explore — europe — Ysabel's Place

Please, someone tell me: where else on earth can you eat the most incredible, Michelin restaurant chef meal of your life for 6 euros, hottub in a Neo-Baroque palace, bar crawl through incredible, abandoned prisons and restructured Soviet-era ruins bars and party in a 26 room club decked out with furniture on it's ceiling, all in one day?

Budapest. This city has to be the gem of Europe.

To start, the people rule. We found Budapest was a magic combination of local Hungarians, friendly backpackers, fun Europeans and young travelers who just could never get themselves to leave the beautiful city. The food is to die for (do I say that about every place I go?), there are jaw-dropping views, hiking and sunset spots, they party in a way I can't keep up with and the entire weekend was shockingly cheap.

So what exactly do you need to see on your trip? Here are the most notable ones from my Budapest weekend:

Sights:

Central Market Hall: Worth a trip, even if you stop in just for an hour or two. It's a restored neogothic hall with traders selling grocery produce on the ground floor and beautiful linens and handmade souvenirs on the 2nd floor.

Liberty Bridge: Just a few blocks from the Central Market Hall is the Liberty Bridge, which will take you from the Pest side of the river across to Buda. Couples and friends bring wine and climb up onto the bridge for a picnic and photo-op.

Christmas Markets: Scattered throughout the city in November and December. Grab a gyro, a vegetable skewer or a hot wine!

Citadella and Gellert Hill viewspot: A climb well worth the greatest view the city has to offer. Go just before sunset, and bring cash for the warm wine for sale along the trail!

Hidden Passages: Off of Dob U. street, near Cirkusz Cafe is a few streets of hidden passages full of adorable cafes, bars and restaurants. Red Bistro and Blue Bird Cafe were two that were the most packed. We found a local man who had come from Jerusalem to sell his mothers hand-knotted lace chokers, napkins and jewelry. If you catch him, buy a lace choker, we wish we had brought back more!

Szechenyi Thermal Bath: The big one, a must do. Buy a day pass and relax for a few hours; we met people from all around the world and went in the thermal bath as well as the sauna in the spa inside.

Do a Danube River Booze Cruise: everything on the water lights up once the sunsets, and there is incredible views from a boat cruise. They are cheap, can include an open bar in your ticket, and are a great way to meet international students. We met the greatest girls from Ireland on our cruise.

Restaurants:

Esetleg Bisztro: Rustic bar and restaurant with good prices, an incredible interior, nice music, blankets and a gorgeous view overlooking the sparkling Buda side of town across the water. Perfect for a reward drink after your hike up Gellert hill.

Cirkusz Cafe: In the quarter where all the trendy, new and funky restaurants and cafes are at. This brunch spot is hip without being obnoxious, has a friendly staff, fun music and makes a mean Eggs Benedict.

Koleves Vendeglo: We got delicious goulash here. It's a local, family run, organic restaurant with art displayed throughout the property and an adorable patio.

Karavan Street Food Park: Self explanatory, popping at happy hour and great for pre-drinks before going to Szimpla Kert.

Bors GasztroBar: Best meal of the weekend. Picture this: a group of guys that are ex-Michelin star restaurant chefs, that got over the seriousness of the business and decides to open their own street food shop on a small side street in Pest. The menu is simple: fresh soups like you've never tasted before (butternut squash bisque for me, tomato soup for Paige) and incredible paninis. See for yourself.

BRKLYN: Cool American-style pub food restaurant that has live music and nightlife after hours.

Sweetheart: Waffle and freakshake bar with a tiny, adorable, farmhouse meets trendy 50's diner-style restaurant and lofted seating. Everyone was talking about it, and it isn't as expensive as many other freakshake places around today so that's a plus. Grab a friend, grab a straw and get ready to see tons of millenials with DSLR cameras and Snapchat open. Don't expect the best milkshake of your life, expect the most Instagram worthy shake of your life.

*I don't usually do this, but don't go to Szimply. The pretty brunch pictures and very aesthetic Instagram will fool you; the food is beautiful, but came out cold and was extremely mediocre. Spend your money elsewhere!

Bars/Clubs:

Instant: This is the only club we went to... and we went 2 nights in a row because it was so unbeatable. Picture this: 26 rooms, 2 beer gardens, eclectic art everywhere, pigs hanging above the dance floor, furniture stuck upside down to the ceiling, and music that makes you never want to leave!

Szimpla Kert: When I die, bury me (or sprinkle me, or honestly whatever you have to do to make this possible, legal and up to health code standards) in Szimpla Kert. Holy. This may honestly be my favorite spot on the planet. Go at night, go during the day, bring your camera, shamelessly take pictures, do it all. And whatever you do, do not miss their Sunday farmers market. The entire ruins bar gets turned into a local market with fresh baked goods, Hungarian food vendors, art, produce and music. It is places like this, the comforting and elating fact that places like this exist in the world, that makes me so inspired to travel for the rest of my life.

Ankert: This is a trendy, more upscale ruins pub that is laid out like a beer garden in an old Soviet prison. Crazy, huh? When you get inside, be sure to look up and you will see what's left of the prison cells looming above you.

Kuplung: Love this one. It's one long indoor bar, facing out to a large tented seating area with a club entrance in the back. There is jellyfish and art installations floating above you, and fun, funky drinks.

Fogas Haz es Kert: This is one of the first ruins bars of Budapest, with two electronic DJ's and a big open-air dance floor. If you like intense, heavy electro, this is for you.

Hive Party Hostel: All I'm saying, is thank god I didn't stay here. This hostel turns into a roaring, thumping, line-down-the-street, bar/club of international college kids and backpackers around 10:30 every night. So fun, but it's a lot!

Budapest, you have my heart. I can't wait for my feet to explore your funky, colorful, and beautiful streets again.

Budapest, You Have My Heart

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