From Point A to Point B
Trolley buses, chairlifts, HÉV (suburban railway), funiculars, cable cars, yes, Budapest has several unique means of transport. But what you’ll need to familiarize yourself with are the three metro lines, trams four and six, which runs all night. Don't worry, you'll soon get used to the odd stop names, such as Blaha Lujza tér, Margit híd Budai hídfő! However, when the weather is nice explore the city by bike or on foot - it's a great, walkable city. Depending on where you're staying you might need to work out how to get from A to B. For schedules click here. Make sure to validate your ticket on board as controllers tend to pop up out of nowhere for random checks and heavy fines!
Taste the City
Hungarian cuisine isn't really for the faint of heart, or for vegetarians, so be prepared to indulge! The most famous traditional Hungarian dish is Goulash Soup - every household prepares a different version from varieties with heavy cream or spicy paprika. Halászlé a.k.a. fisherman's soup is also popular, but there's more to the food than just soup: stuffed cabbage and peppers, lecsó (mixed vegetable stew), and lángos (fried bread dough), just to name a few!
When it comes to desserts, try madártej, made of milk custard with egg white dumplings floating on top, or túró rudi, which has a chocolate outside and sweet quark cheese inside. Hungarian soup culture has become so experimental that túró rudi has become drinkable too! For a culinary adventure visit a local favourite, gastro bar Bors or the traditional indoor Grand Market in Budapest.
Where to Go
Beginning in May, Budapest is all about open-air ruin pubs, once abandoned courtyards, and houses now turned into beer gardens, restaurants, or cafes. Many people have a fröccs, Hungarian white wine spritzer, to sip on at the ultimate summer hangout at Erzsébet square or drink by the stairs of the Basilica. Locals often go with the flow in Gozsdu court, made up of seven separate courtyards with virtually any venue your heart desires, or venture down Kazinczy street. Others eventually get into Szimpla Kert, an eccentrically styled pub, and meet up with hipster friends at Telep bar until the sun comes up. In Budapest, you can have a beer on Gellért Hill or the Liberty Bridge, party on Margaret Island on the weekend and unwind at Wndrlnd, a bar that is redecorated by a different artist every week.
Take the bus to Budakeszi if you’re interested in checking out a pool party or let loose at the Sziget festival in August on “Shipyard Island” with thousands of other young people from around the world. When it's time to chill out on Sunday, climb the stairs to a rooftop bar or relax on a pillow in the grass by the lake in the city park of Szaft. In the wintertime, locals love to heat it up at a Sparty, a thermal bath in Budapest. After the symbolic rebirth, you'll have the patience to line up in front of Andrássy Avenue's trendy places or Szent István Square's clubs. By the end of the night, you'll have met a lot of young night owls and have gotten lost in one of Instant's dancefloors in the theatre quarter.