Budapest is packed with exciting and beautiful attractions. For first time Budapest visitors, we recommend our Top Ten Budapest Attractions guide, which includes the must see sights in the city of Budapest, all of which can be visited in a 3 day Budapest holiday. In addition to the the top 10 attractions, there are lots of hidden gems in Budapest, historical buildings, quirky churches, funky bars, romantic sights.

Hungarian Parliament by Danube – Vincent Buchoux Photography

Even for a week or more, there is a lot to see in Budapest, the cosmopolitan hub of Central Eastern Europe.

Budapest the City

Budapest is not a fully elegant or hygienically clean and bottomed up place. This beautiful city is still dusting off its Communist past,  reviving its faded glory in the 1890s, and adding funky, Bohemian places.

There are several nicknames that are stuck to Budapest, and each one of them gives a hint at the major pulling forces of the city, which makes many foreigners come back repeatedly, or even just move to Budapest and enjoy an expat life.

Budapest the Two Cities

Budapest is often called the Two Cities. Budapest is a city with two landscapes. Buda and Pest are indeed two cities. One half of the BudaPest shows hills, green slopes, historical castle, monuments, narrow streets, mother nature. History, woods, and wonderful festivals. This is, as you have guessed is the Buda side of the city.

The other half shows many elegant 19th century buildings, loads of bars, restaurants, busy life, shopping and running, chatting, laughs, business.

Budapest Central Market Hall (Vasarcsarnok) – photo by John W Schulze

This is Pest (say Pesht). Pest is for entertainment, career, planning and building. Pest is more restless, always on the run, and ready to explore. With one exception: away from the bustling life on the Pest side, the green oasis is the City Park and its numerous attractions.

Buda and Pest used to be two different cities. No wonder, there is a river between the two cities, the river Danube, which is quite wide.

Budapest Sunset Danube – Alex Talmaciu Photography

The first permanent bridge of the city, the Chain Bridge built in 1849, was the key to uniting the two beauties in the 1870s.

Budapest the Pearl of the Danube

Another nickname of the city is the Pearl of the Danube. Budapest has the most wonderful river city views, one of the most romantic riverfront in Europe, where even the river Danube and the Buda Castle are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. 

Cruise Budapest to feel its wonderful riverfront atmosphere, the historical, elegant and glittering attractions, from the most well known attractions, like the Hungarian Parliament with tours inside, to the gigantic Budapest Market Hall, the ‘Great Market’ as the locals know.

Budapest the City of Baths & Spas

Gellert Bath Budapest Thermal Spa 1930

Budapest has a tremendously rich natural spring water reservoir, right under the city of Budapest, also under the Gellert Hill and the Buda Hill. The wells under the City Park supply water to the world famous Szechenyi Bath and the lesser known Dagaly Bath.

Budapest is indeed the City of Baths. There are about ten Budapest baths which are outstanding. The top 3 baths are hard to choose, but our choice goes to Szechenyi Thermal Bath, Gellert Bath and Rudas Bath.

As the City of Baths, Budapest offers the most unique weekend parties in the city, and in Europe. If you love parties, do not miss out on the summer time Szechenyi Bath pool parties, or the winter time thermal Magic Bath parties in Lukacs Baths. The coolest parties of the year are the Cinetrip pool parties – both in Szechenyi Baths, including the NYE Budapest Bath Party!

Szechenyi Bath Sparty Budapest Cinetrip