Budapest, with its thermal baths, ruin bars and cheap flights from the UK, is a well-known destination for a long weekend in Europe. But is it worth exploring in slower time? Can you stretch out a Budapest itinerary to seven days and is it worth visiting with the whole family?
To cut to the chase. Yes!
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It was a very happy accident that Budapest came up in my search for city breaks in Europe that would allow three generations of our family to spend some quality time together.
I spent most of a weekend scouring Skyscanner and various accommodation websites* for a destination that met our criteria.
This was going to be a multi-generational holiday with family members aged eight to 73. We wanted somewhere with plenty of accessible things to do, accommodation with four bedrooms that didn’t break the bank and reasonably priced flights from the UK and Oman where Mr Tin Box was flying in from (new here? We’re temporarily living in Oman).
Budapest offered it all and more.
Planning a city break in Budapest
I’m sharing our Budapest itinerary as inspiration for other families already interested in visiting Hungary. Or, like me, you may have found it pop up in a search for budget flights, and want to find out more about things to do in Budapest.
Here’s some more information to help you plan your own Budapest itinerary:
Flights from the UK
We got return tickets for £236 per person with WIZZ Air from Gatwick. This was discounted because we booked a family fare and joined the WIZZ Discount Club.
Even if you’re not a regular flyer with WIZZ its worth checking if using these will save you some money.
The flight took two and a half hours.
Currency in Budapest
Hungary is in the EU but the currency is the forint or HUF. We didn’t actually buy any currency while we were in Budapest. Cards are accepted everywhere.
There was roughly 450 HUF to £1 when we visited. Check the latest exchange rate.
Tips for visiting Budapest
If you’re planning a similar trip to Budapest then let me offer you some tips:
- Budapest has a great public transport system but with eight of us travelling around the city Bolt taxis offered more value for money. It’s just like Uber. Download the app before you travel.
- Bring something to cover your shoulders if you are visiting places of worship.
- If you want to visit a thermal bath bring your own towels to save money on buying or renting one. Swim hats might also be required.
- Pack a travel adaptor* – Hungary uses type C/F plug sockets – they’re the ones with two round pins.
- Don’t forget your sun cream and hat – this isn’t a beach holiday destination but if you’re visiting baths and walking around the city you will need sun protection. It was scorchingly hot when we visited in July.
A bit about Budapest
I have to admit I knew very little about Budapest before starting to plan our itinerary so I did what I often do and bought a guide book.
My goto Lonely Planet guide to Budapest* was out of stock (it was reprinted just after our trip) so instead I bought the DK Eyewitness Budapest guide*, which turned out to be a good alternative.
It includes chapters with suggested Budapest itineraries based on different interests as well as what you’ll find in each of the city’s distinctive districts. There are also handy fold out maps.
People have lived in the area that is now Hungary’s capital since the 4th century. In fact, Budapest was once three historic cities, Buda, Óbuda and Pest, located on opposite sides of the Danube River.
Today you’ll still hear people talking about Buda and Pest when describing the location of key attractions and places.
Pest on the east bank is very flat and is where you’ll find parks, bustling cafes and the famous Ruin Bars.
In hilly Buda you can explore the medieval side of Budapest with its castle, bastion and natural vantage points across the flatter half of the city.
Budapest is a city full of history and architectural delights. But there’s also telltale signs of Hungary’s rough ride through the 20th Century.
It was governed by Germany during the Second World War and then by Russia until 1991. Both regimes, Nazi and Communist ruled the people thorough fear and invested very little in the country’s infrastructure.
We got glimpses into what Communist rule was like during our stay, as well as appreciating the creative way the city has been reborn in the 21st Century.
Our Budapest itinerary
So what did we fit into our 7 days in Budapest? I asked my followers on Facebook and Instagram to share their recommendations and was sent a long list of ideas that more than covered our week in Hungary’s capital.
Most places we visited were a hit. But there were a few that didn’t work for us. We also made our own mistakes. I’m sharing all of these to help you create an itinerary that suits you.
