One of the things I get asked about all the time is Budapest and the best things to do in the city. Travellers reach out asking what they need to do on vacation, locals ask about new spots to try and every so often, people share they best recommendations with me. My list of Budapest recommendations is long and ever so changing.
At the end of the day, it’s all about your personal interests and how you prefer to spend your time. I gravitate towards artistic spaces, amazing food and the feeling of newness. If you’re new to Budapest, I recommend you also check out my BUDAPEST FOR THE FIRST TIME article to get you started on the do’s and don’ts, good-to-knows about Budapest.
If you’re local seeking new adventures in the beautiful city, stick around and discover some of my best Budapest recommendations.
READ: 50+ things to do in Budapest
Budget-friendly Budapest
Everyone loves a great deal, right? I know I do. So if you’re looking for places in Budapest to wine and dine, shop or have some fun without breaking the bank, here are some tips, tricks and recommendations.
1. Cheap places to eat in Budapest
Before getting into this list, it’s worth getting an idea of the average cost of dining in Budapest (For one person, without a drink):
- Low cost — 1 000-2 700 HUF ( Smaller dining establishments eg local Asian store, local bars )
- Mid-range — 2 800-5 000 HUF ( Breakfast and brunch places, restaurants )
- High-end — 5 000-13 000 HUF ( Restaurants in hotels, rooftop bars, cocktail places )
READ: Brunch places in Buda
The best brunch places in Budapest
NOTE: This is simply an estimation and these values change depending on the location.
A few places that come to mind when I think of cheap or budget-friendly dining options in Budapest are:
- Nokedlish
- Eggi Cafe(Korean Toast Sandwiches)
- Tosti
- Caphe by Hi Nam
- Brutal ( especially for their lunch menus )
- Smart Kitchen
- Pho n Go
Another handy tip for dining in Budapest at a lower cost is by making use of Lunch Menus.
A lot of restaurants offer a weekly discounted menu with two or three courses. These discounts usually run between 12 and 3 PM and are great way of eating at “nicer” restaurants for a lower price.
Budapest restaurants offering a lunch menu
- Brutal
- Zazie
- Kiosk
- Cafe Vian
- Bombay Budapest
- Rema’s Bistro Budapest
TIP: Check your favourite restaurant’s website or social media pages to see if they offer Lunch Menus. Lunch menus tend to be common with mid and high end restaurants.
READ: Restaurant Week Budapest
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2. Getting around in Budapest
As Budapest is such a walkable city, my biggest recommendation for getting around would be to walk as much possible. Walking is such a great way of discovering new places, and possibly meeting new people.
If you have to take transportation to get around, you won’t need to worry too much because Budapest has a really good public transportation system. You can rent a car with MOL LIMO Carsharing or use your BOLT app to get a taxi. Uber is also available so there are many options. Just avoid hailing a taxi as you might get scammed.
Bolt taxis and Ubers aren’t the most expensive but they as aren’t the cheapest way to get around.
For cheaper means, most people ride the public buses, trains, metros and trams. You’ll need a validated ticket for each ride or a monthly pass that you have to show to inspectors whenever requested. A single ticket costs around 1 euro and the monthly pass (which valid for all public transportation) is about 20 euros.
You can also rent a bike or electric scooter at various points in the city.
READ: How to get from the airport to city center
3. Shopping in Budapest
My list of Budapest recommendations wouldn’t be complete without a thrift stores. Thrifting has been one of my favourite things to do in Budapest and I’m impressed by how affordable it is.
Every here and there, you may find an expensive thrift store, with designer vintage items. But if you’re like me, and prefer to go thrifting for the uniqueness and low prices, then you’re going to love places like Humana and Cream.
Both offer clothes at such a low price and Humana even has a discount week where items are as low as 2 euros!
Of course, by that time, the great stuff is gone but the discounts begin at half off and make their way down. I prefer to shop there when items cost 1500 HUF. It’s still a great steal and you can find really good items.
TIP: Check their social media page to stay updated on their discounts
READ: 5 of the best vintage shops in Budapest
Unique wine tasting in Budapest
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4. Finding things to do
One of the main questions I get about Budapest is how I always find things to do. I wouldn’t say there’s one specific answer to this but there a couple things working in tandem to ensure I always have things to do.
The first one is interest. It’s simple, almost obvious, but crucial. You have to have the desire to do things in Budapest because usually you need to put some effort into finding them or knowing where to look.
Open-mindedness is also important. There are so many things I’ve done in this city that I hadn’t ever done before. In stance, archery. That was completely new to me and I’m happy I opened myself to that experience.
READ: 5+ unique fitness ideas in Budapest
Now that we’ve covered that, let’s get to the HOW of getting Budapest recommendations.
Social media, particularly, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are great sources for getting recommendations about Budapest. Here’s how:
Social media
Facebook: Facebook events is a life saver because you find all sorts of events in in the city (and any other city). You can find things to do based on the date, location and type of activity. Facebook groups can also be very helpful because there are some that are dedicated to meeting people and forming connections.
TIP: If you don’t have Facebook downloaded, get it ASAP because you’ll need it to look for an apartment and find Budapest recommendations.
Instagram: On Instagram, there are creator accounts like mine, Undoubtedlyhazy, which are dedicated to curating lists of Budapest recommendations and things to do in the city. If you aren’t already, I recommend following my page where I share my life in Budapest as well as recommendations.
TikTok: Similar to Instagram, I use my TikTok page, Undoubtedlyhazy, to share Budapest recommendations and also interact with locals. If you want to dive deeper into Hungarian culture I recommend you check some of these videos out.
Lastly, GOOGLE. This is also such a great way of finding places and things to do in Budapest. I post a new blog post on my website every single week and you can find Travel, Architecture and of course, Budapest recommendations on designated pages. I’m also a fan of websites like WeloveBudapest and BudapestByLocals.
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