3 days in Budapest: The Perfect Budapest Itinerary

Budapest is one of the most popular travel-destination in the whole Europe! It is not without a reason, since it is indeed a marvelous city with unbelievable sights and monuments and of course mouth-watering food.

After we visited the beautiful capital of Hungary, we prepared a 3-day plan, in order to help you organize your trip as efficiently as possible and to not waste your time googling to search information.

Keep reading to find everything you need for having the time of your life in the magical Budapest!

Day 1

After you start your day with a traditional Hungarian breakfast (scrambled eggs and an open-faced sandwich with cheese and cured meats, such as mortadella, salami or delicious sausages), you will walk around Budapest’s center. The center of Budapest is Inner City, located in Pest.

For those who don’t know, Budapest is separated in two parts, Buda and Pest. Pest is the city that attracts more people, due to its vivid life and its impressive buildings and Buda is the residential part of Budapest, since it’s quitter but also full of sights, like Buda Castle or the marvelous Gellert Hill.

So, your first day will be dedicated to the center of Budapest and it will start with an enjoying walk in Erzsebet Square.

There you will find the Budapest Eye, namely the Ferris Wheel in the popular park of the square and you will have the opportunity to marvel at the view of the city from up high. However, the highest point for an amazing view of the city, is from the top of St. Stephen’s Basilica, which you will visit next.

St. Stephen’s Basilica is the tallest building, along with the Hungarian Parliament Building and also it is the third biggest church of Hungary. Most specifically, its height reaches 96 meters. 

Its name comes from the first king of Hungary, Stephen I. You can climb the 364 stairs or use the elevator, in order to reach the top of Basilica to see the view of the city. Beware that the elevator doesn’t reach to the top and you will have to climb staircase.

After your visit in St. Stephen’s Basilica, you can head to the Hungarian State Opera House. 

There, you will have the opportunity for a quick tour in the whole building, in order to learn interesting information and also watch a 10-minute performance of two opera singers. Believe us, you will be amazed by the architecture of the building and by the interesting performance of the two singers. Lastly, be advised that you can choose from a variety of languages such as English, French, Italian, Chinese etc.

After the Hungarian State Opera House, you can take a quick break for a coffee or a snack. We tried the most famous donuts of Budapest, in Mr. Funk and there were many flavors and decorations. 

However, if you don’t want to eat something sweet, there are many coffee places near the Hungarian State Opera House to find something that suits your needs.

After you relax, you will continue walking to the center of the city. For example, you can head to the Metropolitan Ervin Szabo Library, which is the biggest library network. Even if you don’t love books, it’s worth visiting and we are sure that you will be amazed by the beautiful architecture of the building.

However, if you don’t want to visit the Library and you prefer to do shopping, you can go to Budapest’s Mall, Westend Shopping Center but beware that it is located a bit far from the city center. The truth is that Westend Shopping Mall wasn’t one of the most spectacular ones, but the building is quite big and has many shops.

As for your dinner, there are many places for traditional Hungarian food or fast food. We recommend trying the Hungarian cuisine and most specifically it’s worth trying goulash soup, schnitzel and pork knuckles. 

Also, it’s better to end your day with a visit in a pub for a relaxing drink, like locals do. Be advised that the pubs are called ruin bars and they are located in abandoned buildings of the former Jewish quarter. It will be a unique experience.

Day 2

Your second day in Budapest is going to be the most tiring one but also the most exciting! After having a rich breakfast, you can start walking to the National Hungarian Museum. Inside, you can marvel at exhibitions about the history, art and archaeology of Hungary.

Later, you will visit the Budapest’s Central Market Hall. 

It is an enormous building, full of local products (like meats, cheeses, veggies etc.), coffee places, restaurants, hypermarket and also souvenir shops! It is a beloved place for locals, since they go there for grocery shopping. We were amazed by the immense quantity of paprika, all around the Market as well as by the beautiful shapes most pickled vegetables had, as you can see in the following picture.

As we mentioned before, inside the Central Market of Budapest, you can find a lot of fast food restaurants. Therefore, you will have the opportunity to try the famous langos, the most popular snack of Hungary! If you want to learn more information about what traditional Hungarian foods you should try, you can click here.

