Central Hungary travel guide
9 Places to Visit in Budapest
Also known as Buda and Pest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary and straddles the Danube, with about 1.7 million residents in the city and roughly 3.3 million in the wider metropolitan area.
Updated ·Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted ·How we rank
- Best time
- Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct
- Time needed
- About 2 days
- 12 hours of sightseeing
- Fly into
- Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD)
- Nearest station
- Kossuth Lajos tér (metro M2)
- Free to enter
- 4 of 9
Top things to do in Budapest
Ranked on five published criteria- 1
Heritage
Hungarian Parliament Building
The Hungarian Parliament Building measures 268 metres long and 96 metres high, making it the largest building in Hungary, as of 2026.
1.5 hrsHUF 7,000
2Free entryMemorial
Shoes on the Danube Bank
The Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial consists of 60 pairs of cast-iron shoes fixed to the stone edge of the Pest embankment, and it is free to visit…
20 min
3Free entryHeritage
Széchenyi Chain Bridge
The Széchenyi Chain Bridge spans 202 metres over the Danube and opened on 20 November 1849, making it the first permanent bridge across the river in…
30 min
4Church
St. Stephen's Basilica
St. Stephen's Basilica stands 96 metres tall, the same height as the Hungarian Parliament, and holds about 8,500 people, as of 2026.
1.5 hrsHUF 2,600
5Free entryMarket
Great Market Hall
The Great Market Hall is free to enter and covers about 10,000 square metres under a steel roof, as of 2026, making it Budapest's largest and oldest…
1.5 hrs
6Free entryPalace
Buda Castle (Royal Palace)
Buda Castle covers the southern tip of Castle Hill, and access to its grounds is free of charge, as of 2026.
2.5 hrs
7Heritage
Fisherman's Bastion
Fisherman's Bastion charges HUF 1,700 for adults to climb its upper terraces, as of 2026, and is free outside the 09:00-21:00 paid window.
45 minHUF 1,700
8Church
Matthias Church
Matthias Church charges HUF 3,400 for adult entry to the nave and HUF 4,000 for the tower, as of 2026.
1 hrHUF 3,400
9Heritage
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
Széchenyi Thermal Bath charges HUF 13,200 for a weekday locker ticket and HUF 14,800 at weekends, as of 2026, and holds 18 pools, 3 outdoor and 15…
3 hrsHUF 13,200
Map of places to visit in Budapest
Numbers match the ranking; the top 3 are orange. Tap a pin for its guide.
Day trips from Budapest
Worth a day out if you have one to spare, nearest first.
20 km · 30-40m (or about 40m by HÉV suburban railway from Batthyány tér)
Szentendre
Riverside town on the Danube Bend with a cobbled centre, Serbian Orthodox churches left by 18th-century settlers and small museums and galleries; reached directly by HÉV line H5 from Buda.
30 km · 40m by car; about 50m by HÉV line H8
Gödöllő Royal Palace
Baroque Grassalkovich Palace, closely linked with Empress Elisabeth (Sisi), reached by suburban railway from Örs vezér tere and a manageable half-day.
45 km · 1h to 1h15
Danube Bend (Visegrád and Esztergom)
Visegrád holds a medieval royal palace site and a hilltop citadel with views of the river bend, and Esztergom, further on, has Hungary's largest church, the Esztergom Basilica; combine them by car, bus or seasonal boat.
130 km · 1h45 to 2h by car; about 2h by train from Keleti station
Eger
Baroque town in northern Hungary with a hilltop castle, known for the 1552 siege and for Bull's Blood (Egri Bikavér) red wine tasted in the cellars of the Valley of the Beautiful Women.
About Budapest
The city took its present form in 1873, when Buda, Pest and Óbuda merged into a single municipality, and the Danube banks and the Buda Castle Quarter have been on UNESCO's World Heritage list since 1987, with Andrássy Avenue added in 2002. Buda, on the west bank, rises into hills topped by Buda Castle and Gellért Hill, while Pest, on the east bank, is flat and holds Parliament, the Basilica, the main market hall and most hotels. Bridges link the two sides, and the Chain Bridge, opened in 1849, was the first permanent one.
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) lies about 20 kilometres south-east of the centre; the 100E airport bus runs to Deák Ferenc tér, the central interchange for metro lines M1, M2 and M3. Budapest has the oldest underground railway on the European continent, opened in 1896 as the Millennium Underground (now M1), and it is supplemented by trams, buses, HÉV suburban railway and Danube boats. Most sights sit within a walkable core: the Parliament, Shoes on the Danube Bank, Chain Bridge and Basilica are all within about 2 kilometres on the Pest side, and Buda Castle, Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church cluster on Castle Hill across the Chain Bridge.
April to June and September to October give the most reliable sightseeing weather, with July and August hot and busy. Winter is cold, but the thermal baths run all year, and the December Christmas markets draw a distinct visitor wave. The House of Terror closes on Mondays. Gellért Baths, one of the city's best-known baths, has been closed for renovation since 1 October 2025 with reopening planned for 2028, so it is not listed here.
Budapest travel FAQs
How many days do you need in Budapest?
Plan about 2 days for Budapest. Its top attractions take roughly 12 hours of sightseeing in total, so 2 days covers the highlights without rushing — you can move faster if you are short on time.
What is the best time to visit Budapest?
The best time to visit Budapest is Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct.
Is Budapest cheap or expensive to visit?
Entry to Budapest's top attractions ranges from HUF 1,700 to HUF 13,200, and 4 of the top 9 are free to enter. Prices are the latest checked on each place's page; always confirm current rates on the official website.
What is Budapest famous for?
Budapest is best known for its top sights, including Hungarian Parliament Building, Shoes on the Danube Bank and Széchenyi Chain Bridge. The full ranked list of things to do is on this page.
How much time should you spend at Hungarian Parliament Building?
Allow about 1.5 hrs for Hungarian Parliament Building.
Spotted something wrong, or a place we missed?
Tell us and an editor will check it against official sources and fix the page.