Soph’s Scribbles

Touching down in Budapest after a very long six-hour overnight bus, we were both absolutely knackered. Neither of us had slept properly, George’s watch claimed he managed 37 minutes, while mine didn’t even register that I’d fallen asleep at all.

We arrived at around 7am, but couldn’t check into our Airbnb until 11, so we had a few hours to kill. We sprawled out on the grass in Hunyadi Square, wandered through the nearby farmers’ market, and eventually found a lovely little coffee shop called The Cube Coffee Bar. We sat in the sunshine eating amazing banana bread, slowly beginning to feel human again while we waited for check in time.

We stayed on the Pest side of the city, which is definitely the busier and more social half of Budapest. The city is split by the Danube River into two distinct sides… Buda and Pest which were once completely separate cities before being unified in 1873. Pest is flatter, livelier, and packed with bars, restaurants, and nightlife, while Buda is hillier, quieter, and home to many of the city’s historic landmarks and panoramic viewpoints.

After checking into our lovely loft apartment, we debated having a nap but decided to seize the day instead and head straight out exploring. We wandered down towards the Danube, taking in some of Budapest’s most famous sights including the incredible Hungarian Parliament Building and St. Stephen’s Basilica.

From there, we trekked up Gellért Hill for panoramic views across the entire city. It was a serious climb, especially after the sleepless night and endless walking, my knee was killing, but once we reached the top, the view was completely worth it. Seeing both Buda and Pest stretched out beneath us in the golden evening light was honestly gorgeous.

By the time we made it back down, we were starving. Completely by chance, we stumbled across what turned out to be one of the best food finds of the trip, an unreal Mexican street food place where we demolished birria tacos and nachos. Exactly what we needed to refuel.

Later that evening we headed to the famous Kéhli Vendéglő for a traditional Hungarian dinner. I ordered chicken paprikash with noodles, while George went for goulash with mash. The waiter accidentally mixed up the order with the table behind us, meaning the poor girl who’d ordered pork ended up with George’s goulash instead. By the time they realised and corrected it, they’d run out of mash for George entirely. One of those chaotic little travel moments that ends up being funny afterwards. Thankfully, the food itself was delicious and we absolutely filled our boots.

To top off the day, the boiler in our accommodation completely broke, and we were asked to move apartments. At that point I was beyond exhausted, so after briefly regrouping in a nearby bar to sort the logistics, I headed straight to bed for a very well-earned sleep.

The next morning I woke up to a sleep score of 100! Clearly my body had fully given up after the overnight bus ordeal.

We decided to invest in a 48 hour metro pass, which quickly proved to be the best decision ever. Budapest is far bigger than it first seems, and although everything looks close on the map, most places were at least a 30-minute walk apart. With our legs already struggling, being able to hop on and off trams and metros made exploring so much easier.

One of the most moving places we visited was the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial, commemorating the thousands of Jews who were executed along the river during World War II by the Arrow Cross militia allied with Nazi Germany. The iron shoes on the riverbank alongside personal tributes and flowers were haunting and incredibly powerful to see in person. What made it particularly interesting was learning more about Hungary’s complicated role in the war, something that was often minimised or hidden in post-war narratives.

From there, we crossed over to the Buda side and visited the stunning Fisherman’s Bastion alongside Matthias Church. The architecture there was absolutely beautiful almost fairytale like and the whole area had such a calm atmosphere with lovely bars and cafés tucked along the cobbled streets. We then wandered down to Buda Castle for another mooch around.

Later we headed to the Central Market Hall, packed with stalls selling meats, pastries, souvenirs, and endless amounts of Hungarian paprika. Just across the road we found For Sale Pub, where we stopped for a drink and some monkey nuts. It weirdly reminded us of Raffles in Singapore with all the peanut shells everywhere. We scribbled messages onto notes and pinned them onto the walls, hoping they’ll stay there forever.

After checking into our new apartment, only two minutes down the road from the old one, we regrouped before heading out again to Margaret Island. It was such a gorgeous green escape from the city: huge parklands, Japanese gardens, open-air theatres, and walking paths everywhere. We eventually reached the musical fountain just in time for the evening light show, watching fountains dance to songs by Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. Completely unexpected and honestly really special to watch.

That evening we found a sports bar showing the Miami Grand Prix and I somehow ended up with the strongest margarita of my life. Afterwards we headed to Karaván Street Food for dinner. We shared a traditional Hungarian lángos, fried bread topped with sour cream and cheese which we’d been desperate to try, although neither of us were actually that keen on it in the end. The pulled duck bao buns, however, were unreal and probably one of the best things we ate all trip.

We finished the night at Szimpla Kert, Budapest’s most famous ruin bar. Ruin bars are one of the city’s most iconic nightlife experiences, abandoned buildings and derelict warehouses transformed into quirky bars filled with mismatched furniture, graffiti, fairy lights, and random decorations hanging from the ceiling. Szimpla felt chaotic in the best possible way. We grabbed cocktails and watched an incredible live jazz jam where musicians kept swapping instruments, audience members jumped on stage to join in, and the whole place felt completely spontaneous and alive. We even stayed out until midnight! Late for us, to bring in my birthday.

I woke up on May 4th officially 23 years old. Woo!

After a slow morning and opening some presents, we headed for the thing we’d both been most excited about: Széchenyi Thermal Bath. We’d pre-booked tickets but still arrived to a massive queue. Once inside though, it was completely worth it. The weather had hit 27 degrees. The hottest day of the trip so far and the outdoor thermal pools felt like giant warm baths, with water around 38 degrees and steam rising everywhere. Packed with minerals and magnesium, it honestly felt amazing on our aching muscles.

We spent hours moving between outdoor pools, indoor spas, saunas, and steam rooms. One of the coolest experiences was the salt inhalation chamber where the air was so salty you could literally taste it. It ended up being one of my favourite experiences of the entire trip and such a perfect birthday treat.

Afterwards we grabbed lunch an incredible schnitzel sandwich, before wandering through the nearby park, spotting the striking House of Music Hungary and some of the city’s modern museum buildings.

That evening we got dressed up and headed out for birthday drinks, starting with an Aperol and a beer at a little bar near our apartment while soaking up the gorgeous weather. We then returned to our beloved taco place because honestly, the tacos were too good not to repeat. Birria tacos and margaritas on my birthday? Ideal.

But the best part of the evening was still to come.

We’d booked a bottomless prosecco evening cruise along the Danube with Floating Lotus, and seeing Budapest illuminated at night was genuinely breathtaking. The Parliament building glowing gold against the river honestly didn’t look real. Watching all the landmarks we’d explored during the day: the castle, bastion, churches, and bridges lit up from the water felt magical. Safe to say we fully got our money’s worth from the prosecco too.

After stepping off the boat slightly merry, there was only one thing left to do: finally try the famous Hungarian chimney cake. We found a little bakery and shared a pistachio-filled one, covered in crushed pistachios and warm sweet pastry. It was somehow even better than expected.

To finish the night, George surprised me by getting the girls on FaceTime to sing happy birthday while I sat there covered in pistachio cream after making an absolute mess of my skirt. Honestly the perfect ending to such an incredible birthday and an unforgettable few days in Budapest.