Budapest is actually divided into two cities. Buda and Pest divided by the river Danube.
Buda - Definitely the classier and more residential side of the city, Buda is known for being a bit quieter and the place to go for a leisurely sightseeing experience.
Pest - is Known for being where all of the action happens – the place to be touristy, hang out, and have fun.
I've always been fascinated with Eastern European countries, Budapest - Hungary is one of the favorite cities so far. Budapest has a lot to offer in my opinion, although I only spent like 3 days in Budapest which I know it's not enough as I wasn't able to explore more however it was the best time of my traveling/backpacking.
I don't know about you but I'm a fan of overlooking views and places, anything about staying on the top of the mountain seeing everything from there makes my worries go away. And Budapest has a lot of it as well as Prague which I will be blogging more about Prague on my Prague Blog. I had visited a few of the spots in Budapest which I think you should never miss when you visit Budapest.
And Oh BUDAPEST -- pronounced as BU-DAH-PESHH which means the T was never there. haha, weird right? Also, if you're a fan of free walking tours every city has it, so why not. I'm a backpacker which means I don't spend a lot of money and I tend NOT to spend a lot of money while traveling. But it doesn't mean I need to compromise the FUN of it because I'm on a budget. There are a lot of things you can do without paying a huge amount of money, besides Budapest is CHEAP and almost all of the sightseeing places here are free.
11 Things to do in Budapest, Hungary
1. Visit Fisherman Bastion - FREE
2. Join Free Walking tours
Whenever I go to each country I always join the Free walking tours because it will discuss the history of each country. If you really want to know more about the country you are visiting.
for Budapest walking tours you may check the schedule from this LINK.
3. Visit Thermal baths (this is a MUST, otherwise you're missing out something) - 20 EURO - I went to Gellert baths as its close to the funicular hill we went to.
The Gellért Baths and Spa - Budapest is a unique city in more than one way. For those who love spa and wellness, it is unique for being the only large city in the world, which abounds in fountains of healing water. 70 million liters of 21-78 Celsius warm thermal water spring forth daily from its 118 natural thermal springs.
Bath Units
The pools in Gellert Bath total of 12 units, the following in specific:
Two effervescent bath sections - a large, 246m2 effervescent bath pool with 27°C water temperature, and a smaller, 60m2 sitting pool, with 36°C water temperature.
Three outdoor pools - a 500m2 wave bath pool, with 26°C water temperature, a 94m2 sitting pool with fancy facilities, and 36°C water temperature.
Eight thermal bath departments, where the water temperature varies from 21°C to 40°C.
4. Visit Hungarian Parliament Building (Best to See at night) - FREE
The Hungarian Parliament Building, also known as the Parliament of Budapest after its location, is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, a notable landmark of Hungary and a popular tourist destination in Budapest. It is situated in Kossuth Square, in the Pest side of the city and on the banks of the Danube
5. Head to the Top of St. Stephens Basilica (600 Hungarian forints = 2 euro)
6. Eat Traditional Hungarian food (of course not free... depends what food you crave haha)
7. Roam around Budapest Old Town Square
8. Visit Budapest Castle Hill Funicular- FREE (except Funicular Train)
9. Visit Elizabeth Bridge
10. Visit Liberty Bridge
11. Visit Chain Bridge
12. View the Amazing BUDA Overlooking PEST in Citadella Gellert Hill (best to see at night)- FREE
We hiked up to Buda Overlooking Pest - along Citadella in Gellert Hill. We walked over the Chain Bridge from Buda. We took the steps. There are about 186 steps from the bottom to the top but there are stretches of pathways with no steps so you can take a breather. The entire climb took us all about 30 to 40 minutes in total. We didn't actually go in the Castle but managed to spend over an hour walking around taking some stunning photos of the views over the Danube. The views are amazing and it is well worth the walk up to see them. Even better, it's free!!
If you’re standing on Gellért Hill it’s clear to see the geographical difference with Buda’s hills and Pest’s flat land.
