Day 3 in Hungary: A Tease of Budapest and Why I Need to Go Back

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Some cities ease into your heart slowly.

Budapest? It barged in, made itself comfortable, and left far too soon. We only had one day, but Budapest gave me one of those “I’m coming back for you” feelings — the kind that lingers long after the trip ends.

✈️ Getting There: From Vienna to Budapest by Bus After taking the train to Salzburg earlier in the trip, my friend and I decided to switch it up with a FlixBus ride from Vienna to Budapest. Tickets were just $20 round-trip, and the bus terminal at Südtiroler Platz was super easy to find — just a 7-minute walk from our Ibis Hotel near Wien Hauptbahnhof. The ride? Smooth, quiet, and punctual. We arrived at Budapest Keleti Station ready to explore.

🚇 Budapest Metro: Fast, Easy, and Purple Machine Approved We grabbed our single-journey metro tickets for 350 HUF each from a purple machine at the station — no fuss at all.

From there: Metro 4 took us to Keleti Palyaudvar Then Metro 2 brought us to Deák Ferenc Tér — Budapest’s main square and home to the Budapest Eye This square was bustling. Street performers, tourists, vendors, and that warm city energy you can’t fake.

🍴 First Stop: Hearty Hungarian Lunch Before anything else — food.
We found ourselves at Pesti Café, a cozy spot where we tried local dishes like: Chicken rolls Beef stew. Every bite tasted like comfort. I could’ve stayed at that table all afternoon.

🚶‍♀️ Walking Tour with Lila: The Humor, The History, The Hills We joined a free walking tour led by Lila, a bubbly guide who sprinkled the whole afternoon with stories, jokes, and local secrets.
We explored: The Pest side: full of energy, cafes, and that beautiful sprawl of City Park
St. Stephen’s Basilica: grand, glowing, and unforgettable
The Chain Bridge: classic, iconic, and our gateway to Buda
And then came the climb.

🏰 Buda Castle District: Cobblestones and Postcard Views On the Buda side, we climbed (read: huffed and puffed) our way up steep hills to reach: The magical Buda Castle District Matthias Church — colorful, ornate, and so much history in its tiles Fisherman’s Bastion — for some of the best panoramic views in Europe It was definitely a workout, but completely worth every step. Just... maybe stretch first.

💳 Currency Tips & Card Hacks Hungary uses the Forint (HUF) — approx. 250 HUF = 1 Euro Most shops and cafes accept cards (yay for no currency exchange stress) Big souvenir shops and Starbucks accept Euros, but it’s always better to pay in HUF for better value

💔 A City That Deserved More Time Budapest won me over too quickly. Just as I started to fall in love with its streets, skyline, and stew — we had to leave.

One day just wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to go.

I needed one more sunset, one more stroll along the Danube, one more plate of anything cooked in paprika. But hey — now it’s officially on my "must-return" list.

Next time: more days, more walking shoes, and way more time to fall for Budapest all over again.

Have you been to Budapest?

Tell me your favorite spots — or the places I should see next time. I’m already dreaming of the return.