Here’s a map of all the places I mention in this post:
So here’s a break down of our Budapest itinerary including family-friendly places to visit, history, foodie-musts and even a couple of bars:
Day one in Budapest
We arrived in Budapest mid-afternoon, landing on flights from the UK and Oman to share a week with Mr Tin Box, his parents and their friends.
Our first evening was spent filling the cupboards in our South Pest apartment and catching up over a few local beers.
Hanging out a the cafes below our apartment was a delightfully chilled way to kick off our Budapest holiday and plan our activities.
Day two in Budapest
The next morning we decided to explore on foot and end up clocking up 18,270 steps/8.5 miles – not bad going for a multi-generational group covering seven decades!
Aside from having a long list of places we wanted to see we didn’t have a firm plan for day one except for an evening cruise on the Danube*, and it worked perfectly. Budapest is a very easy city to get around.
We followed our noses and found the bustling Central Market Hall, Gellért thermal spring, the Cave Church and a few excellent cafes.
Central Market Hall
Central Market Hall is a huge covered shopping hub for locals and tourists alike. There are three levels.
The butchers and fish stalls are in the basement while the fruit and veg, Hungarian honey, paprika, cheeses and cooked meats are on the ground floor.
Above on a network of balconies you can find souvenirs ranging from leather goods to Russian dolls and lace. There’s also independent restaurants and street food stalls selling deep fried Lángos bread smothered in cheese, goulash and noodles, sausages and paprika-rich stews.
We didn’t get to try these out as they were super busy. Get to the market early if you want to bag a table or stool.
Gellért thermal spring
After the market we decided to cross the Danube to the Buda side of the city using the green Szabadság (Liberty) suspension bridge. This takes you to the base of Gellért Hill.
You can’t help but notice the stunning facade of the Gellért Hotel just to the left. It opened in 1918 and hosted its fair share of celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton who stayed while filming in the city.
The hotel is currently being renovated (due to reopen in 2027) but you can still appreciate the external Art Nouveau architecture and book a day in the thermal baths.
The Gellért Baths are apparently some of the most beautiful in Budapest and, more interestingly for kids, there is a wave pool.
You don’t need to visit the baths for a glimpse of the thermal spring. It also feeds the fountain at the front of the hotel.
Budapest’s Cave Church
Our next stop was the Cave Church in Gellért Hill. This is said to have been the home of a hermit monk and was later looked after by an order of monks. They didn’t fare well under the Communists and the cave was boarded up until the late 1980s.
The cave was not as old as we thought it might be. It was actually built in the 1920s. Most of the walls are covered in sprayed cement but there are some interesting statues inside.
It costs 1,000 HUF (a few pounds) to go in so it isn’t bad value. Kids aged 10 and under can visit for free.
But there are more impressive churches to visit in Budapest as we found over the coming days.
If you fancy a look, check the church’s website for mass times as tourists aren’t permitted at these times.
Danube River Cruise
You can’t visit Budapest without taking a trip down the river that flows through the city.
I booked us all on a sunset Danube River cruise so we could see the city lit up while still aiming to get the kids back to our apartment for an early-ish night.
There are a lot of companies to choose from. As I wasn’t quite sure where to start I booked through Get Your Guide*.
I thought I’d found a bit of a bargain – a 70 minute cruise for £10 per head. But it turns out there was no commentary (I should have read the small print). So we are just sailing up and down the Danube without knowing what we were looking at.
Mr Tin Box saved the day by getting out his phone and using Google to find out about the buildings we were sailing past.
I’d recommend getting a more expensive cruise so you have some commentary and avoid hen stag parties which tend to board around sunset.
Day three in Budapest
Day two of our Budapest city break was one of contrasts: relaxation and raw history.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
We began by booking a couple of Bolt taxis to Széchenyi Thermal Bath* in City Park.
Széchenyi was built in the early 20th Century and is Budapest’s biggest bath complex as well as being the largest in Europe.
Children under 14-years-old are only allowed in its outdoor pools (although there’s no reduced rate for them). There’s a warm pool and a hot pool they can go in at either end of the oval outdoor area with a lane swimming pool in the middle.
The girls spent a few hours going round the lazy river and blasting themselves with water jets. They both said this was their favourite place in Budapest.
