Budapest would be left to explore at least one of these baths, eat a Hungarian chimney cake, and see what City Park had to offer.
1. Schezenyi Baths: Honestly, I don’t understand why these come so highly recommended. I felt like it was just a cesspool of older locals who were very comfortable flaunting their speedos hanging out in room temperature ‘thermal’ pools. I wanted to ensure that I visited every thermal pool before I formed an opinion, but the more pools I visited, the more my opinion worsened. The locker rooms were dirty and there were just too many crowds for you to truly enjoy the thermal pools. Granted I should have gone earlier rather than mid-day, but I honestly did not understand the hype. The admission ticket was also hefty- $30 USD. I have more fun at the Korean spas back at home in Houston 😉
That said, Budapest does have multiple thermal baths. I would recommend visiting the Rudas and/or Gellert baths, which I have heard are smaller and more enjoyable.
2. Explore City Park: Right behind the Schezenyi baths, you can find City Park, which houses Vajdahunyad Castle. It’s free to walk around the castle grounds and there’s a lake behind the castle that adds to the beautiful eeriness. The castle was built in 1896 for the Milennial Exhibition and definitely has Dracula-esque vibes. From what I have read about it, it’s similar to what you might see in actual Transylvania, Romania.
Heroe’s square is also nearby, which is a big plaza with statues of important historical figures just like you would find in any other European city!
3. St. Stephen’s Basilica: This is a Roman Catholic basilica named in honor of the first king of Hungary— St.Stephen. You can also see his mummified right hand, which was definitely interesting! I really enjoyed the beautiful interior of this basilica with its high ceiling domes. With the admission ticket (about $7-10), you can also take the elevator to the top and catch a panorama of the city. I visited around sunset and it was a gorgeous view!
4. Hungarian chimney cakes: Although the Czechs also sell this delicacy in Prague, apparently this dessert hails from Hungary. Throughout Budapest, you can find small shops selling these with all kinds of fillings with the most popular one being Nutella. On the outside, the chimney cakes are topped with a cinnamon sugar and made to order so they’re always crispy and fresh!
5. Anonymous Hungarian bar: My friend and I stopped at a local Hungarian pub because I wanted to try a shot of ‘palinka.’ This is a fruit brandy that can be found around stores in Hungary (as souvenirs) but is also popular in other Eastern Eastern countries. We knew we were out of place when heads turned as we walked in and the bartender spoke minimal English. It was enough to communicate that we wanted beer and then a shot of palinka (I chose peach!). The prices were super cheap ($2-3USD per drink). Experiences like these are ones that make travel unique—it was cool to see where the young, local population hangs out after dark!
Catching another glimpse of the Danube River at night concluded my time in Budapest. Overall, I loved my experiences here—from learning about Hungarian history to admiring the architecture, it’s a European city that should not be missed!
Solo Adventures: Budapest, Hungary– Read more here about my Day 1 in Budapest!
- Morocco: Sahara Desert & Todra Gorge
Sahara desert adventures: There were 15 people in my travel group and every one of us had decided on the trip to Morocco to escape grim winters in our home countries and… - Morocco: Chefchaouen, Volubilis and Fes
Ever since I visited Andalusia in Spain in 2022 and Turkey at the end of 2023, I have wanted to explore more of the Islamic world. The architecture, the languages, the friendly…
The Insightful Nomad 