Self-guided itinerary · free
Budapest in 3 days: Buda Castle, Gül Baba, thermal baths and the Danube
The plan splits Budapest by the two banks of the Danube into three clusters. Day one is the Buda side: ride the Budavári Sikló funicular up Castle Hill, visit the Matthias Church, the Fisherman's Bastion and the Castle Museum of the Budapest History Museum, and end at the Tomb of Gül Baba on Rózsadomb, reopened in 2018 after a Turkish-Hungarian restoration led by TİKA. Day two is central Pest: Parliament, St Stephen's Basilica, the UNESCO-listed Andrássy Avenue, Heroes' Square and the Széchenyi Thermal Bath. Day three covers the Dohány Synagogue, the Great Market Hall, the walk across Liberty Bridge to Buda, the domed Ottoman-era Rudas bath and the renovated Citadella on Gellért Hill. The Gellért Thermal Bath, closed since 1 October 2025, and the Király Bath, closed indefinitely, are not included. Dohány is closed on Saturdays, so if day three falls on a Saturday, swap it with day two. Hours and fees link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
Prepared by: Kolay Seyahat content teamLast updated 22/10/2026Every fact links to an official source
This is not a package tour. This itinerary is free information. Flights, hotels and experiences are each sold separately, under their own seller’s terms, with separate payment and a separate contract. Prices are never linked to one another.
Day by day
Progress is saved on this device only. Your location is never sent.
Day 1 · Buda Castle Hill and Gül Baba
Ride the Sikló up Castle Hill for the Matthias Church, the Fisherman's Bastion and the Castle Museum, then the Tomb of Gül Baba on Rózsadomb in the afternoon.
Day 1 · 1 · 09:00–11:30
The Budavári Sikló, the Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion
From Clark Ádám tér at the Buda end of the Chain Bridge, ride the Budavári Sikló funicular up to Szent György tér and start the day without a climb. The roughly 800-year-old Matthias Church is the emblem of Castle Hill and the UNESCO site; the church and the neighbouring Fisherman's Bastion were designed by architect Frigyes Schulek at the end of the 19th century. The 10-minute guided tower tour, 197 steps up, runs in time slots. Then look out over Pest and Parliament from the Fisherman's Bastion's neo-Romanesque outer terraces.
Getting there
- Funicular
Getting there
The Sikló's lower station is at Clark Ádám tér at the Buda end of the Chain Bridge; the upper station is on Szent György tér, between Buda Palace and the Presidential Palace.
Source: BKV · last checked 2026-10-22
Opening hours
Sikló 08:00–22:00, every 5–10 minutes depending on demand. Scheduled maintenance 20–24 April and 5–16 October; also closed on Mondays of odd weeks during the maintenance period.
Source: BKV · last checked 2026-10-22
Entrance fee
Sikló full single 4,500 HUF, return 5,500 HUF. Matthias Church full 3,400 HUF; tower full 4,000 HUF; under-6s free.
Source: Mátyás-templom · last checked 2026-10-22
Good to know
The Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion were designed by Frigyes Schulek in the late 19th century; the Castle district is part of Budapest's UNESCO World Heritage site.
Source: Visit Hungary · last checked 2026-10-22
Tips
The church requires knee-length skirts or trousers and covered shoulders for women, and shirts with knee-length trousers for men. Tower tickets are non-refundable.
Day 1 · 2 · 13:15–15:30
Budapest History Museum · Castle Museum
After lunch in the Castle district, move on to the Castle Museum in Building E of Buda Palace. Telling the city's history from the Middle Ages to today, it is the indoor stop of the Castle Hill day. The Hungarian National Gallery is also in Buda Palace.
Getting there
- Walk
Opening hours
Monday–Sunday 10:00–18:00. Address: Szent György tér 2., Buda Palace Building E.
Source: Budapest History Museum · last checked 2026-10-22
Entrance fee
Adults 3,800 HUF; BTM+ ticket 5,500 HUF (one entry to each BTM venue within a month).
Source: Budapest History Museum · Castle Museum · last checked 2026-10-22
Tips
Student and senior discounts apply only to EEA citizens. Entry is free with the Budapest Card.