The rest of us took it in turns to visit the indoor baths with pool temperatures ranging from a chilly 20°c to a toasty 38°c. There’s also steam rooms.
I will add that we did see a few children in the indoor pools, so the over 14s rule isn’t strictly enforced.
Some information and tips for visiting Széchenyi Thermal Baths:
- Entry is cheaper on week days.
- We arrived not long after the baths opened on a Sunday morning and the queues weren’t too long but it was already busy inside.
- If you visit in the school holidays you might want to pay extra for fast track tickets with a cabin. This is a small lockable changing room on the same level as the outdoor pools.
- Save money by bringing your own towel. You can’t rent them at the baths. They are only available to buy. You can also purchase slippers, swim hats and bathrobes if you have forgotten your own.
- Wear whatever swimwear you are comfortable in. There’s no dress code but going topless is a no-no for women.
- The standard locker rooms are communal, although there is a separate men’s and women’s wing with showers and free wristband operated lockers.
- Sun beds are available on a first come first served even if you upgrade to a fast pass.
- You’ll need a swim hat if you want to use the lane pool.
- There is somewhere you can buy food and drinks in the baths (we didn’t use it) but you can save yourselves some money by bringing a picnic.
- If you want to add to your experience you can book a massage or even have a plunge in a beer spa.
- Don’t forget your sun block and hat. It’s easy to get burnt here as there’s very little shade.
Check the full price list.
City Park and Heroes Square
After our fun dip at the baths we walked though City Park – an area worth much more investigation. There’s cafes and places to picnic, playgrounds, a balloon ride, a circus and a zoo.
We came back to visit the zoo later in the week.
From the park we headed to Heroes Square. This is where you can see statues dedicated to the leaders of the seven tribes who founded Hungary. They all look pretty fearsome. There’s also a column with the Archangel Gabriel stood on top.
The square is in the middle of a huge roundabout, so be careful crossing to it.
Next we continued on south west to our final, darker stop of the day.
House of Terror Museum
We’d been in two minds about taking the girls to the House of Horror – Budapest’s memorial to the victims of the 20th Century fascist and communist regimes.
But by the time we’d walked a mile from Heroes Square in the 35°C heat they were done.
They hopped in a taxi back to our apartment with the grandparents while we stepped inside the building once used to interrogate, torture and murder anyone seen as an enemy of the totalitarian estate.
The House of Terror is chilling. But it is so well done. Pictures aren’t allowed inside so you’ll have to take my word for it.
It was once the headquarters of the Hungarian Secret Police both under the pro-Nazi and later the Communist regimes.
You tour the upper floors of the building learning through multi-media displays and recreated rooms how Hungary and its people went from being controlled by the Nazis in the 1940s to being occupied by the Russians until 1991.
Then you descend into the basement where political prisoners were kept during their ordeal. Thousands never left this building, while hundreds of thousands were sent to the gulag in Russia.
I’m glad the kids didn’t come. They’d not have had the patience to absorb all the information and many parts were very dark.
There is information in Hungarian and English as well as a free app to guide you around the museum. We spent 1.5 hours looking around – well worth it but my goodness humans can be hideous to each other!
The House of Terror is open Tuesday to Sunday. Tickets cost 4,000 HUF (£8.70) when we visited and can only be purchased at the museum.
Day four in Budapest
Our third day in Budapest involved a bit less ‘whoa’ and a lot more ‘wow’ as we crossed back to the Buda side of the city to appreciate views from Castle Hill.
Buda Castle
Rather than drive to the top of Castle Hill we asked our Bolt taxi driver to drop was at the bottom so we could ascend using the riverside funicular.
The Budapest Funicular, also known as the Budavari Siklo, reminded me of the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway back home in Devon. But rather than being powered by water, Buda’s version runs on electricity.
It was originally built in 1870 but was damaged during the Second World War and dismantled. It reopened in 1986 to whisk visitors 51 meters to the top of the hill in just a few minutes.
At the end of your ride you disembark outside the grounds of Buda Castle, which is actually more of a palace.
There has been a castle and town overlooking the Danube since the 13th Century with various re-organisations led by the leaders of the day.
The palace on the hill today was originally built in the 18th Century and reconstructed after being damaged during the Second World War.
