Budapest, Hungary.
When I first visited Budapest, it was here my sister and I realised we needed to start drinking beer. It was so cheap. That's not the only thing great about this city. The beautiful Danube, the thermal baths, the food, the old buildings... and the cheap dentistry.
It is one of the popular destinations for travel dentistry and the main reason I went back. After extensive research I found a dentist and years later, I am still stoked with the results. They are a fraction of the cost for any work whether it be fillings, whitening, wisdom teeth or crowns plus you get to explore the rest of the beautiful city. The experience of going to a dentist was never so much fun.
I have updated this post to include some additional bits I saw when I visited again in 2019 with my friend B.
Stay Here.
There are so many awesome accommodation options for Budapest on Air BnB.
The first time I visited with my sister, we stayed in a hostel which was super chill and cheap.
The second time I was travelling alone so I went by price first, location second. A lot of the places I wanted were unavailable (note: book well in advance), but I stayed here which is in walking distance to everything but also close to public transport. Great apartment for the price.
The last time I visited, B and I stayed in the “party” area which is also known as the Jewish Quarter mainly because it was in the midst of everything which we wanted for a weekend stay as she had never been before. It was very loud so just bear that in mind if you do want to stay in this area.
This website is useful to help you decide on where you may want to stay.
Visit Here.
The Liberty Statue.
A major landmark for Budapest and one that has to be climbed. I walked from the Elisabeth Bridge end so I visited the Szent Gellert Monument first. I then continued the ascent to the Liberty Statue, drenched in sweat. Totally worth it for the views.
Fisherman's Bastion and Matyas Cathedral.
The highlight here are the beautiful, colourful tiles on the Cathedral's roof. A gorgeous mix of oranges and greens. You also have a fantastic view of Parliament House across the Danube.
Buda Castle.
A huge palace complex. I walked the perimeter and again, it offered great views of the city.
When I visited with B, we walked over the Margit Bridge, to Fisherman’s Bastion + Cathedral then to the Castle before hitting the Liberty Statue. No matter which was you walk, the climb is still decent.
The Shoes on the Danube Bank.
I walked from the Buda Castle along the Danube, across the iconic Szechenyi Chain Bridge to the memorial. Quite eerie but worth visiting. This is near the Parliament Building if you wanted to visit that site also - I was more keen for an ice cold beverage (i.e. beer) given it was a very hot Summer’s day. When I went with B, it was a lot cooler I n Marchand we had a chimney bread in tow so we ate this on the steps of Parliament. Stay classy.
Gellert Spa and Bath.
I feel you can't visit Budapest without checking out a bath. The first time I visited in Winter, I went to Szechenyi Thermal Bath. It is also definitely worth visiting however I really enjoyed the tiling and the grandness of Gellert. Plus there is a wave pool open in Summer! There are four thermal baths, a steam room and a sauna room. The indoor swimming pool requires you to wear a swimming cap (which I imagine is the same for all baths) so either bring one or buy one there.
City Park and Heroes Square.
The city park is huge and great for wandering with Heroes Square nearby which is pretty impressive. It poured it down as soon as I arrived here so I came out looking like a drowned rat! It rained also when B and I visited the park but it was still lovely to wander around.
Shops.
Design Passage - 1061 Budapest, Kiraly Utca 8-10.
This is a really cute local designer market which is held on the second Saturday of each month. Free entry and worth a visit.
There are some good vintage stores around the Jewish quarters. Retrace Vintage was near the design markets. Sputnyik Shop mixed old with new pieces.
Mono Fashion is also worth checking out for contemporary Hungarian clothing and accessories.
Ruin Bars.
When I visited solo to get my dental work done. I didn’t visit any ruin bars given I wasn’t really near any and I didn’t want to travel around the city by myself at night (I’m sure it’s quite safe but I just didn’t fancy it solo). B and I managed to visit Szimpla Kert which is perhaps the most iconic ruin bar. I would definitely recommend visiting this one as it’s a very cool example of why they are called ruin bars. Using buildings that would otherwise perhaps be uninhabitable or destroyed and turning it into a bar with different areas and bars.
Eat Here.
Mazel Tov; 1073 Budapest, Akacfa Utca 47.
Raw space with very, very affordable delicious food. It gets quite busy so I recommend going early or trying to reserve. I ordered the Shukshura with merguez (Moroccan sausages). The flavours were so good I didn't want it to end. Beer was around £1.50 a schooner.
My Little Melbourne; 1075 Budapest, Madách Imre Utca 3.
It was ridiculously hot when I visited (August) so an iced coffee was on the cards. It was delicious and under £2 a pop.
Frici Papa; Király u. 55, 1077 Hungary
Honestly it looks unassuming from the outside but we arrived early given we were hungry and had to wait for a little while as it was very busy. Delicious Hungarian food - goulash, potatoes, pickles, meat soup with dumplings. We had it all and it was so cheap. Huge portions and great service. It was one of those dinners where it felt really good to walk a bit afterwards to help the digestion…
Cafe Noe (Noah’s Patisseria Cafe); Wesselényi u. 13, 1077 Hungary
We had done a lot of walking and really fancied a coffee and a piece of cake. Thankfully we stumbled on this cafe which was right near where we were staying. We tried the Rachel Raj’s Flodni which is a Hungarian Jewish cake and apparently “probably the most tastiest in Hungary”. It was absolutely delicious and 100% worth trying because it probably, could be the most tastiest in Hungary and you wouldn’t want to miss out!
This is your one stop shop for a quick Hungarian feast. Food is pretty good, loads of souvenirs should this be what you’re after and, if you did want any fresh fruit, veg and meat you can also pick it up from this market hall. I grabbed some biscuits for the plane back to London and they were delish. It is a beautiful, big restored hall that you can have a wander around. It is closed on a Sunday so keep that in mind.
New York Cafe
B and I didn’t manage to dine here as the line up was too big to justify having a coffee but we managed to get inside at least to look at the amazing interior. It is apparently “the most beautiful cafe in the world” and it very well may be. My iPhone photo does not do it justice… It is very grand and definitely worth a look if you have a chance. Prepare to pay big for a coffee if you do end up getting a seat!
There is so much going on in Budapest come any season. If you are looking for a cheap long weekend away then this is where to head. Especially if you need some fillings done.
I flew to Budapest on Whizz Air from Luton with really cheap flights depending on when you fly. Compare flights on Skyscanner or Kayak.
Accommodation on Air BnB can be as little as £27 per night for an entire apartment. There are also loads of options on Booking.com.
Food and drink is cheap - you can certainly have a super budget time here.
If you are interested in getting dental work done abroad, make sure you research and then research the practice some more. Budapest Dental Solutions were great and I would recommend them to anyone (including my director's wife). They have a representative that can speak fluent English so can answer any questions you have.
