A weekend in Budapest
After deliberating with friends on a good spot for a winter city break we settled on Budapest, some epic locations were thrown in the mix but Budapest won for affordability and a city all of us were yet to visit. Now as with most places I had some preconceived ideas about the city, I expected it to be rugged and more than a bit rough around the edges, I also expected Wes Anderson vibes, the latter did not disappoint. Budapest is actually quite big but completely walkable although I would strongly advise taking an umbrella.
We opted for an Airbnb that could house all 5 of us with 3 decent bedrooms, we ended up with the most beautiful Pre War apartment filled with character and a massive kitchen/diner so we could eat late breakfasts and stay up drinking together when the bars got a bit much. There were a few stand out things to me on arrival, it has some beautiful architecture but it is most definitely a city of two halves, for you historians the river once split the city into Buda and Pest until they were combined in the 1800’s. As with most of Mainland Europe it was hit hard in WW2 and communism but this just adds to its now rich history and makes every street unique. On our second day we were walking home late at night and saw what appeared to be the whole population of Budapest discarding their furniture into the streets, it transpired the next day its common in Europe and many other countries to have a hard waste collection where you get rid of everything big you no longer want and its either picked up by another person or cleared away by the local binmen but gave the city a dystopian feel.
Now onto the bars, we mixed up the ruin bars with some great wine and beers bars, ruin bars are exactly what they say on the tin and are bars set up in ruined old buildings, some of them are pretty refined and have heaters and seating but some are quite dingy. Although prices have crept up it was VERY reasonable, and we ate and drank well for 4 days on what would likely be a days budget in say Copenhagen. Its a beautiful city, it has some incredible architecture, belting food, such a good selection of beer and wine and Indie shops but it is a bit bleak (the persistent rain may not have helped this and the 6 hours of daylight we managed a day) and in places it is a bit sketchy, would we go again? hell yes! But will definitely pack the waterproofs next time…
Here is a small selection of places we visited and loved.
Airbnb Pre War apartment in the Jewish Quarter
Food and Drink -
FIRST Craft Beer & BBQ Great beer bar with a good selection on offer
Élesztő Another cracking bar and food hall
Neked Csak Dezso - This place had a really reasonable 3 course menu too, it was so good we ate here twice, I still dream about the creamy udon noodles
Szimpla Kert The main Dive bar, definitely worth a visit but there is no food and it gets really busy as the night goes on
Monyo Tap House - Home of the brewery taproom and not one to be missed
Bestia Just yes
Beer Shops -
Food -
Hilda - Great food and awesome decor
Dobrumba Middle eastern food
Coffee -
Shops -
Printa - So good and I purchased the best slippers I have ever owned from here
