During TOP week, I was definitely keeping my eye out on cheap flights leaving the next week because I knew I didn’t have classes after Monday. And to my luck, there was a sale to Budapest with Wizz Air for 100€.
I quickly messaged my new friend from my orientation group and within the hour we had booked our tickets!
I’d heard and read so many good things about Budapest (thermal baths in the day and clubbing and ruin bars at night 😍) before arriving on exchange that I knew I would definitely be going some time while overseas. So I was very happy to be going so early in the trip!
We met many friendly and interesting people on our trip, and ate so many good Hungarian meals. I honestly had the best weekend. Read on to see what we got up to!
Where to stay
One of my friends went to Budapest earlier in the year and he recommended Retox Party Hostel if I was keen for a good party every day. So of course I had to stay here haha (plus it was cheap, roughly 15€ per night in September).
The hostel warns you during check in that drinking is very much encouraged and that we may see things that we shouldn’t be surprised to see 👀
Luckily we had pretty tame roommates (a lot from Australia) and a group of teen guys from the UK. The beds were actually quite comfortable and bigger than my single bed in my apartment. The room was also cleaned daily which kept it very livable.
There are also daily activities you can do with them (e.g. spa parties at the thermal baths, pub crawls amongst other fun things). We actually ended up doing our own version of these activities at night and we didn’t feel like we were missing out at all.
If partying is not your thing, Airbnb’s are also very cheap there. In fact drinks, food and travel is quite cheap there! You definitely won’t be breaking the bank.
Note however that some restaurants, bars and even our hostel only accept cash, so I’d recommend withdrawing some Hungarian Forint (their local currency) as soon as you leave the airport.
Day 1 // Chilling at Szechenyi then drinking at Szimpla
First meal of goulash with rice!
After we left the airport (taking the 100E bus into the city) and we checked into our hostel, we were in desperate need of a feed.
We went to a local Hungarian restaurant and had our first taste of goulash (a hearty meat dish).
This was so delicious and made me realise how much I missed good rice. This was at a local place (Frici Papa). They only accept cash.
I highly recommend this place! It was cheap and filling and a good taste of be local cuisine.
Hero’s Square
After lunch, we made our way to our first attraction – the Szechenyi thermal baths. On our way we passed Hero’s Square.
Széchenyi thermal baths
Our first thermal bath and it was more than I could hope for!
The outdoor pools ranged from 20-30 degrees Celsius and they were perfect to jump in between. Going from hot to a cold swim and then back into the warm waters for a hug of water was so relaxing.
Note: the way out of the change rooms to the pools is a bit confusing. Don’t be afraid to ask for directions haha
Inside, there are a range of thermal baths (less pretty and a bit dirty) but still cool to check out.
We also tried out the range of saunas available! We started with the hottest which was 80-90 degrees Celsius and it was HOT. I used to not be able to handle the heat in saunas well because I felt like I couldn’t breathe. But I learned a technique to look down or cup your hands over your nose.
Not long after we went to the rest of the saunas which were 45-60 degrees Celsius and it felt like a peace of cake. Our favourite ones were the aromatherapy saunas which smelt like Vick’s vapour rub and really helped with clearing the airways haha
Entry cost: 5,200 forint for a weekday entry and locker (more for a cabin / or on a weekend)
Langos for dinner at Drum Cafe Budapest
After our soak, we had worked up another appetite and went out for Langos at a local restaurant we passed on our way to our accomodation.
Langos is like fried bread topped with sour cream and cheese (your choice of filling – I went with spicy chicken). It was delicious and so cheap!
Price: roughly 700 forint for a Langos and cocktail
Szimpla Kert (ruin bar) // meeting new friends // Palinka shots (40% alc content!!)
Our night then officially began with a trip to the most popular and famous ruin bar in Budapest – Szimpla Kert.
A ruin bar is basically an abandoned building which has been transformed into a bar (usually with different themes). They are super cool and all are unique with their own decorations, lights, music and atmosphere.
