Tips on spending hot summer days and nights in Budapest

We came for a few weeks but ended up spending the whole #summer in #Budapest. Visiting the touristy spots and discovering some of the city’s hidden corners, we fell in love with the place. Budapest has such a charm to it that we became totally enchanted despite the tropical weather with temperatures up to 35C on many days.
Be careful; you’ll find so many events and interesting places to go that you might end up like us, and stay much longer than you intend to!

Ruin pubs
These are a big hype in the city. So much creativity has gone into designing these, every little spot in these pubs is covered with writing, painting or artistic decorations.

• Szimpla kert – if you only have time for one ruin pub, choose this one. It used to be an old factory which they converted into a very cool place. We’ve been to this pub quite a few times but never managed to get bored with it, we always discover something new and interesting in there.
  On top of all the rooms with creative design, they organise various events on most nights of the week. A farmer’s market on Sundays, a movie screening or a concert on other days,
  you’ll find their weekly program here http://en.szimpla.hu/szimpla-garden/programs
  Szimpla kert is located near the Jewish Synagogue, a short walk from Astoria metro station.
  

• Csendes Vintage – this one is a lot smaller than Szimpla Kert, but being a ruin pub, it also has a very cool and creative design and it’s a quiet place to hang out (Its name, ‘Csendes’ actually means quiet).
  It’s just a 10 minute walk from Szimpla kert, past the Jewish Synagogue.
  http://www.csend.es/CsendesVintageBar

Cool & budget food places

• Matrjoska Kroshka – a Russian vegan burger place. I know, right… Russian, vegan and burger?! You’ve probably never even seen those three words put in one sentence, but this place is IT if you like healthy, gluten-free homemade yummy (Russian & vegan) burgers like we do. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not vegans, far from it, but we just can’t say no to a healthy lunch like this. They offer a different selection of burgers daily so you’ll never get bored with their menu.
  https://www.matrjoskakroshka.com/
  They are to be found on Baross utca, just behind Kalvin ter metro station.

• Karavan – the place for street food in the city, and it’s also right next to Szimpla Kert! Offering a big selection of burgers, but not just regular ones; you’ll find langos burgers, rice burgers and vegan burgers here too!
  https://www.facebook.com/streetfoodkaravan/
  You’ll find Karavan right next door (to the left) from Szimpla kert; we usually combined a drink at Szimpla with a burger at Karavan.

Of course I had a vegan burger

Langos is a traditional Hungarian street food, here they combined the traditional with the modern into something unusual:

• Bors Gasztro Pub – Igennnn! Every order is shouted out by the cashier to the cooks, who answer with a loud soldier-like ‘IGEN’ (yes) to signal they understood. Their food is tasty, they have unique baguettes, salads, and stews. I had their corn and mushroom stew, which I can only recommend.
  https://www.facebook.com/BorsGasztroBar
  This pub is also (almost) next door from Szimpla kert (to the right).

• Frici papa kifozdeje – if you are up for trying some hardcore Hungarian dishes then this place is the one for you. All their dishes are under 5 euros and the portions are huge, faithful to the Hungarian tradition.
  http://fricipapa.hu/
  This place is on Kiraly utca, a short walk from Terez Korut 4 and 6 tram stop.

I couldn’t wait to dip into it, so I only took a picture of the meal when I was half way through it, sorry!

Cool drink / coffee places

• Warm up cocktail bar – this place is the best in the city for cocktails. They make tailor-made cocktails based on the alcohol and flavour of your choice. It’s not cheap (one cocktail will cost you around 9 euros) but definitely worth giving it a shot if you’re into cocktails.
  https://warmupbudapest.hu/
  You’ll find this bar just behind the Jewish Synagogue on Diofa utca.

• 360 bar – Come here for sunset to be wowed by the view. It’s on the top floor of a tall building, so the whole city revolves beneath you. We’ve been here several times and enjoyed a few cocktails while listening to the low, ambient music. Make sure to book a table ahead of time, especially if you’re planning on visiting on a weekend.
  http://www.360bar.hu/
  This bar is on Andrassy ut, between Oktogon and Opera metro stations.

• Pontoon – on the Pest side of the Danube, another great place to watch the sunset. If you don’t get a place to sit at a table, you’ll always find a few empty plastic chairs towards the edge of the dock, from where you’ll see the city covered in twinkling lights after dark even better.
  http://www.pontoonbudapest.com/
  This bar is right next to the Danube on Pest side of the Chain Bridge, you can get there by tram number 2.

Lakes & Beaches

• Lupa to – with their white sandy beaches, sun beds and cool music you can almost mistake this place for a proper seaside and imagine you’re somewhere in the Caribbean instead of the north side of Budapest. Restaurants line up along the beach, offering a big selection of foods and drinks. We enjoyed lying on the beach too much so we didn’t get to try the water sports, but you can try wakeboarding, flyboarding and even diving!
  http://lupato.hu/
  It’s quite far from the city centre, you’ll need to have a car or hire a taxi to get there.

• Rukkel to – this place is not as amazing as the former one, the beach covered with grass, but you’ll find a lot more shade here under the trees all around the lake, and the entry fee is almost half the price of Lupa to. I even managed to go for a swim here, the water was so warm!
  http://www.waterpark.hu/
  This lake is outside of Budapest, you’ll need to have a car or hire a taxi to get there.

Relaxing spots

• Margit sziget – when we had enough for the day and just felt lying down on the grass and chillaxing, we went to Margit Sziget. We hung out at the music fountain in the evenings.

Once we even ventured further towards the middle of the island and found the Japanese garden, which is full of little lakes an statues.

You can get there by tram number 2, get off at Jaszai Mari Ter (the last stop of the tram).

Extra tips

• Buy a season ticket for public transport (BKK) if you’re staying at least a week. You can use it for buses, trams, the HEV train, metro and even public boats on the Danube during the week. Look at the ‘Monthly passes’ section to find weekly, fortnightly passes on https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/prices/

• For shorter trips, consider buying a BUDAPEST card. It allows unlimited travel on public transport and includes free entry for loads of attractions. http://budapestcards.com/

• Do not attempt to go anywhere by car between 7am to 10 am and 4pm to 7pm, you’ll just be stuck in a traffic jam. It has happened to us quite a few times and believe me it’s not fun.

• The best way to see the city if you’re short on time is getting on the ‘Hop on Hop off bus’. It will take you to the most famous sights and you’ll learn about the history of the city on the way. https://www.citytour.hu/en

• You’ll get the best views of the city for free if you go to the Citadel on the top of Gellert Hill.
  You’ll get to see the structure of the city and the difference between the hilly Buda side and the flat Pest side, with the Danube dividing the two.

It’s quite a hike, especially in the heat but you’ll be rewarded with a panoramic view of the city. The ‘Hop on Hop off’ bus also stops on the top of the hill.

All these were our favourite places in Budapest, we hope you get to experience them all if you happen to be visiting this great city in the summer!
The best months to go are July and August, June can be quite rainy and it starts to cool down in mid-September. Try to book your accommodation ahead of time as there are many events happening in Budapest during the summer (like the famous Sziget Festival, Formula 1) and hotels fill up fast during those.

We came for a few weeks but ended up spending the whole summer in Budapest. Visiting the touristy spots and discovering some of the city’s hidden corners, we fell in love with the place. Budapest has such a charm to it that we became totally enchanted despite the tropical weather with temperatures up to 35C on many days.
Be careful; you’ll find so many events and interesting places to go that you might end up like us, and stay much longer than you intend to!