Budapest in 2 days
A ready route for 2 days in Budapest: the main sights grouped by area, so you don't walk back and forth. Each day opens on the map with all its stops.
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Castle Hill & Buda · Parliament & Pest Centre · Jewish Quarter & Ruin Bars
6 places · about 6 h of sightseeing · 6,1 km between them
Morning
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Hungarian Parliament BuildingA vast, riverside neo-Gothic parliament building - one of the largest in the world - with guided interior tours past the Hungarian Crown Jewels, best booked well in advance.
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St. Stephen's BasilicaBudapest's largest church, home to the mummified 'Holy Right Hand' of King Stephen I, with a dome terrace climb (or lift) giving one of the best 360-degree views in the city.
Afternoon
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Fisherman's Bastion (Halaszbastya)A fairy-tale, neo-Romanesque terrace of white turrets and arcades on Castle Hill, built purely for the view - one of the best panoramas of the Parliament and the Danube in the city.
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Matthias Church (Matyas-templom)A neo-Gothic parish church on Castle Hill with a colourful diamond-patterned roof, the site of several Hungarian royal coronations, right next to Fisherman's Bastion.
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Buda Castle & Budapest History MuseumThe vast former royal palace complex on Castle Hill, its courtyards and ramparts free to wander, with the Budapest History Museum inside tracing the site back to medieval times.
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Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria)Hungarian art from medieval altarpieces to the 20th century, housed in the Royal Palace on Castle Hill.
Route of the day: Google Maps Apple Maps
Andrassy Avenue & City Park
3 places · about 5,5 h of sightseeing · 0,8 km between them
Morning
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Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum)Hungary's great art museum on Heroes' Square, with Old Masters from Spain, Italy and the Netherlands plus Egyptian and classical antiquities.
Afternoon
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Heroes' Square (Hosok tere)A vast ceremonial square at the top of Andrassy Avenue, anchored by the Millennium Monument's colonnade of statues of Hungary's founding chieftains and kings.
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House of Hungarian Music (Magyar Zene Háza)A striking modern music museum in City Park with an interactive permanent exhibition and a spherical Sound Dome.
Route of the day: Google Maps Apple Maps
Good to know
When to go
Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are mild and calmer than summer. The thermal baths are good all year, and in winter — with steam rising over the pools — they're especially beautiful.
Book ahead
Hungarian Parliament Building, Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum), House of Hungarian Music (Magyar Zene Háza)
Closed days
- Buda Castle & Budapest History Museum — closed: weekday.Monday
- Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria) — closed: Monday
- Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum) — closed: Monday
- House of Hungarian Music (Magyar Zene Háza) — closed: Monday
Want times, places to eat and a plan for your own dates?
In your own plan:
- exact times for each day, checked against the opening hours on your dates
- places to eat near every stop, in three budgets
- your flights, hotel, kids and pace taken into account