Budapest: The City That Keeps Pulling Me Back (I Lived There — Here's What You Need to Know)

I lived in Budapest for almost two years. I've since been back four times. That probably tells you everything you need to know about how I feel about the place.

It's one of those cities that doesn't try too hard. It's not performatively cool like Berlin, or exhaustingly beautiful like Paris. Budapest is just genuinely good. The food is honest, the wine is underrated, the coffee culture is serious, and the thermal baths are something you'll talk about for years.

Here's what I'd tell a friend before they went.

Don't stay in the party district

The VII district — the Jewish Quarter — is where the ruin bars are, and it's brilliant for a night out. But if you're staying there, you won't sleep. Book somewhere in the V district (the city centre) or the II district (quieter, residential, still walkable to everything). You'll thank yourself on night two.

Find hotels in Budapest on Booking.com — filter for V or II district first.

The thermal baths aren't tourist traps — but some are better than others

Széchenyi is the famous one — the big yellow palace with the outdoor pools. It's genuinely brilliant and worth doing once. But if you want something slightly less crowded, try Lukács. It's where Budapesters actually go. Less Instagram, more old men playing chess in the steam.

Rudas is worth a visit too, especially on a Friday or Saturday night when they open the rooftop pool after dark. One of the better experiences of my life, honestly.

Book Széchenyi Baths tickets in advance — queues can be brutal in summer.

What to eat (and where)

Hungarian food gets dismissed as "just goulash" by people who haven't tried it properly. Don't be that person.

• Goulash — yes, obviously. Get it at a proper bistro near Ferenciek tere. Simple, cheap, honest.
• Lángos — fried dough topped with sour cream and cheese. Get it from a market stall, not a restaurant. The Great Market Hall (Nagyvásárcsarnok) has decent ones upstairs.
• Chimney cake (kürtőskalács) — ignore the tourist versions. Find a bakery making them fresh.
• Wine — Hungarian wine is seriously underrated. Tokaji is the famous one (sweet, dessert wine), but the reds from Eger are what I'd drink every night. Ask for Egri Bikavér — Bull's Blood. It sounds dramatic and it is.

For a proper dinner, Borkonyha on Sas utca is one of the best restaurants in the city. Michelin-starred but not remotely pretentious. Book ahead.

The ruin bars — Szimpla in particular

Szimpla Kert is the original ruin bar and it still holds up. Go on a Sunday morning when they run a farmers' market — completely different vibe to the nighttime crowd, and genuinely lovely. You can wander around with a coffee and actually see the place without 400 people in the way.

At night: Szimpla, then Instant-Fogas (enormous complex, something for everyone), then wherever feels right. Budapest nights are long.

What most people miss

Memento Park — a graveyard for communist-era statues on the outskirts of the city. Absolutely bizarre and completely worth it. Half a day, easily reached by car or bus from the centre.

Eger, two hours north-east — one of the most underrated towns in Europe. A baroque city with a castle, wine cellars carved into volcanic rock, and almost no tourists. If you're in Budapest for more than four days, go.

Day trips from Budapest — the Danube Bend tour is particularly good.

Practical things

• Currency: Hungarian Forint (HUF). Hungary is not in the euro zone. Cards work almost everywhere but cash is handy at markets and smaller places.
• Getting around: The metro is cheap and excellent. Buy a 24-hour or 72-hour travel card — it covers metro, tram, and bus.
• Language: Hungarian is genuinely one of the hardest languages in Europe. Don't try. "Köszönöm" (kur-sur-num) means thank you. That'll get you a long way.
• Best time to go: May–June and September–October. July and August are hot and very crowded. December is magical — Christmas markets along the Danube — but cold.

If you go and don't immediately start planning a second trip, I'll be surprised.