It’s no longer a royal residence but it is home to Hungary’s history museum and national gallery.
We missed out on seeing inside as Buda Castle is closed on Mondays, but we still got to walk along the walls and through the courtyards for the most spectacular views of the city.
It was a super hot day so we didn’t linger too long but bought some ice creams and cold drinks from the cafe at the front of the castle.
If you have more time you can take a explore the network of caves* under the castle or talk a walking tour*.
Matthias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion
If you’ve made it to the top of Castle Hill you should also visit Matthias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion.
Over the centuries, the spectacular Matthias Church has gone from being a church to a mosque and then back to a church. It’s patterned tile roof and gothic spires were added during its last transformation.
If you have time we recommend buying tickets to see inside too. You can get these from the kiosks across the square rather than the church entrance.
A ticket to enter the church for a family of two adults and up to six children cost 6,900 HUF (about £15) when we visited. Tickets for the tower are sold separately.
After the visiting the beautiful Mathias Church and descend from the Fisherman’s Bastion.
The Bastion was built in the 19th Century and dedicated to the fisherman who used to sell their catch in the square. It’s another great spot to enjoy views of the Hungarian Parliament building and Danube.
You can buy tickets to see some of the upper towers of the Bastion but much of it can be looked around for free.
20th and 21st Century Budapest
In the afternoon our group split up to see two totally different sides to Budapest.
The girls headed to the Westend Mall for a bit of retail therapy while the guys hopped on a vintage jeep* to explore some of Hungary’s Communist military history.
The key to successful multi-generational trips is definitely to get the right balance between shared experiences and feeding individual interests. And when our kids are involved, it pays to get off the tourist trail for a bit.
Day five in Budapest
Half way into our trip we decided to have a lazy morning to recover from the legwork over the previous three days.
We ate breakfast at one of the cafes on the street below our apartment and said goodbye to one quarter of our group who had come for a long weekend.
In the afternoon we grabbed a large Bolt – handily you can get seven seaters – for a trip back to City Park.
Budapest Zoo
I know zoos aren’t everyone’s cup of tea and I admit that seeing elephants in the wild in Sri Lanka has taken the shine off seeing captive animals for me. But if you or your kids love animals then Budapest Zoo is great value for money.
In terms of ethics, it is a member of both EAZA (the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) and WAZA (the World Association for Zoos and Aquariums) committing it to high standards of animal welfare and conservation.
Budapest Zoo was established in 1866 making it one of the oldest zoos in the world. It is home to more than 1,000 species including otters, leopards, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, Indian elephants and more mini beasts than we could possibly count.
We also saw the zoo’s polar bear. This felt a bit uncomfortable because the weather was so hot.
The zoo is a big family attraction but we were really impressed by the price. It cost less than £50 for two adults, two OAPs and two kids.
There are frequent cafes serving beer (a first for us in a zoo) and Lángos.
If you’ve visiting Budapest with kids and want a segway from the history, the zoo is a good way to break up your trip. We filled a whole afternoon here.
Day six in Budapest
On day five we stayed relatively close to our apartment and explored the Parliament area and Jewish Quarter. But we still clocked up 15,000 steps. There were shady parks and water features along the way to keep us cool too.
Hungary’s Parliament building
Budapest Parliament building is modelled on London’s but was built slightly bigger. It is the largest building in Hungary and the tallest in Budapest.
Around parliament you can see lots of statues. Most are not very old as the originals were replaced by the Russians and then changed again after the fall of Communism.
It was another hot day when we visited so we were relieved to find sprinklers in the space outside the parliament building. These offered massive relief from the heat.
The shoe memorial on the Danube
On the other side of the Parliament building is a memorial to the Jewish people who are murdered on the banks of the Danube between 1944 and 1945.
The scattered iron shoes of all sizes represent the ones victims were told to take off before they were shot and fell into the river. Shoes were the only thing saved as they were a valuable commodity.
This is a simple but very moving memorial that allowed us to talk to the kids about what happened in a way that was age appropriate.
Here’s some more about the memorial and what happened here less than 100 years ago.
