When most people think about a short trip to Budapest, they consider it a weekend visit. In fact, during the three days of the weekend, you can explore quite a lot. It may sound surprising to you, but it is doable. In addition, I also managed to fit into my plan a full-day tour outside of the city and return to Budapest by boat through the Danube River. Be aware – by following my “Budapest tailor-made travel plan”, you risk leg pain and fatigue; in return, you can gain an unforgettable experience and an appetite for more.
Budapest in three days
First, my “Budapest – tailor-made travel plan” is a three-day program. Before its preparation, I read many descriptions, hints and suggestions about the best travel plan. I found so many ideas and tips that I felt lost. Nothing satisfied my needs, so I had to create a travel plan independently. While working on it, I also had to fulfil my wish list. The list was long: a desire to relax, walk in the bosom of nature, hunger for beautiful views, appetite for architecture, a curiosity about the local cuisine and a pinch of fortuity. As a result, all of this has created my perfect plan. The cherry on the cake was supposed to be a visit to the unique café I had wanted to show my husband for a long time.
Our wedding anniversary in September turned out to be a perfect occasion for this trip. Our trip to Budapest is short; however, it is well planned. The flight connection to Budapest is on Thursday early in the morning, so that we can spend three full days in the city. The return flight is on Sunday morning, so there will be no sightseeing that day.
Tailor-made travel plan. Day 1
We arrive in Budapest early in the morning. At the airport, we are at 9.30 a.m. The first thing we need to do after arrival is to buy a 72-hour card for public transport. After that, we looked for an E200 bus stop (it was on the right-hand side after leaving the arrivals hall). The bus goes for 20 minutes and takes us to the metro station M3 Kobanya-Kispest. There, we get on the subway and go to Deák Ferenc station. This trip takes us another 20 minutes.
On the spot, we visited the hotel quickly. It was too early in the morning for us to leave our suitcases in the room, so we left them at the reception, quickly repacked our photo equipment, and went to the city.
Andrassy – City Park (around 3 hours, metro + a lot of walking)
At 11.00, we start a walk along Andrassy Avenue. We pass the State Opera House (under renovation, covered with a sheet), and then reach the Oktogon Square, considered the city’s busiest intersection. We go down to the historic metro line M1 station and the Heroes’ Square station.
On Heroes’ Square, we admire the Millennium Memorial and the beautiful facades of the surrounding buildings: the Museum of Fine Arts and the Budapest Hall of Art (Palace of Art).
We pass the square and go through the footbridge over the lake. From here, we can see the Vajdahunyad Castle. Its towering turrets are reflected on the lake’s surface, creating a magical moment.
We enter a woodland and castle gardens. We stroll around buildings that are located here for a while. After that, we get to the monument of Anonymous. Just in case it is true, I touch the pen that Anonymous holds in his hand, as it is supposed to guarantee me a surge of writing inspiration. Well, I have nothing to lose. At the castle gate, we find information that it is possible to enter on top of it. We use this opportunity, and after a while, we look at the castle courtyard from above.
Our table is booked in my favourite place in Budapest, Cafe New York, at 2.30 p.m. We will leave City Park and go to the cafe before 2:00 p.m.
Margaret Island (around 2 hours, bus + walking)
After lunch at Café New York, we take the subway (Blaha Lujza metro station) to the hotel, where we check in and put on warmer clothes for the evening.
At about 5.00 p.m., we go to the Deák Ferenc station and take the M3 subway line, two stops to the Westend station. There is a final stop on bus number 26, which goes directly to Margaret Island.
We go by bus across the island and get off at its end. On the way, we visited the Japanese garden and a musical fountain and observed the Water Towers, the Garden of Light, and the Rose Garden. In the end, we see the remains of the Dominican Monastery, where St. Margaret, the island’s patron, lived for a few years. We spend about two hours on the island. It quickly gets dark in Budapest in September, so before 7.00 p.m., it is already after sunset.
We return to the hotel and have dinner at a restaurant near it in the evening.
Our step counter shows 27000 steps, translating to over 22 km.
Tailor-made travel plan. Day 2
Today we must complete sightseeing of all the other monuments in the city 😊. The plan is very tight, and the distance on the map suggests there will be much walking again.
Pest (about 2 hours for the bathhouse + 2 hours for the Pest side)
We go to the Szechenyi bathhouse (metro line M1) in the morning. Even a two-hour stay in this place will allow you to feel good and give your tired legs a rest.
You can also buy a ticket to Szechenyi Spa in advance to avoid waiting in line. It is highly recommended to take an option with a private cabin: Szechenyi Full Day Spa with Optional Palinka Tasting in Budapest*
After visiting the bathhouse, we will return by metro to the Bajcsy—Zsilinszky station and walk on the Pest side. We will explore this part of the city entirely on foot.
We start with a visit to the Basilica of St. Stefan. We are spending about 20 minutes there. We considered entering the roof of the church’s dome for a while, but we gave it up because waiting in a long queue is a waste of time for us.
