Budapest in 2-3 days
Day 1
First things first, take a stroll in Budapest and get your bearings. If you’re staying in Pest take a wander across the Chain Bridge and head up Castle Hill where you can take a look at Buda Castle. There are another three churches and five museums to take in but for many the view of The Danube and the city will be enough.
From there you can head along to Gellert Hill. This is worth the trip just to see the Gellert Baths and Spa which make an ideal photo opportunity.
After all that walking you will have well and truly earned a drink so make the most of Budapest’s great bar scene in the evening.
Day 2
Start the day with a trip to the Central Market Hall where you can stock up for the day and get a fresh breakfast. Then jump on the bus from Deak Square which leaves at 11am to Memento Park (also known as Statue Park). Here you can spend a couple of hours checking out the massive propaganda statues which survived the fall of communism.
Spend the afternoon wandering around Margit-sziget Island which is in the middle of The Danube. You can hire bikes or sit in cafes and watch the myriad runners get their daily exercise in the park. If you hang around until the evening the bars can get quite lively, particularly in the summer.
Day 3
It’s time to learn some more about what life was like for Budapest’s citizens when they lived under communism. Visit the House of Terror which is situated in the former secret police headquarters. In the afternoon live like a local and head along to Széchenyi baths in the City Park. The baths are heated to different temperatures and are a great place to wallow for a few hours — just ask the locals who love them.
In one week
Budapest is a lovely city which can be comfortably be seen in three days. But if you have the time there are plenty of other museums and galleries to check out including the Jewish Museum.
But if you have a week you would be well advised to see a little more of Hungary including Lake Balaton.