Liberty Square
From Parliament we walked south and through more areas dedicated to Hungary’s 20th Century history.
Liberty Square (some times called Freedom Square) contains several points of interest as well as space for children to play.
The first figure we came across was a statue of US President Ronald Reagan. He earned his place in Budapest for helping to bring about the end of the Cold War, which led to Hungary’s independence form the Soviet Union.
In the same square, behind a semi-circle of trees, is a memorial to the Russian soldiers who died while liberating Hungary from the Nazis at the end of the Second World War.
There’s a cafe, gardens and another water feature in Freedom Square making this a nice place to pause for a coffee break.
St Stephen’s Basilica
We continued southwards to St Stephen’s Basilica – Hungary’s most prominent Catholic Church.
St Stephen’s is worth a visit for several reasons: the interior is spectacular; it has its own piece of Horrible Histories – the mummified right arm of St Stephen’s (King István); and you can climb all the way to the roof for more brilliant views of Budapest.
There are 304 sets up to the panoramic view platform. If you don’t fancy that there’s also a lift that takes you top to the final staircase which leaves just 42 steps. It is narrow so you may have to wait for people to pass if it’s a busy day.
There are toilets on the levels where the lift stops.
Part way down the tower you can stop at the treasury for a breather and to ogle a bejewelled collection of crowns, candelabras and statues.
You can get tickets for St Stephen’s just across the square. A family ticket (two adults and two children) for the main church, panoramic view and treasury cost 17,400 HUF (about £38) when we visited.
Not far from the church we treated the girls to a cone from Gelato Rosa.
Budapest Eye
Fuelled by gelato, and a chimney cake for us adults, we were able to make a final push to the inner city district for a spin around the Budapest Eye.
Also known as, The Ferris Wheel of Budapest, it is the largest mobile ferris wheel in Europe, but it still isn’t as tall as Budapest Parliament or St Stephen’s Basilica.
There was no queue when we visited, so we opted for the standard tickets, which cost 4,300 HUF for adults (about £10) and 2,300 HUF for children (about £5). This got us three spins.
You can upgrade for priority queuing if you’re in a hurry on a busy day or a champagne package if you’re feeling fancy.
At this point the girls called it a day and grabbed a Bolt back to our apartment with Nana.
Ruin Bars
But the afternoon was young and we knew we weren’t too far from the historic Jewish Quarter’s Ruin Bars. So the three of us still standing decided to go can check out some of Pest’s famous hospitality.
The Ruin Bars have taken over buildings that were left abandoned following the Second World War. They were once homes and work places for the Jewish community that found itself persecuted under Hungary’s Nazi and Communist regimes.
Today they are an electric mix of establishments with beer gardens, clubs and live music venues set in buildings that strike a balance between being restored enough that they won’t fall down and carefree Bohemian design that leaves you convinced they still might.
If you enjoy a bar crawl there’s plenty to get around.
Opt for local drinks for the best prices and look out for happy hours. Having spent six months paying bar prices in Oman (think more expensive than central London), we thought Budapest was super cheap in comparison.
Day seven in Budapest
Our last full day was spent exploring the National Museum, which was a 10 minute walk from our apartment in Southern Pest, and then revisiting the Grand Central Market for a few souvenirs.
Hungarian National Musuem
The National Museum covers the history of the Carpathian Basin and what is now Hungary from the Stone Age through to modern times.
Exhibitions include hoards of bronze, silver and gold, porcelain from the Austo-Hungarian royal household and displays about the Fascist and Communist occupations of the 20th Century.
The Museum tells the story of this turbulent period in a less brutal way than the House of Terror we visited earlier in the week.
We spent two hours looking around and bailed when the kids ran out of steam. We were getting to the end of a busy week and they didn’t have as much patience as was needed for a museum with less interactive ways to access information.
I feel we could have spent a lot longer here if we’d arrived at the start of the week when the kids were less tired.
If they’d been a bit smaller we’d have probably stopped at the cute play areas in the grounds of the museum. These are free to visit and would make a nice spot for a picnic.
The Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday and you can get a family ticket for two adults and up to three children for a reasonable 6,200 HUF (about £13.50).
