36 Hours in Budapest
This past weekend I went to Budapest and I can say that I am in love with the city. Budapest was always a place that I heard great things about but never thought much about it–I was pleasantly surprised with the beauty of the city, kindness of the people I met, and delicious (and cheap) food I ate. My friend Natalie and I arrived in Budapest late Friday night and we left Sunday evening so the trip was short but we managed to hit some of the best spots.First things first, I had my first true hostel experience at Avenue Hostel which was SO nice. The location was so central and right next to a metro stop. The facilities were great and free breakfast each day and dinner on Saturday night was soooo nice. I still haven't made up my mind on how I feel about hostels but I do love the collective openness and eager energy to meet people. Traveling in a new country can be lonely but having such a "homey" feel in the hostel made it a lot easier.
36 Hour Budapest Itinerary
Day 1:
8AM Breakfast @ Hostel10:30AM Free Walking Tour Budapest : Walking tours are usually not my thang but this 2.5 hour tour covered all the bases of both Buda and Pest as well as gave a lot of practical history about the city.1PM Langos : This Hungarian street food sounds like a peculiar combination but it was so tasty. How can you go wrong with fried dough, sour cream, and cheese?? You can't.
2PM Lunch @ Kozmosz Vegan Etterem : This little local vegan restaurant had a mix of vegan traditional Hungarian dishes and typically vegan dishes like tempeh, veggie burgers, and salads. I had the best Jasmine Kombucha and a vegan goulash for under €5Rest of the Evening : Walk around the Jewish Quarter, shop, take a quick cap nap in the hostel. We ate dinner in the hostel but scroll down to the end of this post for some restaurant recommendations :)Nightlife : Budapest is known for their Ruin Bars which are the most eclectic bars I've ever been to. We first went to Red Ruin, a communist bar–think hard rock, communist art, and red lights...it was intense. Then we went to the first ever ruin bar, Szimpla Kert, which was so much fun and had so much going on (different music/vibes in each room you went to)
Day 2:
9AM Breakfast @ Hostel10AM Géllert Baths : Aside from the ruin bars, Budapest is also know for their traditional Turkish thermal baths. There are several baths across the city with their own personality–some have spas, warm baths, cold baths, saunas, etc. We decided to avoid the crowd at the most popular, Széchenyi Baths, but the Géllert Baths were just as pretty. A quick tip, allow at least 2 hours...these baths are meant for you to relax! Not be rushed, like I was.12PM Chimney Cake : Another famous street food in Budapest are chimney cakes. Chimney cakes are a roll of baked dough (kinda like the outside of a cinnamon roll and it's shaped like a chimney and is hollow inside) coated with cinnamon sugar...so. freaking. good.
1PM Sunday Farmer's Market @ Szimpla Kert : Yes, this is at the ruin bar I went to the night before. Every Sunday from 9AM-2PM, there is a farmer's market at the most famous ruin bar with all organic produce, meats, and cheese. I highly suggest at least going to a ruin bar in the daylight...you'll be able to see and appreciate the space so much more.2PM Lunch @ Mazel Tov : I was thoroughly impressed with the food in Budapest. Mazel Tov is a Middle Eastern/Jewish restaurant that was recommended to me many times and for good reason. This meal goes down on one of the best meals I have ever eaten. How could you go wrong with homemade elderflower mint lemonade, grilled cauliflower with tahini+almond+pomegranate, hummus+falafel, and a salad sampler with tabbouli+beet salad+yogurt and eggplant+Moroccan roasted red pepper?....answer: you can't. This place was incredible.
And then it was time to begin the trek back to Belgium. So yeah, talk about a quick trip. There are still so many things I want to do (and eat) in Budapest...I guess that just means I'll have to go back?
Other things to do in Budapest
Great Market Hall (big market with local food vendors, souvenirs, etc.)Sirius Tea House (google it...looks like such a neat experience)High Note Sky Bar (rooftop bar with fantastic sunset views)Margaret Island (island in the Danube River that is said to have beautiful scenery)Ellátó Kert (ruin bar)Buda CastleHungarian Parliament Building (book tickets in advance)Kiraly Thermal Baths (relaxing)
Other restaurants in Budapest
Belvarosio Disznotoros (butcher; good for lunch)Drum Café (cheap Hungarian food)hummusbar (quick service, owned by the same people as Mazel Tov)Napfenyes (vegan)Damniczki Budapest (ice cream and delicious looking sweets)Dobrumba (middle eastern)Karaván (street food/food trucks - right next to Szimpla Kert)
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