Tag Archive for: useful tips

The Best Beaches in Budapest for a Quick Cooldown

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As you probably experienced yourself by now, Hungary has very hot summers. It is still worth walking around during the morning with an ice cream. Budapest is getting better at fighting the heat with steam gates and free cold water, but it is a landlocked city. While it does not have natural beaches, there are some artificial beach areas and waterfront locations where you can enjoy sunbathing, swimming, and other recreational activities.

Here are the 2 best beaches in Budapest if you need to cool down:

 

Római Part

The Római Part (Roman Embankment) is a hidden jewel of the city. This recreational area is situated along the Danube River. Here it is possible to bathe for free under organized conditions and with continuous water quality control. You can enjoy a natural environment, a clean and well-kept beach, colorful sunbeds, and free bicycle storage. 

It takes 35 minutes by the suburban train (H5) from Batthyanyi tér metro station. (This place is also the meeting point of our daily FREE BUDA CASTLE TOUR, starting at 2.30 pm.)

Furthermore, the riverside promenade is part of the EuroVelo 6 international bicycle route, so you can get there by bike easily. 

 

Palatinus Beach

It is located on Margaret Island in the middle of the Danube River. This beach is one of the most well-known and largest outdoor pool complexes in Budapest. It offers various pools, slides, and sandy areas where you can sunbathe and relax. You can find sun beds easily. You can also swim laps in the swimming pools. Bring your pool shoes and swim cap for the swimming pool and do not forget to bring towels as they do not provide them. It is always worth booking the tickets online here because the line for offline tickets can be extremely long. Be aware it is a very popular place amongst the locals as well so it sells out on the weekend afternoons regularly. 

Kids will have a great time in the kids’ area. There are many pools and slides and other fun activities to choose from. You can find a good selection of food on-site too. 

 

While these locations provide beach-like experiences within Budapest, if you’re specifically looking for natural beaches, you may need to venture outside the city to Lake Balaton, which is the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe offering numerous beaches and resorts. You can get there by train in 1,5 hours from the Déli Pályaudvar.

 

Take our daily FREE BUDAPEST TOURS starting at 10.30 am and 4.30 pm for further recommendations on how to spend a hot day in Budapest beyond checking out all the must-see landmarks and hidden gems with us.

One Day Itinerary in Budapest for a Hot Summer Day in July

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If you have just a short time to explore our beautiful town, it is important to make the most of your stay and focus on the must-see iconic sights. That is why we made a perfect one day itinerary in Budapest, especially for a hot summer day in July. 

First and foremost, get a 24-hour Budapest Travel Card (2500 HUF) or Budapest 24-hour Group Travel Card (up to 5 people traveling together) so you can reach everything quickly. You can use all means of public transportation with the time-limited tickets and you don’t have to worry about validating them.

So here it goes:

Morning 

Start your day early and time your outdoor programs for the morning to avoid the heat. If you want to see most of the beauty of the city in 2 hours and want to get further recommendations from locals for the rest of your day, join our 2-hour Free Budapest Tour which covers the major signs of downtown Pest side of the river Danube. The tour includes St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Hungarian Parliament, the Shoes on the Danube Monument, the Chain Bridge, and Danube Promenade. Our leisurely walk is an excellent opportunity to learn about Hungarian history, culture, and Budapest’s architecture.

Dome of Parlament - one day itinerary in Budapest

Dome of Parlament – one day itinerary in Budapest

Noon

After our free tour, take the Panoramic tramline along the Danube river from the finishing point of our tour to the Great Market Hall for lunch. The ground floor is all about the ingredients, and it is still a very cheap and traditional market preferred by the locals as well, so you can get some excellent quality fruits, vegetables, and meat products from local producers.

The first floor is for the traditional Hungarian dishes, if you want to get a hot soup or stew our recommendation is the Fakanál restaurant, but if you are after a quick bite there is a great Lángos place on the right side.   Once you have enjoyed your meal, cross the southern side of the green Liberty Bridge ( Szabadság híd) on foot to see the miniature statue of Franz Joseph in a hammock and the picturesque view of Buda Castle Hill behind it.