Back to Central Market
After lunch we revisited Central Market Hall to pick up some gifts. We had also planned to have lunch upstairs where there’s a row of street food stalls selling Hungarian sausages, goulash and langos.
But there wasn’t seating for six so we found a restaurant across the road.
Another day had flown by, but we still had time for one more mini-adventure.
A date night!
Mr Tin Box and I took advantage of having the grandparents with us and popped on some ironed clothes for a few hours out on the town.
Its was very un-rock and roll as we were clearly out well ahead of the young and trendy set. We easily got a table at the High Notes Skybar overlooking St Stephen’s Basilica after explaining we wouldn’t be staying more than an hour.
They weren’t as busy as they suggested – strange that – so were were able to try a few amazing but super pricey cocktails. We then made our way back to the Ruin Bars to enjoy a few more chilled out drinks in quirky surroundings.
Where to eat in Budapest
We stayed in a self-catering Airbnb in Budapest which gave us the opportunity to have meals on a budget as well as eating out when we wanted.
And we had some delicious meals during our week in Hungary. Here’s some places we enjoyed stopping for a bite to eat in Budapest:
Cafe Spatula
This tiny cafe is a short walk from Gellért Hotel. It sells freshly baked cookies, cake, smoothies, fruit-filled lemonades and perfect coffees.
The staff were super friendly and rearranged their upstairs seating area to seat all eight of us.
Billy’s Pub
We picked this pub in the Belváros area more by luck than judgement while walking to our Danube cruise.
It serves excellent food to please everyone including burgers, pulled pork, fish and chips, and Hungarian specialities like paprika chicken with dumplings.
Lazy Bistro
We visited this fab little diner on edge of City Park twice during our week. It’s not far from Széchenyi Thermal Baths and can be accessed from inside Budapest Zoo too.
It serves yummy pizzas, salads and burgers.
Gelato Rose
I mentioned this sweet spot earlier. It’s a must-visit place in itself.
The desserts served at this ice cream shop near St Stephan’s Basilica are not strictly gelato (I know this matters to Italian food connoisseurs) but they are delicious and presented in a unique way. The ice cream is scooped using a special tool to make a picture perfect rose.
0,75 Bistro
This is a fabulous bistro near St Stephen’s Basilica serving delicious breakfast and sharing plates.
It was one of the more expensive places we ate but the service was excellent and if you sit outside you are in view of the church.
Where to stay in Budapest
We booked an apartment on Krúdy U in an area with plenty of Southern Pest bars and cafes. It was a lot quieter than the Jewish Quarter but still gave us plenty of options for places to grab a drink and something to eat on our doorstep.
The apartment itself was spacious and nicely designed but lacked a bit of TLC. I’ve had a look at reviews on Airbnb since our stay and a couple of people mention the faulty dishwasher and missing blinds in a couple of there bedrooms.
However, there was more than enough room for our group of six adults and two children. There were with two double bedrooms (one ensuite). The third room had a sliding door separating it from the narrow fourth room. These were small but a good set up for the girls and ourselves.
Staying in early July in 2023, it cost us under £1,500 for seven nights. This worked out at less than £27 per person per night.
Overall we enjoyed our stay and I would recommend checking it out on Airbnb if you’re travelling with a family group.
Final thoughts on our Budapest itinerary
We arrived in Budapest with very few expectations but came away impressed by the number of things to do within easy reach of our reasonably priced accommodation.
Filling a week with both paid and free activities was not arduous, and we still felt like we had enough down time to not totally wear ourselves out.
If you are planning a similar trip then we highly recommend Széchenyi Thermal Bath, Central Market, St Stephen’s Basilica and a walk around the Parliament and Jewish Quarters.
And if you do have some adult-only time the House of Terror, the Ruin Bars and a few cocktails at sky bar for views across the city are a must.
Getting about, even for a large group, was simple and cheap using Bolt taxis. We’d use these again over the trams, although public transport may work out cheaper for couples.
And when it comes to a Danube cruise, I’d definitely spend more money if we were to visit again.
Is a city break in Budapest on your bucket list? Have you been inspired by our seven day Budapest itinerary?
Need more information? Why not buy the Eye Witness guide to Budapest*.
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