After enjoying your walk in the Central Market of Budapest, it’s time for a magical adventure. More specifically, we suggest you to spend most of your day climbing the Gellert Hill without a second thought. 

Gellert Hill reaches 235 meters and offers a great view of Danube River as well as of the whole city of Budapest. Moreover, the fortress Citadella is located on top of Gellert Hill, because it was used for the protection of the city. We are sure that you will be amazed by the awesome view of the city and you will feel both awe and satisfaction when you reach the top of Gellert Hill!

After visiting Gellert Hill, you will need a quick breather. That’s why, it will be a great idea to visit a coffee place nearby or at the city center, in order to grab langos or even… a sweet chimney cake!

Our favorite chimney cake has its origins in Hungary and that’s the reason why you should try it when you visit Budapest, because it will be the authentic one!

After you gain some strength (and enough sugar), you have two options. The first option is to have a nice walk around the city center and then go back to your room to relax and get some sleep. That’s not what we recommend though. We suggest you   to get a bit more tired but also excited! That will happen by visiting Budapest’s City Park.

City Park is located near Budapest’s center and contains many sights.

The main attraction is Heroes’ Square. Heroes’ Square is one of Budapest’s biggest squares and it consists of statues of significant Hungarian figures as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Other important sights are the following: Museum of Fine Arts, Palace of Art, Municipal Zoological and Botanical Garden and many more. We were amazed by the Vajdahunyad Castle and the extensive park around it! It’s totally worth wandering for hours there, while looking at the beauty of this park and breathing fresh air.

As for your dinner, there are many traditional restaurants near the park, that are well-known for their delicious dishes! The truth is that restaurants outside the city center are better than others, because, as you can understand, in the city center are located the most “touristy” ones.

Day 3

Your last day in Budapest has come. But, trust us, you have a lot more to see!

The first sight of the day will be the one that you probably wanted to see the most… the picturesque Hungarian Parliament Building. 

It is called «Országház» in Hungarian, which means “The House of the Nation”. Also, it’s really interesting that Hungarian Parliament Building is the biggest building in the whole Hungary! 

You can get inside and take a 50-minute tour. With this tour, you can marvel at the inside of the Parliament Building, which is as stunning as its outside! More precisely, you will see walls ornated with gold and marvelous staircases. Furthermore, you will find the “Holy Crown” of Hungary, which is the original crown that was used for the coronation of every king since 12^th century.

After visiting the Parliament of Hungary, you will pass by the “Shoes on the Danube Bank”. Shoes of the Danube Bank is a monument dedicated to the Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II.

Next, you will cross the Chain Bridge, which is the first permanent bridge of Budapest that connected Buda with Pest.

Walking a bit further, you will reach Fisherman’s Bastion.

Fisherman’s Bastion is one of the most famous sights of Budapest and it attracts a great number of visitors every year. Of course, since it is located at a high point, you will have the opportunity to enjoy a captivating view of the city! 

Moreover, there you will find Mattias Church, which you can explore on your own or with a tour guide. Last but not least, you can climb at the bell tower, with a guide, in order to see a better view of the city of Budapest.

Time for a break with a coffee or snack! There are a lot of coffee places or restaurants near the Fisherman’s Bastion. Also, for your information, there is a Starbucks inside the site, which is always full of people enjoying a coffee or a snack. Our suggestion is to grab a cup of warm delicious coffee from there and start walking around Fisherman’s Bastion or even better sit on a bench and stare at the view of the city of Budapest and at the marvelous Parliament.

We left the best attraction of Budapest for the end. We are talking about Buda Castle, which is located really close to Fisherman’s Bastion. 

Buda Castle was the Royal Castle of Hungary, but now it is the National Art Gallery and the History Museum of Budapest. The reason we left it for the end of your trip is because the city truly transforms at night and Buda Castle offers the best view and it closes late so you have plenty of time to take as many photos as you want!

We hope that you find our 3-day plan useful and that you will spend 3 awesome and unforgettable days in the magical Budapest!

You can also watch the following video, where we analyze our 3-day trip to Budapest, if you want to see more from this amazing city!