3 days in Budapest – Itinerary

Planning a city break in Budapest? Here’s a detailed itinerary with the best things to do, where to go, what to see and how to make the most of your 3 days in Budapest.

In the 19th century, two cities were combined to form Budapest – Buda on the west side and Pest on the east side of the mighty Danube river. And they still have peculiar characteristics which make them quite different to each other. Buda is the hilly, historic, more upscale residential area while Pest is the flat-land, modern, commercial area. Generally speaking, it is better to stay in a hotel on the Pest side because that’s where all the action is while Buda goes completely quiet after dark.

Budapest is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and is quite up there in terms of tourism. My first introduction to Eastern Europe was through Prague and I must say that on surface, Prague is certainly a beautiful, beautiful city. While walking the streets of Pest, I did not find Budapest as pretty as Prague. It does look a bit grubby and is definitely more of a city – living, working, functional city. However, Budapest has more places to see and things to do. Monuments and buildings that are so stunning from inside, you would not want to leave!

So here’s how I spent 3 days in Budapest!

Day 1

We started our day by visiting the St Stephen’s Basilica. Undoubtedly a beautiful building from outside, the interiors of the basilica are stunning beyond imagination. I was awestruck already, not knowing that this was just the preview of all the Budapest grandeur I was yet to see.

Then we walked towards the Danube to see the The Princess Statue.

Later we walked the length of the Andrassy Avenue – Budapest’s very own Champs-Élysées. This is a wide tree-lined avenue where all the luxury shops are located, as well as the Opera and House of Terror museum. At the far end of the avenue is the Heroes Square, one of the major squares in Budapest.

Later that night, we went to Szimpla Kert – the pioneer ruin pub in Budapest. An abandoned building with random maze of rooms filled with as-random-as-it-can-get objects, Szimpla is one of the top night out spots and a completely eccentric and whacky place. We had a fantastic time here!

Day 2

We started our second day by walking up the Castle Hill. There is also an option to take a funicular ride. Castle Hill is a World Heritage Site and its cobbled courtyards are open to the public, free of cost.

Having soaked in the views of both Pest and Buda side and also having seen the remnants of the medieval walls, we then walked towards the Matthias Church. The tall spire is visible from a distance like a beacon and once we saw the several colourful diamond-shaped roof tiles – we knew we had arrived. You can go inside the church for a fee, but we gave it a skip. Instead, we headed for the Fisherman’s Bastion. Built for decorative purposes, it has 7 towers representing the 7 tribes of earliest Hungarian settlers. The arcades offer sweeping views of the city, especially the Parliament building.

After clicking an insane amount of pictures, we went to the historic Ruszwurm cafe, just a hop, skip and jump away. It started way back in 1827 and is as authentic as it can get. Don’t miss this!

It was now time to go up the Gellert Hill. Turned out to be quite an uphill climb! Needed a bit of an exercise after eating the cake at Ruszwurm, I guess. Again, we saw beautiful city-scape views and the stunning Liberty Bridge. We climbed all the way up to Liberty Statue and the Citadella and then climbed down again.

Our original plan was to try one of the thermal baths that Budapest is so famous for. However, exhausted after all that walking, I ended my day with a relaxing massage at the Royal Spa at the Corinthia Hotel. One of the best hotels I have stayed at, this (formerly, the Grand Royal hotel) is said to have inspired Wes Anderson’s 2014 movie The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Day 3

The third day sight-seeing started with Dohány Street Synagogue. It is the largest in Europe and is located at the edge of the Budapest Ghetto – a place where Jews were forced to live during the Second World War. Following the siege, over 2000 were buried in mass graves in the garden in the same premises.

Then we headed to the Parliament building – probably the most iconic landmark in Budapest. I was flabbergasted by how grand and glittery it was from inside. In this case, all that glitters is gold indeed.

The room which holds the Crown Jewel was the most beautiful of it all. That ceiling under the central dome is stunning beyond words. Photography was not allowed in that room but the memory of it is imprinted in my mind forever.

Just outside the Parliament, is the Shoes on the Danube memorial. It is in the honour of Jews who were ordered to take off their shoes and shot into the river. The most poignant memorial ever!

On our last night in Budapest, we decided to stroll along the Danube after dinner. It was quite romantic, I must say. The best way to end our superb holiday in Budapest!

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I hope you enjoyed my post on how to spend 3 days in Budapest. Have you been to Budapest? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you 🙂

Cheers,
Ameeta xx