Last Updated on January 16, 2026 by Home in the World
I had been wanting to visit the picturesque Hungarian capital, Budapest, for quite some time. Originally two separate cities bisected by the Danube River – Buda on the western side and Pest on the eastern -, it has been unified since 1873, and is today home to nearly 2 million people. Many tourists tend to combine it with the similarly fairytale-like Prague, but I had not done so when visiting the Czech capital in 2006.
Ten years later, during a 2-week semi-work trip to London, I decided it would be a nice idea to break up the stay with a short interlude in a new country half-way through. Coming all the way from Australia, and with so many different options on London’s doorstep, it seemed only logical.
For several months before, I had been intending on making this mini break in Morocco, but in the end (and I don’t even remember the reasons for the change of heart now), I settled on Budapest. I was only there for two full days, however, so this post is not a comprehensive guide to the city; it’s just whatever I could cram in during that brief time frame!
Read on to find out how I spent my 2 days in Budapest.
The Parliament Building
Upon arriving at the hotel after dark, I thought it would be a good idea to book a city tour for the following day, as a way of at least seeing some of the sights as efficiently as possible to maximise my time.
The hotel concierge arranged one through a company that worked out of the hotel building, and the itinerary seemed just right for what I wanted. So the next day, it was all aboard the coach for the tour, and the first stop was the iconic Hungarian Parliament Building.
The striking neo-Gothic structure was designed by Hungarian architect Imre Steindl, who drew inspiration from London’s Palace of Westminster. And this influence is very clear, whether you are admiring the building from close-up or afar. You do require a ticket to go in, but this was included as part of the tour.
We got off the bus nearby and had to wait out in the forecourt by the river for quite some time in the freezing wind before going in. It was not totally clear what exactly was going on, but the waiting time did allow me to at least snap a few photos.
Once inside, we were pretty much left to our own devices, and I spent probably around an hour wandering through the various hallways and chambers. It is all very grand, with magnificent red-carpet-clad staircases, ornate vaulted ceilings (many featuring elaborate frescoes), gold chandeliers, and imposing statues that gaze down upon their visitors.
The building is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, and one of the main points of interest is the main chamber, where the wooden seats are arranged in a circular fashion in a rectangular room lined with gold archways and mezzanine arcades that struck me as almost Moorish in style. An impressive sight, to say the least.
The Hungarian Parliament is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, tourist attractions in the city, and it was definitely a must-see for me during my lightning visit. Next, we were herded onto a different bus with a different guide for the rest of the city tour. It appeared the Parliament component was separate from everything else.
Heroes’ Square
The bus drove further east around the Pest side of the city, though sadly did not stop anywhere. Hence I was only able to snatch a quick glimpse of Heroes’ Square – one of the city’s main squares, which was created in 1896 to mark the 1000th anniversary of Hungary’s existence. Its statues commemorate the leaders of the seven Hungarian tribes who founded the country – through the bus window.
Matthias Church
Heading back toward the Danube, we crossed over to the Buda side for the first time, winding our way up the hilly terrain before stopping outside Matthias Church, which I had seen from Pest while waiting outside the Parliament. Also known as the Church of the Assumption of Buda Castle, it sits perched atop Buda Castle Hill.
Apart from its soaring 78-m (256 ft) tower, what I found most striking were its colourful Zsolnay ceramic tiles, featuring diamond patterns and floral motifs. It was unlike any other church roof I had ever seen, and it added some much needed colour against the pretty bleak, grey sky that day.
Fisherman’s Bastion
Just near the church is another popular Budapest attraction – Fisherman’s Bastion, which provides some of the best views over the city’s rooftops, the Danube, and, impressively, the Hungarian Parliament Building.
Although it was extremely cold, bleak and windy when I was up there due to its exposed location, I very much enjoyed taking in the vista through the Neo-Romanesque terraces. The bastion itself was built between 1895 and 1902, connecting the Castle Hill with the ‘Fishtown’ settlement by the Danube.
Hoping to have been given more time to wander around this area and explore some of the little artisan shops nearby, I was disappointed to find the guide was more interested in taking the group inside one of the turrets to watch some sort of short horror film (I didn’t go), and then spending the rest of the time in a Starbucks-esque coffeeshop that did not feel remotely authentic or Hungarian.
It was very frustrating, and fell well short of what I had expected. It is not my intention to name and shame companies on this blog, but I was certainly left feeling more short-changed and underwhelmed than I had on any other city tour I had ever taken anywhere else in the world. Try some of these to have a better tour experience than I did!
Goulash
Once back at my hotel, to assuage my annoyance, I decided to turn my attention to dinner and try one of Hungary’s most famous specialities: goulash. I’m not a massive meatlover, but this hearty beef stew served with fresh country-style bread was absolutely to die for. And after being out in the cold for most of the afternoon, it was a fantastic way to warm up too. I had mine at the on-site restaurant at my hotel, but it is a staple at many eateries across the city.
The Danube River and Chain Bridge
After the sumptuous meal, I returned to my room to spend some time enjoying the magical view from my window. The Chain Bridge glittered like a delicate necklace strung across the river. Behind it, the illuminated spire of Matthias Church shone like a beacon, while the many cruise boats carved gently and gracefully through the waters of the Danube. It really was like something out of a fairytale.
