Budapest is one of the most incredible cities in all of my travels around the world. The river is a stunning backdrop to this historically charged and vibrant city. The food scene is fantastic and there are endless attractions to see and things to do in this fabulous city.

Getting There: Budapest is incredibly easy to get around. I would recommend flying into the Budapest airport (BUD). It is only about a 30 minute drive to the downtown area. The hotel that I recommend, which is exceptional, offers shuttle service to and from the airport or you can take a taxi. A car is not needed for just a few days to explore Budapest.

http://www.prestigehotelbudapest.com/airport-transfer

Rest Your Head:

I absolutely loved our hotel in Budapest- the Prestige Hotel Budapest. It's located in the heart of downtown on the Pest side of the Danube River (one side is Buda and the other side of the river is Pest). It's right around the corner from the most expensive hotel in Budapest, the Four Seasons, and is just as as nice, but for incredibly fair prices. A delicious breakfast is included that includes a buffet of pastries, fruit, cereal and made to order hot items like bacon, eggs and waffles. They had fruit infused water at the door when you came back to the hotel after a long day of touring, which was a nice touch.

While I only had 48 hours in Budapest, this was one of those rare cities where I wish I had more time! I think that 3-4 nights would be ideal to explore both Buda and Pest.

Adventure:

-Explore the downtown area. The streets are easy to navigate.

-Go out in the Jewish Quarter at night (it's filled with bars and restaurants for young people).

-Go on a sunset river cruise down the Danube (check out Legenda).

-Go to a bath house- We went to the most famous bath house in Budapest. It's called Szechenyi. It has 18 pools in total including 3 large pools outside. The pools are thermally heated and some are cool, while others are warm. Try to avoid the weekends and mid-day is especially busy. Massage and spa treatments are available, but definitely take a watch or phone in with you because they aren't too careful with giving you the full time paid for. Bring a towel from your hotel so that don't need to rent one there, bring a bathing suit, and rent just one changing room (where you will leave your valuables- they are safe!)

-Free Budapest Walking Tour- this free tour meets downtown on the Pest side in a large square. It lasts about 2.5-3 hours and sees both the Buda and Pest side of the Danube. I would highly recommend it, despite being put into large groups.

- Go on a Highlight Bike Tour with Budapest Bike Tours. See this large city on bicycle. It's completely safe and on many roads there are bike paths. Our guide even pointed out some interesting historical facts.

www.budabike.com

Culinary Delights:

The food is great in Hungary! I would highly recommend trying their famous goulash soup, which is essentially just a beef stew.

Aszú Étterem- One of the best meals I've ever had! Aszu is family run and has a lovely patio with great ambiance. The food puts a spin on some Hungarian dishes, but offers a wide variety of choices. I had a cold cucumber soup that was insanely delicious. I also had the duck that was so flavorful and moist that it came right off of the bone (Budapest, Sas u. 4, 1051 Hungary | aszuetterem.hu | +36 1 328 0360)

I would highly advise dining one evening on the Danube. We went to a spot called Spoon, which had incredible views and very good food. They also had a live piano player, which made the ambiance even brighter.

There is also a street called Október 6. u. that has some great lunch options including a Mexican restaurant, Thai, a hamburger spot and a fish n chips spot (if you want to branch out from Hungarian cuisine).

Budapest, Október 6. u., 1051 Hungary

Cocktail Hour: Rézkakas Bistro Go to for live music and drinks before dining at Aszu. The music is fantastic and the Hungarian white wines are quite tasty as well.

Budapest, Sas u. 3, 1051 Hungary rezkakasbistro.hu +36 1 318 0038

Hidden Gems and Not to Be Missed: Prestige Hotel Budapest, Aszú Étterem, Spoon, Budapest Bike Tours, a bath house experience

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