Aerial view over Gellert Hill and the Liberty Statue towards Elisabeth Bridge and the Danube curving through Budapest

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BudapestTravel Guide

Hungary5 stories

Budapest sits on a geological fault that pushes over a hundred thermal springs to the surface, and the city has been bathing in them since Roman Aquincum. Ottoman pashas built domed bathhouses in the sixteenth century; the Habsburg era added neo-baroque palaces of steam. The result is Europe's undisputed spa capital, where a soak in mineral water is not a luxury treatment but a weekly habit — chess games in the outdoor pool included.

When to come

April–June, September–October

What it costs

Cheap by regional standards — eating, sleeping and moving around all cost little.

What we've planned, and who for

No hour-by-hour route here yet — the guides below cover it by subject instead.

Budapest is inKind to a budget Deepest in Europe

When to go

April–June, September–October

Budget level

Budget

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with

Vienna, Austria210 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, June · a different price level (mid)
Krakow, Poland290 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in May, June, September
Zagreb, Croatia300 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, June · a different price level (mid)
Belgrade, Serbia320 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, June

Plan itWhere to stay in Budapestad · Booking.comTours and tickets

On the map

Finding Budapest

Open in Google Maps Larger map

The stories

Reading Budapest

The neo-Gothic Hungarian Parliament building on the Danube in Budapest under a dramatic pink evening sky, seen from the Buda side

Destinations

First Time in Budapest: Everything You Need to Know

Hungary · 2 min

Fisherman's Bastion in Budapest with its white turrets, the tiled roof of Matthias Church and the equestrian statue of St Stephen

The List

Budapest from above: the best viewpoints in the city, ranked

Hungary · 3 min

Planning

Budapest, place by place

Everything below is named in one of our own stories about Budapest. The line under each is the sentence that recommended it, and the link goes to the piece it came from.

Where to stay

The areas and addresses our writers put first

District VII
Budapest
The old Jewish Quarter is Budapest's engine room after dark — home of the famous ruin bars built into crumbling courtyards, along with hostels, apart-hotels and cheerful midrange properties.
Budapest stays for every budget: the areas that actually make sense Check prices

What to see

The things that justify the trip

Linda Gerbec
Szechenyi Thermal Bath
The icon, and still the best all-round experience.
The Best Thermal Baths in Budapest, Ranked See on the map
Luciani Koroshec
Gellert Thermal Bath
Attached to the Hotel Gellert at the foot of Gellert Hill, this 1918 Art Nouveau complex — turquoise Zsolnay tiles, stained glass, a column-lined indoor pool — is the most photogenic bath in the city.
The Best Thermal Baths in Budapest, Ranked See on the map
Rudas Baths
Budapest
The octagonal pool at Rudas, under a dome held on eight stone pillars, was built in the sixteenth century under Ottoman rule and feels it — shafts of light cutting through the steam.
The Best Thermal Baths in Budapest, Ranked See on the map
Lukacs Baths
Budapest
North of Margaret Bridge on the Buda side, Lukacs trades ornament for authenticity: writers, pensioners and lap swimmers, marble plaques from cured bathers on the courtyard wall, and drinking-cure fountains.
The Best Thermal Baths in Budapest, Ranked See on the map
Veli Bej Bath
Budapest
One of the city's oldest Turkish baths, dating to the sixteenth century and beautifully restored in the 2010s, Veli Bej in Buda pairs its original domed pool with modern saunas.
The Best Thermal Baths in Budapest, Ranked See on the map
Palatinus Baths
Budapest
On Margaret Island in the middle of the Danube, Palatinus is a sprawling lido — thermal pools alongside slides and a wave pool — that has been the city's warm-weather playground since 1919.
The Best Thermal Baths in Budapest, Ranked See on the map
Dandar Thermal Bath
Budapest
A small 1930s neighbourhood bath in district IX, Dandar offers proper thermal water at local prices with almost no tourists.
The Best Thermal Baths in Budapest, Ranked See on the map

Our picks

What we'd do in Budapest

See and do

The unmissables
The neo-Gothic Parliament building is best admired twice: from inside on a guided tour, and from across the river at night when it glows above the water.
Read: First Time in Budapest: Everything You Need to Know
Fisherman's Bastion
The fairy-tale terraces beside Matthias Church were built around 1900 purely for the view, and it shows: seven white turrets, arched galleries, and the Parliament sitting directly across the water like a stage set.
Read: Budapest from above: the best viewpoints in the city, ranked
Find tickets
Szechenyi Thermal Bath
The icon, and still the best all-round experience.
Read: The Best Thermal Baths in Budapest, Ranked
Find tickets
Margaret Island in the morning
The long green island in the middle of the Danube is Budapest's shared garden: a rubberised running track around its rim, medieval ruins, a Japanese garden and a musical fountain.
Read: The Quiet Corners of Budapest That Locals Love
Find tickets
Money matters
Prices are quoted in forints, and the sums look alarming until you do the maths.
Read: First Time in Budapest: Everything You Need to Know
Find tickets

Before you go

Practical essentials for Hungary

Money

Hungarian forint (HUF) — Hungary has not adopted the euro

Language

Hungarian; English is common in Budapest, much less so in the countryside

Power

Type C/F, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

Every Budapest metro line now takes a contactless bank card or phone tapped at the gate under BKK's Pay&GO scheme; for trams and buses buy tickets or a travelcard in the BudapestGO app.

Tipping

About 10% in restaurants, but check the bill first — many Budapest places already add a service charge of around 12.5% — and give the tip to the server rather than leaving it on the table.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink; in old buildings let the cold tap run a few seconds first.

Driving

Right-hand side; EU/EEA licences are valid as they are, other visitors should carry an International Driving Permit, and a motorway e-vignette is compulsory.

Emergency

112 (also 107 police, 104 ambulance, 105 fire)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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