Budapest: 48 Perfect Hours In Europe’s Most Underrated City

It began with a challenge. Excitedly wielding its brand new app aloft, Booking.com suggested a member of the UK’s Yahoo Travel team head to an undisclosed European city to try out its last-minute booking app Booking Now.

That (obviously) sounded like a fantastic idea to us. Booking.com even loaned us an Apple Watch so we could reserve our room right from the wrist (and it was a sad day that we had to give that baby back).

Spontaneous travel is on the up and with everyone in possession of a variety of devices, last minute trips and late deals are an increasingly standard way to travel.

Modern travellers’ attention spans are too short to warrant hours of research and Millennial wanderlusters are so spoiled by the international tourism industry that spur of the moment city breaks, holidays and trips don’t phase us in the slightest.

Already landed and haven’t picked a hotel? No problem! Pretty much all we had to do was tap twice and we were there.

We put in our budget preferences beforehand, so when we arrived in Budapest all we had to do was look at our watch to see nearby hotels and hostels that had spaces available within our price range. Perfect for off the cuff trips.

Waking up with a gigantic hangover somewhere in Europe will never be the same again.

48 Hours Before Departure

A mystery suitcase arrived at Yahoo UK revealing we would be heading to Budapest in two days time. We couldn’t wait.

Armed with just the app, plane tickets and a Point of View Pole (selfie stick to you and me) it was our challenge to put the new app through its paces, and have some last minute fun in Hungary’s capital.

And Budapest was more than up to the challenge.

Stay: Centrally in Pest. It’s the younger, more vibrant side of the river where you can find the Ruin Bars (more on those later), many of the city’s sights, Europe’s biggest thermal baths complex and it’s cheaper than Buda (where, for example, you can find the Hilton).

We chose Boheme Art Hotel, a short walk from the river, and it came complete with hanging chains and bizarre wall murals. Sexy, in an Eastern Bloc sorta way. But regardless, it’s worth staying for the breakfast that runs until noon and has bottomless (Hungarian) bubbly.

Drink the wine: Hungarian wine has taken a while to come of age but that time is now. One of the great things about Budapest is that eating, drinking and entertaining yourself is super affordable, with glasses of wine and pints of beer going for less than £2.

But if you’re a wine fan, you can get a seriously high quality bottle of domestic wine for the same price as a very average imported French in the UK – say around £20 – so splash out.

Don’t miss: The Faust wine cellar, a natural cave located (though not affiliated) at the bottom of the Hilton Hotel.  Just head inside and ask at the desk for directions. But book ahead. We were really lucky to be able to sit and have a drink between tastings but it’s a very small place and popular so if you haven’t booked your slot on a wine tasting session it’s likely you’ll be (politely) turned away. The couple who run the place have been there for just over five years and have a huge breadth of knowledge about Hungarian wine, regions and producers.

We also had a lovely bottle over dinner at BorLaBor Etterem.

Go swimming: There are several bath complexes that make use of the natural thermal waters around this spa city. We loved both the Gellert, on the banks of the river, and the Széchenyi Thermal Baths, by Heroes’ Square. Both are easy to get to on the Metro system and have a variety of different temperature pools inside and out. The Gellert is smaller but has incredible buildings and a fantastic outdoor pool, though the Széchenyi seems to be the local favourite with Hungarian men sitting in the hot outdoor pool playing chess. If you have to pick we’d probably recommend that one.

It’s amazing how just going swimming can feel like a cultural activity, and don’t worry, you can borrow everything – including swimwear – from the baths. (You can also bring your own.)

Cruise: The best way to take in the nighttime glittering beauty of Budapest is from the Danube. Take a Legenda cruise up and down the river (from dock 7, on the Pest side, between the white Elizabeth Bridge and the iconic Chain Bridge). It comes with a drink and a headset that gives you the story of the city and tells you what each of the lit-up buildings on the banks are.

Get Ruined: The ruin bars in the old Jewish Quarter in Pest are as cool as they sound. Their ramshackle appearance, in old warehouses, shops and courtyards, hides great food choices, delicious budget-friendly cocktails, shishas that you can smoke while sitting inside a converted Cold War Morris Minor-style car, music blaring from one room to quieter corners you can sit and chat all night long.

We were directed to probably the most famous – Szimpla Kert on Kazinczy St (where you can find the Morris Minor) and it totally lived up to the hype, packed but not heaving, with everyone from local students to British stag groups (fortunately fairly well behaved on this occasion!).

There’s a fun mix of loud, dancey areas and quieter, chatting areas, so ideal for everyone.

If there’s a line, or you want to explore more, just wander the area and you’ll find somewhere fun, it’s really that easy.

What to eat? In the 10 years since my last visit to Budapest the quality of the food has increased unbelievably. Though it’s still no foodie capital, we had several solidly good and enjoyable meals – (made all the better by being incredibly good value).

Food is what you’d expect from Central Europe – hearty meats, potatoes and dumplings, with pates, cheese and even pizza thrown in.

Try the street food around the ruin bars for a laid back meal including burgers, chips and other standard city fair, or for more of a formal sit down head to Pesti Disznó, Laci Konyha or Gerlóczy kávéház.

History: Budapest, and Hungary’s recovery from its recent history has been a long struggle and though it’s perfectly possible to enjoy the beauty of the city, the value of its products and its fantastic nightlife without the background, to get a real picture of the place, you need to delve a little into its past behind the Iron Curtain.

The best place to get a sense of the extremity of the horrors that the people experienced is to head to the museum-come-memorial House of Terror. It’s a hard couple of hours but a striking, informative and chilling reminder of the horrors that happened in the not too distant past.

Find it by taking the Metro line 1 (yellow) to Kodály körönd and walk a few minutes back on yourself. Recover by walking up to Hero’s Square and picnicking in the park behind.

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