Budapest Travel Tips: Beyond the Obvious

I’ve been to Budapest nine times, and each visit still feels like peeling back a new layer of the city. Yes, you’ll see the Parliament glowing by the Danube, the famous ruin pubs alive with music, and the elegant cafés lining grand boulevards. But the magic of Budapest is also found in the unexpected - a thermal spa that feels like a palace, a cinema that looks like a fairytale, and even a toilet that doubles as an art gallery.

Here are my favorite not-so-obvious experiences that keep me coming back.

Stepping inside Gellért Spa feels like entering a royal palace — mosaics, Zsolnay ceramics, and thermal pools that have been flowing since the 12th century. There are eight pools, from warm to steaming, each as much an artwork as a bath.

| Note: Starting October 1st, the spa will close for several years of renovation. If you’re visiting before then, don’t miss it.

Budapest hides beauty in unlikely places. The Ervin Szabó Library sits inside the Wenckheim Palace, where baroque chandeliers and frescoed ceilings share space with students flipping through books. It’s not the usual tourist stop - which makes it all the more special.

Why settle for popcorn multiplexes when you can watch a film in a palace? The Urania National Film Theatre, a 19th-century masterpiece, is adorned with gilded balconies and painted ceilings. Even if you skip the film, grab a coffee in the lobby and soak in the magic.

Would you pay €4.5 to visit a toilet? In Budapest, it might be worth it. The Pop and Roll Toilet is part restroom, part gallery. With 20 unique stalls turned into art installations and over 100 works scattered throughout, it’s playful, eccentric, and unforgettable.

Budapest is best seen from the water. Evening cruises range from €10 rides with a drink to €90 dinners with live music. My favorite was the dinner option: goulash soup, duck leg with sauerkraut, strudel - all while gliding past the Chain Bridge and Parliament lit in gold.

| Tip: Book around sunset to see Budapest in both daylight and nighttime sparkle.

Tucked in the city center, Parisi Passage is a restored 1900s arcade with soaring glass ceilings and gilded mosaics. It’s a quieter alternative to the famous New York Café and just as glamorous for a breakfast stop - without the long lines.

Just an hour away, Esztergom is a slower, calmer counterpoint to Budapest. Its basilica - the largest church in Hungary - sits high above the Danube, with frescoes and Europe’s largest altarpiece painted on a single canvas. Climb to the dome for sweeping views across to Slovakia.

Nine visits later, Budapest still manages to surprise me. Maybe it’s the contrast - grandeur one moment, quirkiness the next. Maybe it’s the balance of history and playfulness. But every time I leave, I know I’ll be back.