Budapest for The Curious Wanderers: a Friday-to-Monday weekend
Thermal water, ruin bars, and a river that cuts the city in two.
No theme, just the city at its best. The sights that earn their reputation, a workshop or a market, one strange place nobody told you about, and dinner where the food is the point.
Friday: Market and a ruin bar
- Great Market Hall
The iron-roofed market, open until six on a Friday: paprika, sausages, pickles and langoş. Arrive early to beat the closing time.
- Gettó Gulyás
Goulash served in a bread bowl or a pot in the old Jewish quarter, followed by a plate of dumplings; no booking needed.
- Szimpla Kert
The original ruin bar, a maze of courtyards decorated with junk and bathtub sofas; walk through every room and have a beer.
Saturday: Strange medicine and a labyrinth
- Semmelweis Museum of Medical History
The birthplace of the doctor who discovered handwashing, now a small museum of old surgical instruments and apothecary jars, and entirely free of crowds.
- Déryné Bistro
A bright bistro below Castle Hill with a good value lunch menu and cakes; the daily special is the thing to order.
- Buda Castle Labyrinth
A limestone cave system beneath Castle Hill, with a wine fountain and a long lamp-lit passage; wear shoes with grip.
- Hungarikum Bistro
Hungarian classics in a bistro near the Parliament: goulash, stuffed cabbage, duck with red cabbage, and a good list of wines.
Sunday: A bunker, a bath and a long dinner
- Hospital in the Rock
A secret hospital and nuclear bunker beneath Castle Hill, with wax figures and Cold War equipment; tours in English run hourly.
- Menza
A busy café-restaurant on a leafy square, with goulash, duck and Hungarian pancakes; the terrace is the best place for people-watching.
- Széchenyi Baths
The big outdoor thermal pools in the City Park, the right place to spend an hour in 38 degree water in cold air.
- Mazel Tov
A candlelit courtyard with Levantine mezze, shakshuka and grilled fish, which feels calm after the ruin-bar crowds outside.
Monday: A view from the top
- St. Stephen's Basilica panorama
Climb the dome for a 360-degree view of the city; the basilica itself has the mummified right hand of the first king.
- Café Gerbeaud
A cake and a coffee in a historic coffeehouse on the main square, a gentle last stop before the airport.