2 days in Budapest

Day by day

1. Day 1: Hungarian Parliament Building and Shoes on the Danube Bank

   Hungarian Parliament Building, Shoes on the Danube Bank, Buda Castle and Fisherman's Bastion, then Széchenyi Chain Bridge in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Hungarian Parliament Building

      Guided tours climb the gilded main staircase to the domed hall, where the Holy Crown of Hungary is displayed under guard, and visit one of the old chamber halls.

   2. Late morning

      Shoes on the Danube Bank

      The memorial, created in 2005 by film director Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauer, is simple and deeply moving.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Goulash soup

      Traditional restaurants (vendéglő) and csárda-style places; a bowl with bread makes a full lunch.

   4. Afternoon

      Buda Castle

      Its terraces look across the Danube to the Parliament and Pest, and the courtyards and gardens are free to wander.

   5. Late afternoon

      Fisherman's Bastion

      The lower terraces are free, while the upper towers charge a small fee for much of the day.

   6. Evening

      Széchenyi Chain Bridge

      Walk across from Pest at dusk towards the floodlit castle, then ride bus 16 up to the top of Castle Hill.

2. Day 2: Széchenyi Thermal Bath and Heroes' Square and City Park

   Széchenyi Thermal Bath, Heroes' Square and City Park, Museum of Fine Arts and Dohány Street Synagogue, then Szimpla Kert and the ruin bars in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Széchenyi Thermal Bath

      Locals play chess on floating boards in the hot outdoor pool, even when it snows.

   2. Late morning

      Heroes' Square and City Park

      Behind it, City Park holds Vajdahunyad Castle, modelled on a Transylvanian castle, with an ice rink on its lake in winter, the Budapest Zoo, the Széchenyi Baths and the House of Music Hungary.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Chicken paprikash

      Home-style restaurants and weekday set-lunch menus across the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Museum of Fine Arts

      On the north side of Heroes' Square, the Museum of Fine Arts holds one of Central Europe's major collections of European painting, with strong Spanish holdings including El Greco and Goya, Old Masters, Egyptian and classical antiquities, and the restored Romanesque Hall.

   5. Late afternoon

      Dohány Street Synagogue

      The complex includes the Hungarian Jewish Museum, the Heroes' Temple and a memorial garden with Imre Varga's metal weeping willow, each leaf engraved with the name of a Holocaust victim.

   6. Evening

      Szimpla Kert and the ruin bars

      Visit once in the afternoon to see the rooms properly, then come back late to see it full.

Before you go

• Hungarian Parliament Building: Guided tours run in several languages and sell out in high season; book a time slot on the official ticket site.
• Széchenyi Thermal Bath: Buy tickets online for weekends and holidays, when the queue at the entrance can be long.
• Dohány Street Synagogue: Queues are long in summer; a timed ticket bought online saves waiting.

If it rains

• Swap in Rudas Baths (Gellért Hill riverside): Book the rooftop pool around sunset, and check which days the Ottoman bath is mixed and which are single-sex before you go.
• Swap in Great Market Hall (Ferencváros): Go on a weekday morning, when the upstairs food counters are calmer and the produce stalls are fully stocked.
• Swap in Hungarian State Opera House (Terézváros): Book a performance rather than only the tour for the full effect; the least expensive upper seats have restricted views.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 15–19 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.5 hours in December to 15.9 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. Four lines meet in the centre: M1, the 1896 Millennium Underground beneath Andrássy Avenue; M2 under the Danube to Batthyány tér; M3 north–south through Deák Ferenc tér; and M4 linking Keleti station, Kálvin tér and Kelenföld.

More or fewer days

• One day in Budapest
• 3 days in Budapest
• 4 days in Budapest
• 5 days in Budapest
• 7 days in Budapest

Questions travellers ask