Budapest's Parliament seen from across the Danube
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Budapest in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 6.2 km on foot
  • 16 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days let you split the city in half: one for Buda's postcard views and the Jewish Quarter, the other for monumental Pest and a thermal bath. There is time for a sit-down lunch, a soak in hot water and no constant clock-watching. It is the pace we recommend for a first visit.

Day 1Castle, synagogue and legends

In the morning, take the route «The best of Budapest: Castle Hill», with Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. Come down and have your goulash at Százéves, in Pest. The afternoon is free for two sights in the centre, a few minutes' walk apart. When the sun drops, return to Elisabeth Bridge to start «Witches' Hill: Legends of Gellért Hill», with St Gerard and the Rudas Baths. For dinner, a lángos.

  1. Morning

    The best of Budapest: Castle Hill

    Mixed · 1.8 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Matthias ChurchRoyal weddings, a century and a half as a mosque and a ceramic roof that glitters like fish scales.
    2. Fisherman's BastionIt looks like a medieval fortress, but it's a lookout built in 1902 for gazing at the Danube.
    3. Sándor PalaceThe Hungarian president's residence, where a prime minister took his own life in 1941 rather than break his word.
    4. Buda Royal PalaceDestroyed and rebuilt again and again: the palace of Hungary's kings is the city's great survivor.
    5. Chain BridgeThe first permanent bridge between Buda and Pest, born of Széchenyi's stubbornness and guarded by four lions with a legend.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Goulash (gulyás) at Százéves Étterem. Piarista utca 2, Budapest

  3. Afternoon

    Dohány Street Synagogue

    The largest synagogue in Europe, in Moorish style, with two domed towers. It stands in the old Jewish Quarter, ten minutes from Százéves. It does not open to visitors on Saturdays, so check the day beforehand.

    Directions

    Hungarian State Opera

    A neo-Renaissance theatre opened in 1884, with a gilded interior and a marble staircase. You can visit on a guided tour or catch a performance. It sits on Andrássy Avenue, a short stroll from the synagogue.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Witches' Hill: Legends of Gellért Hill

    Mysteries & legends · 2 km · 1 h 45 min

    1. Contra-Aquincum and Pest's Oldest ChurchUnder a sheet of glass, the walls of a Roman fort; beside it, a church that was once a mosque and, by tradition, once held a martyr's grave.
    2. St Gerard's Statue and the Witches' HillA bishop who, legend says, was hurled down the hillside, and a hill that for centuries was said to draw the witches of Hungary.
    3. Rudas BathsA 16th-century Ottoman dome over hot springs that were rising from the hill long before the city existed.
    4. Cave ChurchA church carved into the hill, which the communist police walled up behind concrete in 1951.
    5. Liberty BridgeA green bridge from 1896 crowned by four turul birds, the bird of the dream that, legend says, foretold the Árpád dynasty.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Lángos at Központi Vásárcsarnok. Vámház körút 1–3, Budapest

Day 2Parliament, squares and spas

Spend the morning on «Budapest from 1849 to 1989: the Pest Embankment»: the Academy, the shoes on the Danube, Parliament and St Stephen's Basilica. The sights are sombre, so take it slowly. For lunch, cross the Chain Bridge and order halászlé, the fish soup, by the Danube on the Buda side. In the afternoon, ride the M1, the oldest metro on the continent, out to City Park and end your trip in hot water.

  1. Morning

    Budapest from 1849 to 1989: the Pest Embankment

    History · 2.4 km · 2 h

    1. Hungarian Academy of SciencesA palace born of a single gesture: the day a young count gave a whole year's income so that Hungarian could have a science of its own.
    2. Shoes on the Danube BankSixty pairs of iron shoes at the water's edge: Budapest's simplest and most harrowing memorial.
    3. Parliament and Kossuth SquareHungary's largest building, conceived for the nation's millennium, and a square that ran with blood in 1956.
    4. Batthyány Eternal FlameA flame that never goes out, on the corner where Hungary's first prime minister was shot.
    5. Liberty SquareBudapest's most contradictory square: a Soviet obelisk, a bronze American president and a cardinal who lived fifteen years inside an embassy.
    6. St Stephen's BasilicaHalf a century of building work, a dome that collapsed and a church exactly as tall as Parliament.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Fisherman's soup (halászlé) at Horgásztanya Vendéglő. Fő utca 27, Budapest

  3. Afternoon

    Heroes' Square

    A monumental square with the Millennium Monument and statues of the seven Magyar chieftains and Hungarian kings. Take the M1 line, which runs under Andrássy Avenue. It sits next to City Park (Városliget).

    Directions

    Széchenyi Baths

    A yellow neo-Baroque bathhouse with outdoor thermal pools open all year. It is in City Park, near Heroes' Square. Bring swimwear and flip-flops, and book ahead if you can.

    Directions

The map

Budapest in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Budapest in 2 days

  • If you are heading to the Széchenyi Baths, bring swimwear, a towel and flip-flops from the hotel; it is easier than renting them there.
  • Museums in Budapest often close one fixed day a week, frequently Monday: check opening times before you settle the order of your two days.
  • The M1 runs along Andrássy Avenue, and tram 2 follows the Danube in Pest. A one-day travel pass saves you doing the sums.

Questions

Budapest in 2 days: your questions

Is two days enough for Budapest?

For a first visit, yes: you see the Castle, Parliament, the Jewish Quarter, a thermal bath and the legends of Gellért Hill without rushing. If you want more museums or day trips, add a third day.

How much walking is there on this itinerary?

The three routes add up to about 6.2 km across the two days. With the extras and the walks between districts, expect roughly 8 to 10 km a day.

Are the Széchenyi Baths worth it?

Yes, if you fancy a rest. It is the most typical thing to do in Budapest and a good way to close the second day. Book ahead in high season and avoid the midday rush.

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