What to do in Budapest ?

by Arjun

This beautiful Hungarian city is actually more than worth it for me. Well, I have a lot of reasons. A picturesque place with great nightlife, excellent food, natural beauty in abundance and of course how can I forgot this city is also called the city of spas and yes it deserves that. Let me share a few good reasons for why you should definitely visit this place.

Is Budapest really worth travelling?

So, I can say this city has something to offer all age groups. From kids to our parents and us. I travelled with a friend of mine to Budapest in April 2018. This city is so Instagram friendly. For you, Instagrammers of the day you can keep your camera handy. You will keep getting stuff for your stories and posts every couple of minutes.

Nightlife in Budapest, worth it or not?

So, if the question on mind is that, Is Budapest good for nightlife. I must say YES! At this point in time, I don’t know what kind of traveller you are and what will you be looking for. So, whether you want to party in thermal baths, or spending night hopping different ruin bars. I found Budapest’s nightlife little unique from other countries I have been to (Thailand, Vietnam, Dubai, USA, Spain, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Netherlands). The old Jewish area is party hub around weekends.

The place I liked the most is one of the ruin bars, Szimpla Kert. Though I have seen a lot of pubs and restaurants on ruined themes, this one is so true to its name. Ruin bars as the name suggests are based on the ruined idea, i.e. made out of ruin buildings, old scrap hanging upside down, cycles, old school computer monitors showing screensavers. I haven’t got much of pictures as it was dark in almost all the ruin bars I have visited. I must say, I am not that of a professional photographer. So, instead of ruining my experience while trying to capture that place in the lens, I would prefer to let Google and Instagram help.

For History buffs

If you are one of the history buffs, must say Budapest has a long and exciting history. You will more than love to know more about both Buda and pest. The best part is that most of the good things in Budapest comes for free, and so is the free walking tour(https://www.freetour.com/). I have taken some paid ones in some other European countries so I can say that this is no different, people from different geographies, super friendly guides, knowledgable and humble enough.

For me, treating your tastebuds is important…!

If you don’t know yet that Chimney cakes or kurtoskalacs are a Hungarian dessert. They are actually dough shaped into cylinder spirals, baked and then coated with powdered sugar, cinnamon. I found a small shop at the end of the street we stayed on, tried to have one almost every day. Nothing or even chimney cakes in your home or another country could beat these freshly baked desserts in their origin country. Below is the picture of the stall and the chimney cake as well.

I am a sweet tooth person, so dessert comes first for me. So, another one of their traditional favourites is deep-fried bread with sour cream and cheese on top. It is called Langos. They come in a lot of different variants, so feel free to experiment.

Now, what if I say that you can get it all in one place. No, not like the food court in some mall. But a place called KARAVÁN, it’s an old school food-truck court. You find a lot of options for local food as well as international cuisines if you don’t want to move away from your regional cuisines.

Another gem, one should definitely visit is Govinda. This is a place associated with Lord Krishna (Isckon Followers). I must say they serve one of the best amalgamations of Indian and western cuisines. The area is clean, food is hygienic, the atmosphere is so homely and comforting.

Last but not least, the best of the Budapest comes for free or very little cost. Be it walk to the top, from where the whole city skyline is visible. Be it walking tours, history is one important aspect to be aware of while visiting this city. Thermal baths are also what Budapest is famous for, even those aren’t very expensive. Or if not all, Unlock a bike beside the chain bridge and explore Budapest in an ad-hoc manner.

While in Budapest if you travel like an explorer, the money is going to slip away from your wallet very slowly. Believe me, it will leave you at a point where you will want to revisit this beautiful country like me.

You may also like