Spend A Long Weekend in Budapest.

I have just returned back home, from such an amazing weekend away with my girlfriends in Budapest. I had never been to this city before, so I was not sure what to expect. I can honestly say I had the best time there – even with temperatures of -3. We crammed lots of adventures into our three full days, ate so much food and walked for miles and miles exploring. It was awesome. I thought I would put together a little diary of our time away, just in case any of you ever wanted to travel to this part of the world, and had no idea where to go or what to see. If you are looking for a cheap getaway this destination is for you. I spent next to nothing from booking flights in advance, only carrying hand luggage as well as £150 lasting me the entire 3-4 days we were there. Warning: This post is photo heavy. Read on for more…

Being absolutely useless at organising anything, basically in life, I cannot take credit for sorting out this trip. The birthday girl, Charlotte, booked a stunning apartment for us girls, through Air Bnb, one that I can highly recommend. This is where we stayed. Right in the centre of Budapest, only a short walk away from restaurants, bars and local tourist attractions. 

DAY ONE | Thursday 8th December

Arrived and settled into the apartment. Had a cheeky nap. Moaned about how cold it was. Contemplated stealing the marble table in the apartment, but it would not realistically fit into hand luggage. Late afternoon, braved the freezing ass temperatures and risked toes falling off, to wander the streets of Budapest. Stumbled upon Christmas Markets, drank mulled wine and quickly learnt that the Hungarians have not quite yet adapted to those who lead a vegetarian lifestyle…. cabbage or grilled cheese were mainly my food options. We all then went home, and I may have had yet another cheeky nap, before getting ready for going out. For dinner we went to Trófea Grill Étterem Buda, an all you can eat style restaurant. They had these incredible potato doughnuts and creamy spinach. It was a really nice atmosphere with great service. Great for a cheap dinner with decent food. 

DAY TWO | Friday 9th December

Some of the gang were feeling slightly hungover so we didn’t leave the apartment until late on in the day. When we did eventually leave we walked to Chain Bridge, and right across to the other side of the river. If you don’t know, Budapest is split into two, Buda is on one side of the river, and Pest is the other. We were staying on the Buda side. In our apartment we had a little guide map, and so we decided to head to View Point to see right across and over Buda. After two hours of walking we stopped off for a hot beverage, and I had the nicest white hot chocolate I have ever had in my life. So good. 

DAY THREE | Saturday 10th December

This was probably my favourite day of the trip. Firstly we went to the House of Terror, which is a museum memorialising the victims that were killed within the building during the 20th Century. I know that sounds pretty depressing, and it really was, but it was important to us to learn more about the culture and history of Hungary. Then we jumped on the Metro, an underground style tram, which was really cool as it felt we had just gone back in time. Next stop, ice skating! There are lots of ice skating rinks in Budapest, but the best is the Outdoor Ice Rink in the City Park, right next to Varosligeti Castle. It was absolutely HUGE. I freakin’ adore ice skating, and can definitely skate better than I can walk. The views of the castle were amazing, and we arrived as the sun was setting so it was all pretty breath taking. After ice skating, we then decided to try out the Szechenyi Baths, the biggest and most famous of the thermal baths in Budapest. It was so much fun here, and I would love to go back to see what it is like in the day time. Apparently there are thermal bath parties and things can get a little raunchy…..an experience not for me.

We worked up quite an appetite and decided to have dinner at a nearby restaurant, Bagolyvar. The service here was amazing, our waiter was by far the happiest Hungarian man we had met, and I have no idea what I ordered for my  main but it involvled mushrooms and some potato cake and cheese concoction – so, soooo good. 

DAY FOUR | Homeward Bound

Packed up all of my jumpers and thermal socks and headed to the airport. Feeling a little sad I didn’t have time to go to the Cat Cafe that was around the corner from our apartment. Until next time…

So that was our little city break! Like I said, I only spent around £150 including all food, drink, taxis and excursions. So if you are looking for a holiday on a budget, with lots to do, you could definitely come here. Now to plan the next adventure… Bali anyone?