Adored by many, Hungary’s capital- Budapest, has managed to bloom as an immensely popular destination. It victuals tourists from all over the world with their search in different genres like nightlife, culture, or old-world grandeur.
Budapest has made its mark in globetrotters’ books by presenting the best of its world. Rich culture, underground caves, amazing spa facilities, world-famous Ruin bars, a gorgeous Parliament building, a wide variety for the gastronomical family, and the mighty Danube River has helped Budapest become Budapest.
If you wish to witness the raw beauty of this wonderful city, plan a visit in winter. Budapest glows differently under the white blanket of snow and nothing comes closer to the dreamy sight. There are many new options available to do during the season but some things remain constant. Here is a list of Things to do in Budapest in winter for you to plan a fun-filled trip!
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Things to do in Budapest in winter
- Where to stay in Budapest
- Christmas markets
- Basilica light show
- Thermal baths
- Ice Rink
- Buda Castle and Várkert Bazár
- Flavourful tour around the city
- Before you leave for Budapest
Where to Stay in Budapest
There is a wide range of accommodations available in Budapest, so you will not be short on options. Here are our top suggestions for the best places to stay in Budapest for any budget.
Luxury – The Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest has an incredible and view and enjoys an incomparable location in front of the Chain Bridge. This hotel offering luxury units, an infinity-edge pool, a fitness room as well as a restaurant and bar.
Book your stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest here.
Mid-range – Lanchid 19 Design Hotel is the perfect mid-price range accommodation to stay in in the heart of Budapest. With everything, you need within walking distance and the most spectacular bathtub views. You can also enjoy some of the delicious Hungarian food that is served in the restaurant here.
Book your stay at the Lanchid 19 Design Hotel here.
Budget – If you are visiting Budapest on a budget and are looking for somewhere central to stay, Centric Lifestyle Apartments is a great option. There is free wifi in this spacious apartment as well as an excellent city view.
Book your stay at the Centric Lifestyle Apartments here.
If you are more into the hostel scene when you travel, there are an unbelievable number of funky, cheap, and social hostels spread through the country. Browse the full range of hostels that Split has to offer and book your stay right here.
Christmas markets
European Christmas markets are always dreamy and the ones present in Budapest set a bar too high. The illuminated roads act as an add-on to the beautification of the areas.
Taking place from November until early January each season, the markets welcome large visitor numbers from right around the world and deliver an authentic Hungarian Christmas experience you’ll never forget.
While the city enjoys the festive season, the 2 popular Christmas market locations are Vörösmarty Square and St. Stephen’s Basilica market.
Vörösmarty Square is one of the most famous and probably the oldest Christmas market presenter. The place is all decked up and attracts a huge crowd with its traditional Hungarian foods, including lángos, chimney cake and local sausages. Once here, you’ll have a plethora of goodies to choose from at the more than 120 stalls.
Whereas St. Stephen’s Basilica Christmas market sits in front of the spectacular Basilica building acting as its addition to the beautiful crown. The market space is flooded with over 160 stalls, each dealing in something new and exciting. Once here, you can relish cakes and sweets. Apart from these, you can also enjoy arts and crafts, mulled wine and traditional Christmas gifts.
Note: Each market operates from 10 am to 10 pm. Admission is free for all.
Basilica light show
St. Stephens Basilica is a wonder in itself and nothing stands in between its beauty. When visitors are in awe of this beauty, they often come across the special light show in winter.
Although the light show takes place all year round but being a spectator in the winter is a different experience altogether. One of the major reasons is that during the light show, religious stories get played and audiences find an emotional connection to it due to the ongoing festive season. Dazzling 3D animations are beamed onto the front of the building, often creating the illusion that it’s moving or falling down. Breathtaking and groundbreaking, catching the Basilica light show is a must to add to your Budapest itinerary this winter.
Budapest Thermal Baths
If you wish to learn about the naked truth of Budapest, enjoy the thermal baths. Budapest has already secured the title of “City of Spas”. This is probably thanks to the presence of 118 natural thermal springs that deliver 70 million litres of therapeutic water each day to more than a dozen spas.
Many globetrotters fly down to this Hungarian capital to enjoy a bath session in the mineral-enriched waters. These magical waters help your weary, work-wrought bones, to achieve a sense of satisfaction and relaxation. Here are a few famous baths in the city for you to plan your trip accordingly:
- Gellért Baths (Best for couples)
- Rudas Baths (Operational since the 16th Century)
- Széchenyi Baths (Top choice in winter)
- Király Baths (Operational since the 16th Century)
Visit the Ice Rink
The most famous Ice rink in Budapest is definitely the one present at the City Park. Crafted right in front of Vajdahunyad Castle on the edge of City Park, the ice rink attracts a major percentage of the crowd to the rink.
First opened in 1870, this ice rink is one of the oldest and largest in let alone Budapest but Europe. The area where the ice rink is gets filled up with water during the summer. This area then serves as a boating lake for tourists looking to pedal around while basking in the sun. A multi-purpose location is definitely suitable for every season and is tourist friendly.
Buda Castle and Várkert Bazár
A spectacularly engineered infrastructure might come close to the description of Buda Castle. This royal castle is spread across a significant area known as the “Castle District” and would take up a lot of your time to explore.
Though this castle doesn’t have any connection with the royal family, it still gives out a royal vibe with its many fountains, gardens, and cobbled-stoned paths. Today, the castle hosts the Hungarian National Gallery and The Budapest History Museum attracting huge tourist footfall. The former exhibits Hungarian art from the last two centuries whereas the latter displays the city’s long history and educates the audience on the same.