Lángos in the Central Market Hall - one day itinerary in Budapest

Lángos in the Central Market Hall – One day itinerary in Budapest

Afternoon

As you are now on the Buda side take any of the trams alongside the river (41,19,17) and head to Buda Castle, located on Castle Hill. If you want to skip the hiking up to the Castle check out the stops and the schedule of the Bus nr. 16, which is the only public bus that is allowed to go up to the hill.  It is worth exploring this historic neighborhood which includes the Royal Palace, Matthias Church, and Fisherman’s Bastion. This district is perfect to take amazing pictures because it offers breathtaking views of the city, which are free to enjoy.

If you are a fast-paced, efficient traveler after or before you finished with the Castle the next option for your one day itinerary in Budapest is to discover the further part of the Pest side and check out the Heroes’ Square and Budapest City Park. To reach that part of the town take the Millenium Underground. Heroes’ Square is surrounded by statutes of important Hungarian historical figures. It features the beautiful Vajdahunyad Castle building and most of our art museums. 

Buda Castle Garden - one day itinerary in Budapest

Buda Castle Garden – one day itinerary in Budapest

Evening and Night

For a relaxing and rejuvenating experience, head to Széchenyi Thermal Bath, one of Budapest’s most famous thermal baths.  Unwind in the thermal pools, steam chambers, and other facilities offered by the bath. If you want to mingle with fellow travelers and check out the plenty of sightseeing cruises on the Danube, it is worth timing your cruise around 8 p.m. to have a glimpse of the sunset and see the Parlament lit up. To properly kickstart your night meanwhile, you are enjoying the beautifully lighted sights, I would recommend trying the unlimited prosecco cruise.

After the cruise, you are properly warmed up for the nightlife of Budapest. Now it is high time to check out the Jewish District and take a dive deep into the world of international street food and ruin bars. If you want to experience the essence of a ruin bar, go to the first one, the Szimpla Kert. It is a very cool unique place with a typical ruin bar vibe and right next to you’ll find the Street Food Caravan, which offers you plenty of food trucks if you need a bite between the drinks.  

Szimpla Kert ruin bar - one day itinerary in Budapest

Szimpla Kert ruin bar – one day itinerary in Budapest

 

I hope we could offer some useful tips for your time in our favorite city. Feel free to mix up the schedule of our one day itinerary in Budapest. If you can’t handle the heat of the Hungarian summer it is recommended to start your day with the Buda Castle and come to our Free Budapest Tour later in the afternoon. Some travelers need more time in certain areas, don’t feel bad if you can’t do all of these activities in 24 hours. Just relax, wonder at the breathtaking architecture, and most importantly eat and drink as much you please. That is the local way to enjoy Budapest to its fullest.

15th March – National Holiday in Hungary

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The 15th of March – National and Bank Holiday in Hungary

Let the Free Budapest Walking Tours Team (a.k.a. Triptobudapest.hu Team) introduce you to the first National Holiday of the year.

First, let us inform you that on this day bigger shops, grocery stores, shopping malls, markets, banks will be closed.

However, tourist attractions, bathhouses, museums, most of the restaurants, smaller non-stop supermarkets will be open and our free tours in Budapest run as usual!

There will be commemorations all over the city center that you can see for free and some museums are also free on national holidays like the 15th of March, for example (including but not limited to): Hungarian Agricultural Museum in the City Park, inside of Vajdahunyad Castle, Hungarian National Museum, Ludwig Museum of contemporary art, Museum of Military History in the Buda castle district, Hungarian Natural History Museum.

What Hungarians commemorate on the 15th of March in a nutshell

For a long time, from the end of the 1600s until the end of the First World War Hungary was part of the Austrian Empire. We organized a number of revolutions and freedom fights to get more rights inside of the empire. In 1848 the biggest and most important revolution happened in Budapest and Hungary. The 15th of March was the day when the freedom fight broke out. Even though this revolution failed, we can say that it is one of the most significant events in Hungary’s modern history, and it forms the cornerstone of modern Hungarian national identity.

You can also find a square in Budapest named after this day of commemoration, in Hungarian it is called Március 15. tér, and its a nice place next to the river Danube, on the Pest side of the city.

Hope to see you soon on our free walking tours in Budapest where you can learn more about Hungarian history! 🙂