Alex and I hopped on a plane and an hour and a half later, we landed in Budapest, Hungary. Before arriving in Budapest, I did a lot of research on what to do and see there. One of the things that kept coming up was “Ruin Pubs.” Bars found in the Old Jewish Quarter of Budapest, built in the ruins of old warehouses, stores, etc. That sounded like something right up our alley so we visited two our first evening in Budapest. The most famous ruin pub called Szimpla Kert was our first stop. It was huge! This one was built in the ruins of a warehouse, it had so many different rooms to check out, filled with tons of mismatched furniture and weird decorations. We spent a lot of time just walking around, admiring each room until we settled on the beer garden. Once we were done there, we stopped at another ruin pub nearby, Ellátó Kert. This one was just a beer garden build in an old abandoned lot. Both very different from each other but so interesting. Good start to our trip!

The next morning we did a 3-hour walking tour to all of the main sites; St. Stephen’s Basilica, Fishermans Bastion, the Hungarian Parliment, etc. Once we finished the tour we got lunch and delicious gelato in the shape of a rose (it was really difficult choosing 3 flavors). We tried out 2 more ruin pubs that evening. Then ended at Szimpla Kert again where we meet up with a friend who just happened to be in Budapest for work.

Our first stop on our last full day in Budapest was to the Central Market Hall. A huge building filled with rows and rows of food stands and souvenirs. Then we got lunch at a pub where we ordered a massive pot of Hungarian goulash. Once our stomachs were full we headed to the water for our wine tasting boat tour, where we got to sample 7 different Hungarian wines while cruising up and down the Danube River. It was so relaxing and the beautiful views didn’t hurt either. It was one of my favorite things we did on this trip. After the cruise we stopped to look at the ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank.’ A memorial for the Jews shot and killed on the bank, their bodies tossed into the river. Incredibly sad but very interesting. Once we were done admiring the memorial, we headed back for a nice Italian dinner then tried out one last Ruin Pub called Instant. This one is the biggest ruin pub in Budapest with a circus-y theme. It wasn’t quite as busy as Szimpla Kert but just as impressive.

Szimpla Kert does a big breakfast buffet on the weekends so Alex and I got to sample a ton of different Hungarian food. We then checked out of our Airbnb and made our way over to Sźechenyi Thermal Bath, one of the largest baths in Europe. It was about 80 degrees outside which made for a great day to relax in the outdoor pools (along with everyone else in Budapest). Once we got all the vitamin D we could handle, we walked across the street to have a drink at a wine festival before heading to the airport.

It was such an awesome trip filled with so many fun activities. We love Budapest!

St. Stephen’s Basilica

Castle Hill

View of the Pest side

Delicious!

Ruin Pub – Mazel Tov

Szimpla Kert in the daytime

Central Market Hall

Hungarian Goulash

Wine Tasting Boat Tour

Shoes on the Danube Bank

Hello Hungary!

Swimming Pool Bar

Aperol Spritz

Ruin Pub – Instant

Ruin Pub – Ellátó Kert

Brunch

Széchenyi Thermal Bath

Wine Festival

.