Then, we reach Freedom Square, where there is a monument dedicated to the Red Army and a statue of the former US President Ronald Reagan next to it.
From here, there are only a few steps to the Parliament Building.
Danube River Promenade
Parliament, seen from a close distance, impresses us. Going around the entire building, with many stopovers for the photo shoot, takes about 30-40 minutes. In front of the main entrance to the Parliament is the statue of Lajos Kossuth, considered the national hero of Hungary.
We walk along the Danube Promenade towards the Chain Bridge. Along the way, we pass a monument dedicated to the memory of Holocaust victims – shoes, symbolising those murdered during WWII.
For lunch, we went to the Spoon restaurant, which is located on a ship anchored on the Danube River bank, in front of the Royal Palace.
Buda – Royal Palace and Fisherman’s Bastion (about 3 hours, just walking)
We go to the Buda side, through the Chain Bridge, which is an attraction. The pedestrian walkway is quite broad and very well separated from the cars passing through it. When entering the bridge, it’s worth deciding which part of Buda you are more interested in because, being on the bridge, you can’t change its side anymore.
After descending from the bridge, we see the funicular railway station, where we can reach the top of the mountain. We, however, decide to go up the stairs. The “uphill” walk takes us about 20 minutes, but on the way, we stop multiple times to take pictures of the beautiful panorama of the city.
On the spot, we visit the Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion. Unfortunately, we do not enter the Royal Palace area because there is an event that day that requires the purchase of admission tickets. We do not want to join the crowd who came for that event, nor do we want to pay for the entrance.
We go back to the hotel.
We go to the Oktogon Restaurant for an early dinner. After dinner, we take the metro to the Danube River bank and stroll along its promenade.
Today, the step counter shows a record number – over 30,000 steps, which seems like 24.5 km.
Tailor-made travel plan. Day 3
One-day trip “Danube Bend Tour” and an evening visit to the Gellert Hill
Duration approx. 9.5 hours. Three historical places in 1 day. Tour organised by the travel agency Klook: Danube Bend Day Tour from Budapest*
We will pick you up from the hotel at 8:30 a.m. At 9:00 a.m., we will meet all the trip participants and our tour guide and depart.
Travel to Esztergom takes us 1,5h. In Esztergom, there is the largest and most important cathedral in Hungary: the Cathedral in Esztergom. The first stop, however, is on the Slovakia side, which shares the border with Hungary through the bridge on the Danube River. The best view of the cathedral building is from this side of the riverbank.
After a short break for a photo shoot, we return to the bus and go to the basilica. Our tour guide tells us the history of this place. We have about one hour to visit the basilicas inside, individually, without a guide.
On the way back, we see the ruins of the citadel in Visegrad. This is a historic place, as there was a former Royal Residence on Visegrad Hill. On the way, we stop for lunch. The restaurant terrace has a beautiful view of the Danube Bend and the citadel’s ruins.
After lunch, we go to Szentendre (St. Andrews), “an artists’ village.” Here, we start a guided tour with our guide. He tells us about the fascinating history of this town. Then, we have free time, about 1.5 hours.
At 5.00 p.m., we board a cruise passenger ship and return to Budapest through the Danube River. The return trip lasts approximately. 70 minutes. In Budapest, we have a choice of two stops: “Pier” (on the Buda side) and “City Centre” (on the Pest side). We chose the first one.
Keleti train station and Gellert Hill (about 2 hours, metro and walk)
In front of the “Pier” stop is a metro station, line 2, which we take to the Keleti train station. Once, this was the Central Station. Currently, it is the Eastern Railway Station. The main attraction is the building’s architecture, called the “jewel of the Neo-Renaissance style”.
After visiting the station, we take the metro—line 4—to Szent Gellert Ter station. We pass the Gellert Hotel and Gellert Baths and go up the hill. The entry time is about 20 minutes. You usually go up the stairs; however, the entrance requires effort and good physical condition.
The hilltop is quite crowded, but most people are at the balcony barrier with photo cameras aimed towards the Danube. This place is considered the best viewpoint of the city skyline. We’re waiting with everyone for the sunset. It’s getting dark quickly. Lamps on bridges, the Parliament building, and all other buildings facing the river are starting to light up over the Danube River. This view is worth the effort that we put into climbing uphill.
We also walk downhill (about 20 minutes) from the Citadel side. After descending the main road, we catch a bus to the city centre. For dinner, we go to a restaurant serving local delicacies.
When we returned to the hotel, it was already late at night. Our step counter shows that we have passed over 19,000 steps, which seems like 15 km. We packed our suitcases before sleep because we had to catch the return flight early. We plan to return to the airport by taxi to sleep a little longer in the morning.
Goodbye Budapest
We say goodbye to Budapest, hoping to return to this city😊. “Budapest – tailor-made travel plan” is thoroughly checked and approved. I can now recommend it to others.
Budapest – my other posts
I also encourage you to read my other posts about Budapest:
*Links to Klook offers are affiliate.