We were also super happy to have found a cocktail bar (as it doesn’t seem like Tilburg has any).
We also met a really lovely English couple who invited us to play a coin game with them. We invited them to the next club and on the way we bumped into Soma (our new Hungarian friend) who showed us how strong a Palinka shot can be (the national drink of choice is 40% alcohol!)
It was seriously an amazing night!
Day 2 // History and a boat party
House of Terror
The next day Soma took us to the House of Terror (the house of the communist party before they fell after the revolution in the 1980s).
It was an insightful visit learning about the history of Hungary under nazi control and then communist control before they gained their independence only in 1990.
I would highly recommend a visit if you love your history. I thought this was equally great because Soma was the one who asked if we loved history the night before and the next day we went out with a complete stranger.
Moments like this are when I appreciate people’s kindness and opportunities to say “yes” to new people for new experiences 😊
Entry cost: 3,000 forint for non EU-citizens otherwise 1,500 forint
For example, this flag represents the start of the revolution where the communist symbol was cut out of the Hungarian flag. Thanks to Somà for sharing his history with us!
St Stephen’s Basilica // afternoon drinks
We made a quick trip to see the basilica and get an afternoon drink before we said goodbye to Soma.
Fisherman’s Bastion // St Matthias Church
After our afternoon catch up with Soma, we went to the Buda side for spectacular views over Fisherman’s Bastion close to sunset.
It’s true that the Buda side is super hilly and when we turned back to Pest it was very flat and you could see very far over the horizon.
Boat party // parliament lit up
If you’re in Budapest, I highly recommend going on a boat party!
We went with Budapest Boat Party on their Shipwrecked option. We paid about 10,000 forint in cash at our hostel because they have a partnership with them.
Everyone waited for the moment we passed by parliament all lit up and then the unlimited drinks became the next main attraction 😂
After party at Morrison’s 2.
This place had a great atmosphere complete with 4 different dance floors (R&B is highly recommended) and reallllly strong but cheap cocktails (that were approx 4€).
Day 3 // Detox at Gellert and partying till our flight
Gellert Thermal Baths
This was the perfect way to detox. Note you need a swimming cap (1000HUF) in order to swim here. Otherwise swimming outside or in the other thermal baths you don’t need it.
It was also here that I realised I quite like Finnish saunas where they go up to 80 degrees Celsius before you plunge into ice water. It really kicks your system into action and I loved it.
We were joined by a new friend from Switzerland who we met at the after party the night before.
Entry cost: 5,500 forint for a locker on a weekend
Lunch at the Hummus Bar
Can confirm that this meal was so perfect after a long day of soaking. I would recommend their home made lemonade!
Citadella views
After lunch, we made the brave choice of walking up the citadella (out of breath by the time we got to the top), but it was worth it for the views.
But we literally spent 5mins at the top for our picture then made our way back down (and in flip flops!)
Goulash for dinner and bar hopping
We met up again for dinner before heading out on our final night.
The goulash soup this time was unfortunately not as great as the first meal we had. But it was nice to be inside after we RAN through heavy rains to get there.
We honestly had perfect sunny weather for the first few days and nights, but of course we had to encounter some rain too. Thankfully it didn’t dampen our spirits!
We also made the “smart” decision to stay out and keep exploring until our shuttle bus at 330am which would take us to or 630am flight. Needless to say we had a great time getting to the airport slightly tipsy haha
Kuplung
This ruin bar looked like it had so much potential, but the rain must have kept people away as there weren’t many people dancing. But the drinks were cheap!
Instant Fogas
This club was recommended to me by a friend but I didn’t really enjoy the music they had on offer. So we had our jaeger shots and left to the next one.
Doboz ruin pub
We decided to give this club a second chance after our failed attempt on the first night!
And after the disappointment of the previous bars, the music here was incredible. After a few more yaeger shots, we danced the night away before heading back to our shuttle and saying goodbye to Budapest and the best weekend ever.