The next day, which was also my last, had me in a bit of a dilemma, as I hadn’t felt like I’d seen everything I’d wanted to on the Buda side the previous day on the tour, but was also keen to see some new bits and pieces on the Pest side.
So I resolved to try and do a little of both. First stop was to brave the biting wind (it was about 8°C/46°F, which is a very cold daytime temperature for me as an Australian!) and walk across the Chain Bridge, which was very close to my hotel.
The funicular
Once on the Buda side, there is a quaint funicular that operates up to the top of Castle Hill, and I wanted to try it, since the day before I had been taken up by bus. Tickets to the funicular can be bought online at sites such as this one, or you can just buy them when you get there (as I did).
There was quite a long wait in the queue to actually get on the funicular, since it is quite small, but that was a great chance to take in the surrounds, which included little pop-up food stalls and a massive, beautifully manicured traffic roundabout.
Buda Castle
After finally getting on the funicular and taking the short ride to the top, I emerged at Buda Castle itself, which had not been part of the previous day’s tour. The view from up here once again took in a panorama of the river, the Chain Bridge, and Pest.
Buda Castle is a vast palace complex originally constructed in the 13th century, though was to be largely rebuilt in the 1700s in baroque style after various bouts of bombardments, sieges and demolitions.
The landscaped courtyards are free to wander around, and many also have little souvenir stalls which sold some cute trinkets and garments – I ended up buying a couple of lovely Pashmina scarves there. I did not have time to actually go inside the castle, but it is open to the public for a fee.
Pest
After another quick stop at Fisherman’s Bastion, I decided to spend the last afternoon back on the Pest side, which I had not seen much of. Given the short time frame, I could not venture far, so my amblings were limited to the District V and Lipótváros areas.
I strolled down a number of little streets, some of which included cutely decorated arcades, and past several pedestrianised lanes whose al-fresco restaurants were salvaging the final vestiges of the summer season, despite the greyness and cold temperatures.
I can imagine it would be lovely during the warmer months with trees in full, lush leaf. One of the main sights in this part of the city is St Stephen’s Basilica, an imposing, domed Roman-Catholic structure that rises up at the end of a cobbled square featuring colourful pavement patterns.
Here, too, many of the smaller streets leading off it were lined with homely-looking restaurants, not to mention the odd street-seller (I did end up buying some beautiful handmade table runners from one lady for a few forints).
Gradually wending my way back towards the river and my hotel, I walked part of the way along Bajcsy Zsilinszky Street (one of the main thoroughfares in this district), where, like much of Budapest, a varied mix of classical European architecture (some of the buildings were indeed quite Parisian with their Juliet balconies) is interspersed with the more drab, block-style Soviet buildings (Hungary was under communist rule until 1989, despite an intense but short-lived revolution in 1956).
This was a busy part of the city, choked with traffic, so it was great to be able to stumble upon leafy Erzsebet (Elizabeth) Square to cut through away from the road. The square is home to the Budapest Eye Ferris wheel, and the various pop-up stalls and strings of colourful lights made me think it had been the setting of some kind of summer festival.
It seemed to be a place where a lot of locals came to just take five, read, and people-watch. And if I hadn’t been in such a rush, I may well have done the same.
With darkness beginning to fall, the lights of Budapest started switching on; building exteriors were illuminated, and waiters lit lanterns hanging picturesquely at restaurant entrances. Shops and stalls were still pumping, and nowhere more so than Vörösmarty Square, whose pedestrianised streets were teeming with after-work commuters, local families and young people, and numerous tourists.
The overall vibe was one of a cosmopolitan, classy European city – beautifully maintained/restored architecture, flower-clad street lamps, and an array of restaurants and shops that was just as varied as the many different languages and accents I was hearing being spoken around me. I really liked it, and only wish I could have spent more time there.
Final thoughts on my 2 days in Budapest
That sadly marked the end of my 2 days in Budapest. I am aware there are still several things I did not get to see, such as the Central Market Hall, the New York Café, and the many thermal baths.
What I did see, however, was a grand, historic metropolis that has managed to fuse its classical and communist past with a vibrant, modern present, while straddling the shores of one of Europe’s great rivers. It’s definitely worth more than the two days I had – but you’ve got to leave some stuff to explore next time, right?!
** This post, like everything else on this website, has been written entirely by me. No ChatGPT or any other AI tool has been used. It takes longer to create, but I value 100% human-generated content and I hope you do too! **
Trip facts
When I visited: October 2016
Weather: This was probably the main downside of the trip. I found October far too cold and bleak. Thankfully the 2 days I was there, it was at least dry. Because the day I arrived and the day I left, it poured with rain non-stop, which would have made sightseeing virtually impossible.
The daytime temperature was about 8°C (46°F), and the wind chill made it even colder. For me, as an Australian, this was too cold and unpleasant, though it may well suit others. Perhaps if the sun had come out, it would have been nicer. In any case, I think a month earlier would have been a better time to come.
Where I stayed: InterContinental Budapest
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