Day 1 · 3 · 16:00–16:45
The Tomb of Gül Baba
The best-known stop of Budapest's Ottoman heritage and the emotional heart of the route for Turkish visitors. Gül Baba was a Bektashi dervish who joined Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent's campaign to Buda and died there in 1541. The tomb was registered as a historic monument in 1914 and has been open as a museum since 1962; the restoration and museum project begun by TİKA in a Turkish-Hungarian partnership in 2016 opened in October 2018, with a cultural centre built alongside and Gül Baba Street renewed. Close the day with a quiet, respectful visit to the rose garden overlooking the Danube.
Opening hours
Check the official site for current information
Source: TİKA · last checked 2026-10-22
Good to know
The tomb was registered in 1914 and has been open as a museum since 1962; TİKA's restoration and museum project opened in October 2018.
Source: TİKA · last checked 2026-10-22
Good to know
The tomb is owned by Hungary and has open-air museum status.
Source: T.C. Budapeşte Büyükelçiliği · last checked 2026-10-22
Tips
Visiting hours are not published officially; check before you go.
Day 2 · Central Pest, Andrássy Avenue and Széchenyi
After Parliament and St Stephen's Basilica, follow Andrássy Avenue to Heroes' Square, then spend the afternoon at the Széchenyi Thermal Bath.
Day 2 · 1 · 09:00–12:15
Parliament and St Stephen's Basilica
Booking recommended
According to the Hungarian Tourism Agency, the Parliament building and its square are the centre of the country; impressive inside and out, it hosts ceremonies such as the changing of the guard and is named in the UNESCO "Danube panorama" component. Buy your guided-visit ticket in advance on the official site. Then walk to St Stephen's Basilica: the view over Pest from the panorama terrace around the dome is among the agency's must-sees on its three-day route.
Getting there
- Walk
Tickets and booking
Basilica church hall Monday–Saturday 09:00–18:00, Sunday 13:00–18:00; panorama terrace and treasury daily 09:00–19:00. Reduced tickets only at the desk with proof.
Source: Szent István Bazilika · last checked 2026-10-22
Good to know
The Parliament building and its square are the centre of the country and host ceremonies such as the changing of the guard.
Source: Visit Hungary · last checked 2026-10-22
Tips
See parlament.hu for Parliament visiting times and tickets. At the Basilica, weekend weddings can restrict visits to the church hall.
Day 2 · 2 · 14:00–15:30
Andrássy Avenue and Heroes' Square
After lunch, walk along Andrássy Avenue past the Opera House; the avenue is one of the three components of Budapest's UNESCO listing, along with the Danube panorama and the Castle district, and includes the Opera House and the Liszt Academy of Music. At its end, Heroes' Square honours the tribal leaders who settled the land, with museums and Városliget park beside it.
Getting there
- Walk
Good to know
Budapest's UNESCO listing has three components: the Danube panorama, the Castle district and Andrássy Avenue.
Source: Visit Hungary · last checked 2026-10-22
Tips
If you'd rather not walk the avenue, you can take the metro that runs beneath it.
Day 2 · 3 · 15:30–18:30
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
Széchenyi, which the Hungarian Tourism Agency calls the star of Budapest's baths, lies inside Városliget. Swimming in hot water outdoors in winter is the real experience here; end the day relaxing after the Andrássy walk. Városliget's surroundings are close by for dinner.
Getting there
- Walk
Opening hours
Monday–Thursday 07:00–20:00; Friday 07:00–22:00; Saturday–Sunday 08:00–20:00. Pools and saunas close 20 minutes before closing.
Source: Széchenyi Thermal Bath · last checked 2026-10-22
Entrance fee
Day ticket with locker (2026): Monday–Thursday 13,200 HUF; Friday and weekends 14,800 HUF; holidays and peak periods 15,800 HUF.
Source: Széchenyi Thermal Bath · last checked 2026-10-22
Tips
On-site day tickets are sold at the entrance opposite the Circus, where only bank cards are accepted; tickets can be bought up to 6 months ahead. Check Budapest Card terms on the bath's official site.
Day 3 · Dohány, the Great Market Hall, Rudas and Gellért Hill
The Dohány Synagogue in the morning, the Great Market Hall at midday, then across Liberty Bridge to Buda for the Rudas bath and the Citadella on Gellért Hill. Dohány is closed on Saturdays.
Day 3 · 1 · 10:00–11:30
The Dohány Synagogue and the Hungarian Jewish Museum
Closed
The centre of the city's Jewish heritage and of Holocaust memory. Built in the Moorish style, the synagogue opened on 6 September 1859; it was designed by Ludwig Förster, holds about 3,000 people and has 44-metre towers. Its garden is the grave of about 2,600 people who died in the Holocaust, and Dohány Street marked the edge of the ghetto in the Second World War. Visit quietly and respectfully.
