Budapest- Is it on your bucketlist?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had the opportunity to go to Budapest in February 2020 and I had an amazing time. I went with my best friend, who was my roommate when we both studied abroad in Viterbo, Italy in 2016. We both love to travel and had planned our to Budapest for months. After experiencing the wonderful city that is Budapest, I decided to put together a list of the ultimate things that you should do if you visit Budapest to get the most out of your trip.

Found in part 1 of the Ultimate Budapest Bucketlist!

Keep scrolling to read about these #travelgoals worthy spots in Budapest:

• The Hungarian Parliament Building
• Sunset river cruise on the Danube (good video of cruise!)
• Dohány Street Synagogue
• Chain Bridge
• Matthias Church
• Heroes Square
• Central Market Hall

Found in part 2 of the Ultimate Budapest Bucketlist!

Stay tuned for the second half of the Budapest Bucketlist post, where I will share these great things to do:

• Szechenyi Thermal Baths
• Fisherman’s Bastion
• Try a sweet or savory langos
• Vajdahunyad Castle
• Liberty Bridge
• Jewish Quarter
• Budapest Eye

Hungarian Parliament Building

The Hungarian Parliament building is one of Budapest’s more famous landmarks and once you see it in person, it makes total sense. It is located on the Pest side of the city or on the east side of the Danube river and its intricate white exterior is seen from many different view points of the city.

When my friend and I visited, we decided to not go inside because, to be honest, we just couldn’t be bothered (lol!). We were ok with that because the outside is just so dang beautiful. But if you would like to take a tour of the inside, check out this site.

Sunset River Cruise on the Danube

If there’s one activity that you should do while in Budapest, I highly recommend going on a sunset river cruise on the Danube.

We were able to get tickets for the river cruise from the same company we got tour bus tickets from. We purchased a three day, hop-on hop-off bus tickets that included access to the river cruise. We went used the City Sightseeing Budapest Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour with Optional Boat Ride and I think that all together it was 52 Euros, which is about 56 U.S. dollars. With that group purchase, we also had access to a night tour. It was great to have access to transportation that got us around to all the parts of the city that we wanted to see.

Dohány Street Synagogue

The Dohány Street Synagogue is the world’s second largest synagogue and its a spectacular and moving site to see. Next to the synagogue, there is a mass grave for 2,000 Hungarian Jews that were killed during the Holocaust. Like most European cities, Budapest was effected by the horrific and systematic rounding up and killing of its Jewish citizens.

Behind the synagogue, you will find the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park, named after a Swedish Consul who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews at the end of WWII but who then mysteriously disappeared. In the park, is the stunning Tree of Life, a metal willow tree that has the names of victims engraved on its leaves.

We visited the synagogue on a Thursday and paid about $15 to tour the synagogue and the memorial park.

I highly recommend going on this tour because it allows you to understand the rich history and culture of Hungarian Jews and Budapest.

View: Budapest- Photo Diary

Chain Bridge

Budapest’s Chain Bridge spans between Buda and Pest across the River Danube and on the Buda side, it is located near the base of the Buda Castle, which sits on top of a hill.

If you are touring the historic Buda side of the city, then I highly recommend stopping by this bridge to take some photos.

Matthias Church

Matthias Church is among one of Budapest’s more famous landmarks and is known for its brightly colored tiled rooftop. It is located up on a hill, on the Buda side of the city, near the Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion. Like with the Parliament building, we decided to not go inside because we wanted to enjoy the beautiful day outside. It was late February and was around 65 degrees and sunny outside.

Whether it be a stopping by outside or going inside, make sure to stop by Matthias Church when in Budapest!

Heroes Square

Heroes Square is located on the Pest side of the city and is one of the major squares of the city and was constructed in 1896 for the millennium of the Magyar Conquest of Hungary. Around the square is the Fine Arts Museum and the Mucsarnok Art Gallery. Behind the square, is the Városliget City Park that features the Vajdahunyad Castle and Széchenyi Thermal Baths.

Central Market Hall

The Central Market Hall is located on the Pest side of the city and is a wonderful site to see. I had seen it on Pinterest and had pinned it to my Budapest board months before we went on the trip. On our second to last day in Budapest, I remember that I wanted to see it and we walked over to it from the Budapest Eye.

The market was originally built in the 1890’s and was later restored in the 1990’s after having been damaged during WWII. The market is full of fresh produce, food and souvenirs.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the Ultimate Budapest Bucketlist!

Thank you for reading my post and make sure to check out my other blog post which features more photos of Budapest!