Season guide · Budapest · Hungary
Budapest in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Cold and sometimes snowy, with Christmas markets, skating in City Park and thermal baths at their most atmospheric. Expect highs up to 5°C (41°F) and lows around -3°C (27°F), with about 21 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- -3°C (27°F) to 5°C (41°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 21
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C (37°F) | -3°C (27°F) | 7 | 8.8 h | 1/5 |
| February | 5°C (41°F) | -2°C (28°F) | 6 | 10.2 h | 1/5 |
| December | 4°C (39°F) | -1°C (30°F) | 8 | 8.5 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 4°C (39°F) against a yearly 16°C (61°F), and 21 of the year's roughly 84 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: City Park Ice Rink by Vajdahunyad Castle (usually December–February)
- December: Christmas markets continue (usually until late December or early January)
- December: New Year's Eve street parties along the Danube
Good choices for winter
Museum · Terézváros
House of Terror
It suits older teenagers and adults; pick up the English information sheets in each room, as many displays are in Hungarian.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Castle District
Hospital in the Rock
In the caves beneath Castle Hill, a hospital built in the late 1930s treated the wounded during the 1944–45 siege and was later turned into a Cold War nuclear bunker.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · City Park
Museum of Fine Arts
Pair it with the baths; Széchenyi is a short walk across City Park.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
Architecture · District V
Hungarian Parliament Building
Hungary's neo-Gothic Parliament, completed in 1904, stretches about 268 metres along the Danube beneath a central dome 96 metres high.
- Time needed
- 1 hour tour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Experience · City Park
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
Go on a weekday morning, bring flip-flops and a towel, and pack a swimming cap if you want to use the lap pool.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- Couples
- Outdoors
Day trips in winter
- Gödöllő Royal Palace (About 50 minutes by suburban train) — One of the largest baroque palaces in Hungary, the summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth (Sisi), with restored royal apartments, exhibitions about Sisi and a large landscaped park.
- Eger (About 2 hours by train) — A baroque town known for the castle whose defenders held off an Ottoman siege in 1552, a 40-metre Ottoman minaret you can climb, thermal baths and the Valley of the Beautiful Women, a horseshoe of wine cellars pouring Egri Bikavér.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat, gloves and thermal layers
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Budapest?
It is a trade-off: Cold and sometimes snowy, with Christmas markets, skating in City Park and thermal baths at their most atmospheric. The best months overall are April–May and September–October.
+What is the weather like in Budapest in winter?
Highs of up to 5°C (41°F) and lows around -3°C (27°F), with about 21 rainy days over the season.