Visions of Domino, CC BY 2.0
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary, split by the River Danube into Buda and Pest, and has thermal baths, the Parliament building and Buda Castle.
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Where to stay, by what matters to you
- Places to stay within 10 minutes' walk of the beach in Budapest
- Places to stay with a level walk to the beach in Budapest
- Places to stay in Budapest that work without a car
- Quiet places to stay in Budapest: few bars nearby
- Lively places to stay in Budapest: bars and clubs close by
- Within 30 minutes by car of Széchenyi thermal bath
- Within 30 minutes by car of Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport
- Within 20 minutes of Dohány Street Synagogue
- Within 20 minutes of St. Stephen's Basilica
- Within 20 minutes of House of Terror
- Within 20 minutes of Széchenyi Chain Bridge
- Within 20 minutes of Shoes on the Danube Bank
- Within 20 minutes of Hungarian Parliament Building
Best things to do in Budapest
The one thing not to miss
Walk Castle Hill in Buda, where the royal palace houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest Historical Museum. Matthias Church faces the Fisherman's Bastion, and the district is UNESCO-listed.
Buda Castle, Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church1. Buda Castle, Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church
Castle Hill in Buda. The Baroque royal palace was built between 1749 and 1769 and rebuilt in a simplified style after wartime damage; it houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest Historical Museum. Matthias Church stands in Holy Trinity Square directly opposite the Fisherman's Bastion, which is part of the district's UNESCO listing since 1987.
We have not confirmed entry arrangements for the museums or church; check before you go.
19,907 readers a month
2. Shoes on the Danube Bank
A memorial on the Pest bank of the Danube, erected on 16 April 2005 and conceived by Can Togay with sculptor Gyula Pauer. It remembers thousands of people killed by the Arrow Cross militia in the Second World War, who were made to take off their shoes and were shot at the water's edge.
This is a memorial to victims of the Holocaust; please visit quietly and respectfully.
16,098 readers a month
3. Hungarian Parliament Building
A Neo-Gothic landmark on Kossuth Square on the Pest bank of the Danube, designed by Imre Steindl and opened in 1902. It has been the largest building in Hungary since it was completed.
We have not confirmed entry arrangements; check before you go.
11,708 readers a month
4. Heroes' Square and Vajdahunyad Castle
Heroes' Square is a major public square listed as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, best known for the Millennium Monument with statues of the seven Magyar chieftains and other Hungarian leaders. Vajdahunyad Castle stands nearby in the City Park (Városliget).
7,764 readers a month
5. St. Stephen's Basilica
A Catholic church in Budapest honouring Stephen, Hungary's first monarch. His right hand is kept in a reliquary inside the building.
We have not confirmed entry arrangements; check before you go.
7,170 readers a month
6. Széchenyi Chain Bridge
A chain bridge over the Danube linking Buda and Pest, opened in 1849. It was designed by William Tierney Clark and built by Adam Clark, and is the oldest bridge in Budapest. On the Buda side it meets the funicular up to Buda Castle.
5,423 readers a month
7. Dohány Street Synagogue
The largest synagogue in Europe, seating 3,000 people. The congregation is Neolog and worships in the Ashkenazi rite.
We have not confirmed entry arrangements; check before you go.
4,747 readers a month
8. A day trip to Visegrád
A town in the Danube Bend, north of Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. It is known for a medieval citadel and the ruins of King Matthias Corvinus's early Renaissance summer palace.
We have not confirmed how to get there or the entry arrangements; check before you plan the trip.
3,619 readers a month
Sources
9. Széchenyi thermal bath
One of the largest spa complexes in Europe, a medicinal thermal bath in Budapest fed by two hot springs at 74 °C and 77 °C.
We have not confirmed entry arrangements; check before you go.
2,994 readers a month
10. House of Terror
A museum at Andrássy Avenue 60 with exhibits on the fascist and communist regimes in 20th-century Hungary. It is also a memorial to people detained, interrogated, tortured or killed in the building.
The content is about repression and violence; check entry arrangements and suitability for children before you go.
2,696 readers a month
Sources
Just missed the list: Szentendre (11th by readers; a town of museums and galleries north of Budapest); Margaret Island (12th by readers; a parkland island in the Danube)
How we ranked these
By how many people read about each place on English Wikipedia in a typical month, measured October 2026. It is a popularity measure, not our opinion. Buda Castle, Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church leads with about 19,907 readers a month. Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are on each photo.
Research required. Area notes for this destination are not written yet. The top 10 above is sourced; the rest of this page is an outline.
Affiliate disclosure: Booking links on this site are partner links. Once our partnership is active we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend. How this works.