Budapest (One of the Former capitals of the Austria-Hungary Empire (Habsburgs) & the current capital of Hungary is one of the most beautiful cities you can visit on the face of this planet. It is a city made of two parts- divided by Danube river- Buda (where the royalty used to live) and Pest where the not so affluent people used to live.

Budapest has one airport serving it- Budapest International Airport (Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport). There are several ways to travel from airport to the city. Best is to take the 100E bus from Airport to City (It stops at 3 stops- all in city center). Since Hungary has its own currency – Hungarian Forint (Euros are also accepted) The ticket Price it 900 HUF. Buy a return ticket if you plan to travel back using same bus. There are a number of places to see in Budapest. Atleast set aside 3 days for covering all places. Main attractions are- Hungarian Parliament, Buda Castle, Citadella, Szechenyi Chain Bridge, Heroes Square, Thermal Baths, St Stephen’s Basilica, Central Market Hall etc.

Here, we will create an itinerary for three days for you.

First Day: We will start by visiting the Great Market Hall, here you can get almost all the famous and traditional hungarian item to buy and also eat. Come out of the market and go to the Szabadsag hid bridge, it is a 19th century greenish coloured bridge. If you look towards the hills, you can get a view of the Citadella from here. Cross the bridge over to other side and there you will get Gellert Thermal Baths & Gallery on one side & Gellert Cave Chapel on the other. I would suggest visiting the chapel as it is a bit different as it is created inside a cave. But this has an entry ticket as well. From here, you can trek the steep path to the Citadella. It is a good 15-20 minute trek. But I can guarantee that the views from up there are breathtaking. Don’t forget to take a picture with the Liberty statue. Now climb down from the opposite end of the Citadella from where you came up and go down towards the Gerard of Csanad monument. Then cross over to the other side into Pest using the Elisabeth Bridge. Now stroll towards the Vaci Street and then carry onwards on the Vaci street towards the St Stephen’s Basilica – you will get a lot of shops, statues, eateries, galleries on either side of you on this street. The basilica is beautiful and is free to go inside (almost all other things have entrance fee). Here inside the basilica, is the actual mummified hand of St.Stephen. You have to pay a small fee to see it as the light in box only starts when you put in 200 Forint. Then come out and take a stroll on the Danube promenade and look at the city’s beauty in night. Its amazing. Now, you can spend the rest of time wandering all around this area.

On second day, let’s start by first going towards the Hungarian National Museum. This is an amazing museum. From here you can go towards the Great Synagogue. It is the largest synagogue in Europe. There is a rather big entry fee for this though- even when it is a place of worship. Once done, lets travel towards the Hungarian State Opera. The Opera house is one of the most beautiful buildings in Budapest. Then you can travel on the Andrassy Avenue towards House of Terror, which is a museum dedicated to Hungarian people’s struggle under the iron Curtain (Soviet-Communist rule). Once you are done with that continue towards the Heroes Square– which is one of the most stunning squares that I have ever seen. Right next to the square is the Museum of Fine arts. Then you can cross the square and go into Vajdahunyad Castle, which is surrounded by the City Park and the Ice Rink (used in winters). Then you can stroll in the park and slowly go towards the Szechenyi Thermal Spa. This is the biggest thermal Spa and you can enjoy an afternoon in the cozy waters of the spa. Once done with that you can go to the Budapest Zoo, which is right next to the Spa. Even if you decide not to go inside the zoo, just go to the small cafe on the outer side of zoo that has a big glass window separating you from the flamingos. You can now come back towards the Synagogue and enjoy the streets around it which has a huge number of restaurants and cafes and more to keep you there for hours.

On third day, we can start by going to the famous Szechenyi Chain bridge. It is beautiful. Cross the bridge and then you have an option of going to the top of the castle hill using either the Buda Hill Funicular (which was built in 1800s) or you could simple start going up the hill by the path on the left of the funicular. On reaching the top you will come across the Budapest Torteneti Museum. Right next to it, you will see the Buda Castle. From there if you go towards the Fisherman’s Bastion, you will come across the Matthias Church. These all things are very close to each other. From Fisherman’s Bastion, you will get the best view of the Hungarian Parliament. This is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world according to me. Then wander around for some time and watch other things like Holy trinity Square etc. Then come down from there to the bank of Danube and start walking towards Margaret Island which is accessible from a T point on the Margaret Bridge. On this walk you will get spectacular views of the Pest side of city and especially the Hungarian Parliament. Then start walking towards the Hungarian parliament. There is a visitor’s center fro where you can try to get a tour of the parliament as well. But just look at the building from all sides at least once. Then travel along the Danube to the “Shoes on the Danube“- which is a memorial dedicated to the Jews who were executed on the bank of danube. Then you can travel towards St Stephen’s Basilica and then just wander around in the streets. Don’t forget to see the Chain bridge and Parliament at night with all the lights. Its amazing.

Also, you can travel to Memento Park- which is outside the city. Use bus# M4 or 150. It is a collection of all the Soviet statues which were removed from the city and are placed in a park outside.