Five Best Things to Do in Budapest When You Start or Finish Your Danube River Cruise in This City
I most recently went on a Danube River cruise with Riverside Luxury Cruises on the ship Riverside Mozart. Check out my video at the bottom of this post for a full trip recap. (Photo by John Roberts)
Budapest is one of my favorite European cities.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited there more than a handful of times, all while starting or finishing a Danube River cruise.
Budapest is one of the real gems on these itineraries. The city in reality offers two distinct destinations, Buda and Pest, separate regions on each side of the river that used to be their own cities before merging in 1873.
Budapest now is characterized by Buda’s dramatic hillscape and Pest’s broad avenues filled with shops, hotels and restaurants.
Most prospective travelers would know Budapest from the iconic images of the city’s neo-Gothic Hungarian Parliament building.
The capital of Hungary also features a history of Roman forts and Ottoman baths that stretched from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to 20th-century wars and political turmoil that shaped modern Hungary.
Visitors can see marks from that history on every street and riverbank. Budapest is a regular port of call for major river cruise lines, such as Viking, Riverside Luxury Cruises, AmaWaterways, Uniworld, Avalon Waterways and Emerald River Cruise. This means you can find several options for cruising the second-longest river in Europe. And when your cruise embarks or disembarks in Budapest, you have plenty of reasons to add an extra day or two for enjoying all the best parts of Budapest.
1. See the Icons: Parliament, Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion
Visitors gather on Buda Hill to see sights such as Matthias Church, which is located right in front of Fisherman’s Bastion. (Photo by John Roberts)
If you’ll only have a day, and especially if this is your first time to Budapest, be sure to check out the city’s top landmarks. Start on the Pest side with the Hungarian Parliament building: you can book ahead to tour the inside of the building, which was completed in 1904.
Budapest is a highly walkable city. Get you comfortable shoes on and be sure to stroll along the picturesque river to get all kinds of great pictures.
You can walk across the Chain Bridge to reach the Buda side and take the funicular up to Buda Castle for sweeping panoramas of the Danube.
When you’re up there at Castle Hill, wander along the terraces of Fisherman’s Bastion and make a stop to visit Matthias Church. These sites are all close enough together that a brisk morning lets you tick them all off before finding a spot to enjoy lunch.
2. Try the Traditional Cuisine: Goulash, Lángos and Modern Hungarian Kitchens
Hungary’s cuisine is hearty, spiced by paprika and anchored by the country’s seasonal produce. For a classic taste, get a bowl of gulyás (goulash) or paprikás at a traditional eatery; for a cheap, beloved street treat, try lángos — a fried flatbread often slathered with sour cream and cheese.
Budapest’s dining scene ranges from market stalls to Michelin-starred restaurants with classic Hungarian flair. For a food-centered stop, grab lunch on the upper level of the Central Market Hall where booths serve stews, sausages and sweet pastries. The Central Market Hall is closed on Sundays and public holidays, and it’s a vibrant place where you can grab all kinds of goods, including food and souvenirs.
This destination is a tourist-friendly and lively way to sample authentic flavors.
For evening, the Jewish Quarter hums with inventive bistros and ruin-bar dinners that pair atmosphere with solid food. The city’s ruin bars are lively nightclubs filled with tourists and residents who pack ramshackle historic buildings filled with mismatched eclectic furniture, designs, graffiti art and thumping music.
3. Shop the Markets and Boutiques: Central Market Hall to Andrássy Avenue
Shopping in Budapest runs the gamut from the Central Market Hall to fashionable boutiques along Andrássy Avenue and souvenir stalls on Váci Street.
The Central Market Hall is wonderful for edible souvenirs — paprika tins, pickled peppers, salamis and Tokaji wine — and it’s an excellent place to sample street food while people watching beneath the facility’s iron-and-brick roof.
If you prefer polished shopping, Andrássy Avenue delivers elegant brands, historic cafés and the grand architecture of the Opera and Embassy façades. Travelers can easily come here to pick up a wide range of gifts and souvenirs.
4. Grab a Soak at the Thermal Baths
I enjoyed my day at Gellert Thermal Bath during one of my trips to Budapest. (Photo by Colleen McDaniel)
Budapest’s legendary thermal baths link to the country’s Roman and Ottoman past and allow visitors to have both a cultural experience and a relaxing wellness-focused outing. The Széchenyi Baths in City Park are among Europe’s largest spa complexes: grand Neo-Baroque architecture surrounds outdoor plunge pools and dozens of indoor pools and treatment rooms.
Rudas Thermal Bath and Gellért Thermal Bath are other notable options — each bath has a distinct character, from the rooftop panoramic plunge at Rudas to the elegant art-nouveau spaces at Gellért.
A midday soak relaxes and refreshes your body after long flights or to rejuvenate for your trip home. They also host night-time seasonal events to show how modern Budapest reinvents its thermal heritage. If you’re disembarking from a cruise, a bath visit is an ideal way to spend a final day in Budapest.
5. Dive In to the Lively Night Life: Ruin Bars, Live music and the Danube after Sunset
The grand illumination of Budapest, including the stunning Parliament building, is a highlight of a Danube River cruise. (Photo by John Roberts)
Budapest’s nightlife is lively and eclectic. The ruin-bar phenomenon — cafés and bars set up in abandoned buildings and courtyards — began in the Jewish Quarter and offers an artsy, relaxed scene for a pre-dinner drink or late night music and hanging.
Szimpla Kert is the pioneering ruin bar and an essential stop for many visitors; it’s part flea market, part concert venue and part retro living room.
Like a different pace?
If you’re in the mood for classical music, the city’s concert halls and churches (including one inside the Parliament’s shadow: St. Stephen’s Basilica) host regular recitals, often featuring ensembles and classical staples.
For a romantic capstone to a river cruise, take a night boat ride on the Danube or stroll the riverbank: the Parliament building and bridges are dramatically lit after dark and give Budapest a cinematic feel.
Tips for Cruise passengers: Timing, Transfers and Packing
If your cruise itinerary begins or ends in Budapest you’ll likely dock near the city center — but confirm your ship’s exact berth because transfer times matter. Build at least one full day (preferably two) into your schedule to absorb both Buda’s hillside atmosphere and Pest’s museums and markets.
Comfortable walking shoes are a must — cobbles and hills are everywhere — and a lightweight swimwear set tucked into carry-on luggage can let you visit a thermal bath without committing to checked baggage. If arriving by plane before boarding a ship, allow extra layover time: The airport and city transfers can be quick, but traffic and passport lines vary.
A stay in Budapest is a perfect bookend for a Danube river cruise. The city offers sweeping architecture and riverside promenades for your first steps ashore, as well as thermal baths, market bites and ruin-bar stories to seal a memorable trip.