Prague Travel Guide
January 25, 2017
Dining at Il Palagio – Four Seasons Florence, Italy
January 26, 2017
Did you know that Budapest is comprised of 2 separate parts of town (Buda and Pest), separated by the Danube River?
Each side offers a plethora of options for travelers, and as such, our list of 5 things to do in Budapest offers options on both sides of town.
5 things to do in Budapest
Buda Castle
Buda Castle is one of the highlights of the gorgeous city of Budapest and an absolute must for travelers. Explore the grounds of the castle and perhaps venture inside. We enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over Budapest from the courtyard near the castle and even had the opportunity to shoot a bow and arrow on the back side of the castle.
Budapest Citadel
To arrive at the Citadel, you’ll need to take a bit of a hike. The paths can be a bit confusing, but don’t worry as each of the paths ultimately lead you up to the Citadel.
It’s imperative that you head up here for sunset and stay shortly after to watch as Budapest starts to light up like a Christmas tree. Not long after sunset you’ll see the buildings and bridges begin to illuminate as the town becomes more majestic as each minute passes.
Budapest Parliament
For the best view of Parliament, you’ll want to be directly across the Danube River. We were able to capture some pretty amazing photos and time-lapses as the sun set and the lights of Parliament began to brighten the exterior of the building.
Of course, you’ll need to be on the Pest side to be able to explore Parliament and walk through the building. However, we were more interested in the sunset offering.
Gellert Thermal Baths
Budapest is famous for her thermal baths. Easily the most enjoyable and relaxing days we had in Budapest was spent at Gellert Thermal Baths. You can literally spend all day here moving from bath to bath. Each bath/pool has a different temperature, varying between 21 and 40 C.
We chose Gellert out of the dozens of choices we could have made for a couple reasons: 1) the interior architecture is gorgeous. 2) Price (only about $20 to enter) 3) Both indoor and outdoor baths/pools (the outdoor pool even turns into a wave pool once per hour).
NOTE: Most people are under the impression that the attire for the Budapest baths is a birthday suit….however, that isn’t quite accurate anymore. Most of the baths (Gellert included) are public (meaning mixed gender). As such, bathing suits are required.
Magnolia Spa
It isn’t often that you can enjoy a couple hours at a spa with a 60-minute massage, snacks, tea, etc. for $50. Magnolia Spa is arguably the most popular spa in Budapest and rightfully so. The 60-minute massage provides you access to the spa for a number of hours prior to your treatment. As an American (especially from Los Angeles), $50 for a high-quality full body massage is absolutely unheard of. So pamper yourselves!
