13 Things you should do & see when visiting Budapest

Last updated on May 6th, 2009

I have spent four beautiful days in Budapest, Hungary and this is a list of (in my opinion) the most memorable things you should do and see when visiting Budapest:

Walk on the banks of Danube at night

Royal Palace - Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary, at night

Visit the Parliament (Országház)

Beautiful Parliament in Budapest, Hungary

Wonder around the Royal Palace and streets of the old town

The Royal Palace or Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary

Visit the Heroes’ Square (Hősök tere)

Statues on Heroes' Square in Budapest, Hungary

Climb the Gellért Hill to see the Liberation monument

Liberation Monument in Budapest, Hungary

Visit the biggest Synagogue (Zsinagóga) in Europe

The biggest synagogue in Europe is in Budapest, Hungary

Visit St. Gellert Cave Chapel (Szt. Gellértsziklakápolna)

Beautiful chapel inside the cave - the St. Gallert Cave Chapel in Budapest

Visit St. Stephen’s Basilica (Szt. István Bazilika)

St. Stephen's Basilica, the biggest church in Budapest, Hungary

Taste the typical local food & wine

Taste the typical food and wine while visiting Hungary

Shop in the Central Market (Nagyvásárcsarnok)

Central Market in Budapest, Hungary

Enjoy the nature on the Margaret Island

Margaret Island is the most beautiful park in Budapest, perfect for recreation

Spoil yourself in one of many thermal baths

Szechenyi thermal baths in Budapest, Hungary

Visit performance in the Opera House (Magyar Állami Operaház)

Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest


Must-see sights on the map

View What to see when visiting Budapest, Hungary in a larger map

Map with the sights that anyone visiting Budapest should see. I have also included some that are worth taking the time to see if you have any time left.

I realise there are also other attractions and monuments, but if I was to list them all, the map would be too crowded. If you know of or have visited an attraction that is not listed on this map (and you think it should be), please let me know and I will add it.

How to read this map

Sights are organized in areas (e.g. area of the parliament, area of the royal palace) and each area is bearing its own colour (sights outside the coloured areas are listed at the bottom of the list).

The sights are marked according to their importance (in my opinion, of course):

  • RED COLOUR: a must see attraction. I have added the ‘must see’ label before each sight’s name, just to remind you.
  • YELLOW COLOUR: an attraction you could see if you have time or if you are especially interested in a particular subject.

Additionally, I have created some custom icons for easier understanding what the sights are about:

Red M represents museum that is "must see" Yellow M represents museum that is "could see if time" Represents a museum.
Red ART represents art gallery that is "must see" Yellow ART represents art gallery that is "could see if time" Represents an art gallery, theatre, etc.
Red church symbol represents religious monument that is a "must see" Yellow church symbol represents religious monument that is a "could see if time" Represents a religious place.
Red figure represents statue or monument that is a "must see" Yellow figure represents statue or monument that is "could see if time" Represents statues and monuments.

Some sights are using the default bubble sign from Google – they don’t fall in any of the above categories, but are bearing either the colour red or yellow.

Happy sightseeing!