How to spend 5 days in Budapest

5 days in Budapest

I have to say that Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. And I visited a lot. But when I remember the charm, character and the spirit of Budapest, it still makes me speechless.
Here’s my advice on how to spend 5 days in Budapest.

Budapest is separated in Buda and Pest. In Pest, there’s the Parliament, the old town with shops and restaurants, and the university. In Buda, there’s Fisherman’s Bastion, the Freedom Hill, etc.

Travel time

We’ve been in Budapest in October and definitely loved the autumn colors and the warm autumn sun on our skins.
Imagine to be there in wintertime, maybe with snow and the christmas markets and decorations – I think that would be great to. I’m sure I have to go one more time in winter!
But also in spring or in summer, Budapest is simply an all-over-the-year destination.

As you know me, I always search for the cheapest flights in off-season and then determine the exact dates I visit the destination.
You can find my guide about finding cheap flights with skyscanner here.

Must Sees for 5 days in Budapest

Depending on how many other tourists you can stand, there are some must-sees in Budapest of course.
Always try to travel in off-season like me, then it shouldn’t be a problem to visit the main attractions. Another plus is to go to the top places very early!

The parliament building

So I heard it’s also very scenic on the inside, if you wanna take a look. We decided to just walk along the shore on the opposite side (Buda), to have the most scenic view from outside in my opinion. Another very instagrammable spot, hehe! And of course the best option if the weather is nice like in our case.

Must-See - Parliament Budapest

Fisherman’s Bastion

Okay, so this is an absolute must-see in my opinion, because it makes one feel like in a fairytale!
Already when you walk up the steps, you feel the magic of this place. Please come here early in the morning, or you will share the place with hundreds of other tourists.

Fisherman’s Bastion is located on a hill on the Buda side and includes some other sightseeing buildings like Matthias Church and St. Stephans Monument.

PLUS: when you arrive up there, you can go to the left of Matthias Church and find a small park with outdoor restaurant. The Langos here is a dream!

5 days in Budapest - St. Stephans monument

The Chain Bridge

It was the very first bridge in Budapest and it’s so beautiful. I found the perfect instagrammable spot right when you go down the stairs to the shore of Danube river, on the Pest side.

Budapest is so dreamy to me, maybe I should call it the fairy-city?

5 days in Budapest - Chain Bridge

Matthias Church

Did I already mention Budapest makes you feel like in a fairytale sometimes? Yes? I’m sorry, it couldn’t be mentioned enough! I mean, look at this dreamy church, called Matthias Church. It’s also located on the hill next to Fisherman’s Bastion, so definitely do these two in combination!

5 days in Budapest - Matthias Church

Freedom State Hill

Did you ever do a hiking-tour right in the middle of a capital? The freedom hill is perfect for your “somehow different” adventure in Budapest.

You can start your tour at the Buda end of Elisabeth bridge, on Google Maps search for “Gerard of Csanád Monument” and take the stairs right down on the street.

It’s a 30-60 minutes walk up the hill, depending on how fit you are, how fast you want to be and how many pictures you take.
When you walk up, there are a few nice spots to take pictures of the view above the city. Our favorite spot is on the other side, when you start walking down:

Freedom Hill Budapest

On top of the hill you can find the Citadella with the Freedom Statue. A very impressive building, too. Oh Budapest, you and you buildings!

Freedom Statue

Danube river night cruise

Finally, the last thing I want to recommend you, is something I smile about with all my heart, when I think back to it.

If you are as romantic as I am (I’ve only been there with my best friend, but doesn’t matter) or if you like to see Budapest from a TOTALLY DIFFERENT view, then please… book a night cruise on the Danube river!

Oh how beautiful it was! In Budapest, everything is painted into a dreamy golden glow at night, and believe me – I couldn’t imagine a better way than to see it all from a boat with a nice drink in your hand!

I have to admit that the prices for the drinks are not that cheap on the boats. But you can take something with you of course! You can find different cruises in google, with drinks or dinner also, but I found mine with getyourguide: Budapest Boat Cruise.

Isn’t this breathtaking?

Danube river night cruise Budapest

Another funny tour is a day tour with the bus that can drive on water!! Yes, I’m serious, IT DRIVES ON WATER, you can find it on Tripadvisor: Sightseeing Tour by land and water.

Accomodations

As always, for the best accomodations I highly recommend to use Airbnb and Booking.

If you search for budget hotels, I found these ones:
Hotel Bara Budapest
Triple M Hotel 
Budapest Csaszar Hotel

If you like a bit more special hotels, but under 100€ per night for two persons, have a look here:
Bohem Art Hotel 
Royal Park Boutique Hotel 

The interior is ART here: Buda Castle Fashion Hotel Budapest
Large pool area, Sauna, Beach, Wellness: Holiday Beach Budapest Wellness
It looks like a PALACE: Danubius Hotel Gellért

So thank you so much for reading through my 5 days in Budapest tipps and if you have further questions, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments or dm me on instagram!

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