A Perfect Weekend Trip to Budapest

The perfect way to start the day is by waking up in Shantee House and drinking a cup of their complimentary coffee in their luscious green garden. It’s a lovely hostel on the quiet Buda side, beautifully decorated and in company of the most welcoming people. From there you can take a tram to Deak Ferenc Ter – the main city square. I highly recommend you get delicious vegetarian/vegan lunch at The Garden Studio just around the block, before spending some hours exploring the centre. Make sure to look up at the gorgeous buildings and dig through some of the many thrift stores! When it’s time for a break, head towards the Danube and grab some takeout of your choice on the way – ZenEtterem is an Asian all-vegan hidden gem. Take your food to the middle of the Liberty bridge (the green one) and join the locals sitting on the construction for a meal with a stunning view! This is also a fun spot for beer during sunset. From there, you can already see Gellert Hill – the top of which I recommend as your next stop. Don’t worry, it looks steeper than it already is, and the view is absolutely worth the quick hike. For the evening, there are some super fun bars in town, like the absolute tourist must-go ruin bar Szimpla Kert or Pontoon overlooking the Danube and lit-up castle, but if you’re looking for a local gem, I suggest you head over to Dürer Kert – an outdoor venue by the Danube with live music, bean bags, games and much more. Bonus point for Budapest: drinks are cheap anywhere! After another good night’s sleep at Shantee house, you can spend the next day exploring Hungarian history and culture. Take the tram 19 running along the Danube for a scenic journey to the Castle, from there walk to the Fisherman’s Bastion. There will be a variety of restaurants around for lunch. Next, take the metro to the impressive Heroes square and perhaps visit one of the closeby museums. After a long day, relax in one of the infamous thermal baths – you’ll be just around the corner from the most popular Szechenyi bath.

Szentendre is a cute little village not far from Budapest. You can take the H5 train from a station closest to the fisherman’s bastion (Batthyany square) for extremely cheap (80 cents return with a student discout), which runs quite frequently. It’s a short walk into Szentendre centre from the train station and on the way you can already spot some cute traditional houses and small alleyways. In the actual village, I recommend to just walk around aimlessly and see what you stumble upon – you can’t be disappointed. At some point, make sure to walk along the Danube promenade and maybe get food at one of the many restaurants. In the southern part, there is a cute pebble beach and forest by the Danube where you can relax and really feel like you’re in nature far away from everything. You can also dip your toes into the Danube (which, by the way, is not allowed in Budapest!).