While tourists find themselves getting enriched with the history of Buda Castle, Várkert Bazár holds something more exciting. This wonder is a restored neo-Renaissance complex on the side of Castle Hill which overlooks the Buda riverfront at the foot of the Royal Palace. This location played an essential role in Hungarian history and has seen its fair share of time. Although initially, it was an arcade of boutiques, gradually it became a hot spot for cultural space with an exhibition area.
Flavourful tour around the city
To explore the best side of Budapest, try local food. The local favourites give out a keen sense of how a city was and how far it has come. To learn about history is one thing but to learn it through food is somewhat much more interesting if you happen to love food as much as I do!
Here’s a list of what local foods you can enjoy on your trip to Budapest.
- Lángos
- Kürtőskalács (Chimney Cake) These are our absolute favourites!
- Dobos Torta (Drummer Cake)
- Gyümölcsleves
- Rétes
- Bejgli
- Pálinka
- Hot wine
- Grog
How to Prepare for Your Visit to Budapest
Before you set off on your trip to Budapest, there are a number of things you will need to organise to ensure a smooth and successful trip. These include where to stay in Budapest, what to pack for your trip to Hungary, and what is the best travel insurance for your trip. All of these will be discussed in the following section.
What is the Best Travel Insurance for Budapest
I know travel insurance is the least enjoyable thing to purchase and look at when you’re planning a trip, however, you wouldn’t want to be without it in the event that something happened. Accidents can happen anywhere and the extortionate medical bills will ruin your trip if you are not covered.
To ensure you have a stress-free trip with no worries about potential medical bills, make sure you cover yourself when you travel. We can recommend using SafetyWing, a backpacker-friendly and cheap insurance company that provides good coverage and support. It is also nomad-friendly, unlike most other insurance companies, meaning you do not need to worry about being out of your home country for too long.
Get a quote for your travel insurance right here and get covered!
What Should You Pack for Budapest?
What you need to pack for Budapest will rely highly on when you make your trip to Hungary. During the Spring and Autumn months, temperatures and weather patterns vary wildly between beautiful sunny skies and rainy days. During the Summer, you are pretty much guaranteed nice weather with temperatures ranging from 20-35 oC. The hottest months are July and August, so these will be the most popular for a Summer holiday.
During the Winter months in Budapest, the weather can go as low as freezing, so make sure you wrap up warm if you are coming between October and April. If you need more inspiration on what to pack for your trip,check out our full packing guides for all-weather conditions over here.
When it comes to toiletries, we recommend that you don’t forget to pack sunscreen. The sun in Hungary is very strong, especially during the summer months. Apply a lot of creams regularly to prevent a nasty burn from ruining your trip. We use this specific sunscreen to protect us as it is not as oily and irritating as other sunscreens.
Given the beautiful sights and scenery that you will see in Budapest, we highly recommend packing a good camera for your trip. If you want to read more about the cameras we use and why we love them, check out the link below.
You can read what else we keep in our camera bag over here.
Photography Equipment
Main Photography Camera – Sony A7v Mirrorless Camera and Sony A7iii Mirrorless Camera
Microphone – Shure VP83 Condenser Shotgun Microphone
Main Lens – Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
Zoom Lens – Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8
Camera Tripod – ZOMEI Z669C Camera Tripod
Gorilla Pod – JOBY JB01507-BWW GorillaPod
Action Camera – GoPro Hero 9 Black and Insta 360 One RS
Drone Camera – DJI Mavic Pro 2
Camera Bag – Lowepro Flipside 300 AW and The Nest by Tropicfeel
Phone Tripod – Manfrotto MKPIXICLAMP-BK, Mini Tripod with Universal Smartphone Clamp
Hard Drives – LaCie Rugged Mini, 5TB, 2.5″, Portable External Hard Drive
SSD – SanDisk Extreme Pro 1TB Portable NVMe SSD
Travel Adapter –Worldwide Travel Adapter Universal Travel Plug with 4 USB Ports+Universal AC Socket
Where to Stay in Budapest
No matter what your taste in luxury might be, from campsites to 5-star hotels, Budapest has the perfect place for you to rest your head at the end of the day.
Luxury – The Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest has an incredible and view and enjoys an incomparable location in front of the Chain Bridge. This hotel offering luxury units, an infinity-edge pool, a fitness room as well as a restaurant and bar.
Book your stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest here.
Mid-range – Lanchid 19 Design Hotel is the perfect mid-price range accommodation to stay in in the heart of Budapest. With everything, you need within walking distance and the most spectacular bathtub views. You can also enjoy some of the delicious Hungarian food that is served in the restaurant here.
Book your stay at the Lanchid 19 Design Hotel here.
Budget – If you are visiting Budapest on a budget and are looking for somewhere central to stay, Centric Lifestyle Apartments is a great option. There is free wifi in this spacious apartment as well as an excellent city view.
Book your stay at the Centric Lifestyle Apartments here.
If you are more into the hostel scene when you travel, there are an unbelievable number of funky, cheap, and social hostels spread through the country. Browse the full range of hostels that Split has to offer and book your stay right here.
So there you have it, a guide to the things to do in Budapest in winter. If you have visited Budapest recently, let us know what you thought of it, or if you have any suggestions let us know in the comments below.
As always, sharing is caring so make sure to share this photo guide with your family and friends and inspire them to head off on their own Hungarian adventure. If you are planning the trip for yourself, make sure you have a look at the rest of our Hungary content for more inspiration.
When you set off on your own adventure, be sure to tag us in your photos on Instagram and we will share them with the rest of our community. In the meantime, why not follow us over there to see what we are currently up to and keep up with us on our Instagram Stories.
Now Read:
- Budapest’s Thermal Baths – A Complete Guide
- The Ultimate 3 Day Budapest Itinerary – The Best Things to do in Budapest
- Two Days in Budapest – The Ultimate Budapest Itinerary
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