Going to Budapest for a day and a night? I don’t travel that way, so I don’t see the point. Maybe in some specific circumstances, going to see someone or something… or as a luxury trip: “prepare my jet, I need to take a bath in the Rudas, in Budapest”.

Heck yes. If your train takes you to the station on the east side of the city (in Pest), you’ll be within walking distance of a whole lot. During the day, walk across the river to Pest and wander around the quiet hill neighbourhoods. Keep going north up the river until you hit Margaret Island, which is a wonderful place in all seasons. When evening falls, pull aside any twentysomething and ask them where Szimpla is, then go there. (It’s a bar, naturally; for the record, it’s just east of the Astoria intersection, but rather hidden.)

Budapest wortha more than a day and night. i spent 3 days there and i wish i could stayed longer. i found way more interesting than Prague. it has an alternative night life, not so many tourists, a warm people and the thermal baths are great. ask the directions to Szimpla, it’s a “hidden club”, amazing place, definitely a must go.

I completely and utterly adore Budapest, but as massive as it is, a single day and night doesn’t seem too realistic. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it, you just might be underwhelmed by such a short stay.

If you do decide to do Budapest, I recommend checking out one of the many baths sprinkled around the city. If you’re focused on the Pest side of the city (east of the Danube, the larger part), check out the Szechenyi Baths. They’re quite popular, but really lovely inside, so don’t let the popularity deter you. On the other hand, if you’re hanging out in Buda (west of the Danube, smaller part of the city), I hear the baths at the Hotel Gellert are absolutely breathtaking.

It’s worth noting that the baths don’t stay open terribly late, so it might be a nice relaxing way to start your day, and the entry fees are very cheap, so you don’t have to feel guilty about only spending a short time there.

For sightseeing, the museum I enjoyed most was the House of Terror, which documents a lot of the atrocities that occurred in Hungary during Nazi and Soviet regimes throughout the 20th century. Your mileage may vary, however, as that is simply a subject I am very interested in.

If you need a coffee break, check out Gerbeaud. It can fool you because it is in a fairly touristy part of Budapest (Vörösmarty tér, which is a busy pedestrian street), but Gerbeaud is really lovely inside and despite the ornate decorations, very reasonably priced for coffee and an insanely delicious pastry.

I’m not sure what the opera season is like, but if you happen to be in Budapest the night an opera is on, try to get walk up tickets if they’re available. You can buy them practically right before the show and they were remarkably cheap. Don’t be put off by the fact everyone will be dressed to the nines; casual dress is fine, even though it might earn you a few annoyed looks by locals.

If you’re interested in nightlife at all, I can’t really recommend the trendy night club type places. They’re the ones that advertise the most and tend to draw the worst crowds. Ask some young locals for advice. The best nightlife experiences I had in Budapest were either at these outdoor clubs that spring up in the summer on the banks of the Danube or at “ruin pubs”, which are basically impromptu bars that pop up in courtyards in the middle of the city. As far as I could tell, there was little-to-no consistency as to where these would show up, so your best bet is to ask around. You’ll meet a lot of locals and the tourists you meet will likely be of the more ambitious variety. (Note: These ruin pubs will most probably be found in city center on the Pest side.)

I only had the opportunity to spend the weekend there and from the other entries it seems that I missed a lot, but I thought that what I saw was well worth the trip. There are many geocaches around Budapest if you’re interested in that (geocaching.com). So, to answer your question, I would say it depends on which day of the week that you are there. I would have liked to spend time there during the week when the city is going about its normal business.

believe an old lady from india when she says it is fxxxxxx worth it.

Dear Bidazti!

It is not worth coming to Budapest for 1 day. However if you happen to come I am happy to take you to a pubscroll.

Best wishes, David

Well I live din Budapest for 3 years and even after leaving, I still went back for the 3 follwoing years so I know that amazing city pretty well. i think you should try and get there if you can…but it would be a big shame to stay for just such a short period of time…hungary is sooo beautiful…there were not many turists when i lived there, but you should also get away from Budapest and see just how beautiful the rest of Hungary is…go to Esztergom, Eger, Lake Balaton, and many small nice towns.

Good luck and have fun.Dont forget to try the amazing ice cream in Budapest…so many wonderful flavours…and also the marizpan in Szentendre too:)

Absolutely. Check out Budapest’s famous ruin bars.