Opening hours
October: Sunday–Thursday 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00), Friday 10:00–16:00. Winter (2 November–31 December): Sunday–Thursday 10:00–16:00, Friday 10:00–14:00.
Source: Jewish Tour Hungary · MAZSIHISZ · last checked 2026-10-22
Closed
The complex is closed every Saturday; in 2026 also on 1 November and 24–25 December.
Source: Jewish Tour Hungary · MAZSIHISZ · last checked 2026-10-22
Entrance fee
Check the official site for current information
Source: Jewish Tour Hungary · MAZSIHISZ · last checked 2026-10-22
Tips
Online tickets give faster entry; you can enter up to one hour before closing. There is a security check with ID at the entrance.
Day 3 · 2 · 12:00–13:30
Központi Vásárcsarnok (Great Market Hall)
The historic market hall next to Liberty Bridge sells fresh produce, meat, crafts and souvenirs; the Hungarian Tourism Agency mentions seed oils and home-made honey. It is the right place to see Hungarian flavours such as paprika and lángos under one roof and to have lunch.
Good to know
A historic market hall next to Liberty Bridge selling fresh produce, meat, crafts and souvenirs.
Source: Visit Hungary · last checked 2026-10-22
Tips
Check opening hours before you go.
Day 3 · 3 · 13:45–17:00
The Rudas bath and the Citadella
Closed
Cross Liberty Bridge to Buda. The Turkish bath at the heart of Rudas was built in the 16th century, in the Ottoman period; an octagonal pool lies beneath a 10-metre dome on eight columns. Then climb Gellért Hill to the renovated Citadella's park, the new viewpoints on its walls and the Liberty Statue, where both banks of the city come into view together. Spend your farewell evening by the Danube.
Getting there
- Walk
Opening hours
Rudas Monday 06:00–22:00; Tuesday–Sunday 06:00–20:00. The Turkish bath is women only on Tuesdays and men only on Wednesdays.
Source: Rudas Thermal Bath · last checked 2026-10-22
Closed
The Gellért Thermal Bath has been closed since 1 October 2025 (expected to reopen in 2028); the Király Bath is closed indefinitely.
Source: Gellért fürdő · last checked 2026-10-22
Entrance fee
Visiting the Citadella is free (inner park, viewpoints, walkway, Liberty Statue). Exhibition adults 4,900 HUF; ages 6–26 2,450 HUF; under-6s free.
Source: Citadella · Várkapitányság · last checked 2026-10-22
Tips
Rudas's Turkish bath is not mixed every weekday: Tuesdays are women only and Wednesdays men only. The bath is not currently accessible for disabled visitors. At the Citadella only the "A Szabadság Bástyája" exhibition is ticketed.
Getting around
Getting there
BKV runs most of Budapest's buses, trams, metro and trolleybuses, as well as the cogwheel railway, the Castle Hill funicular and the public boat service on the Danube.
Source: BKV · last checked 2026-10-22
Good to know
Call 112 in an emergency. The Hungarian Tourism Agency advises against hailing taxis in the street (call a company or use an app) and against changing money at the airport; watch out for pickpockets in crowded places.
Source: Visit Hungary · last checked 2026-10-22
Good to know
Embassy of Türkiye in Budapest: Andrássy út 123; tel. +36 1 478 91 00; duty/emergency +36 70 355 72 33.
Source: T.C. Budapeşte Büyükelçiliği · last checked 2026-10-22
What and where to eat
Recommended places
Stand25 Bisztró
Buda, District ITraditional Hungarian
Selected by the MICHELIN Guide; the guide describes this Buda neighbourhood bistro from the team behind two-starred Stand, serving Hungarian classics. It fits lunch on day one.
Source: MICHELIN Guide · MICHELIN Guide · last checked 2026-10-22
N28 Wine and Kitchen
District VI, Nagymező utcaTraditional Hungarian
MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand; the guide mentions its seasonal menu built on the Hungarian larder, with examples such as goulash soup and somlói dessert. It fits lunch on day two.
Source: MICHELIN Guide · MICHELIN Guide · last checked 2026-10-22
Goli
District VMiddle Eastern
MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand; the guide describes a small, colourful place in the former Goldberger textile factory building.
Source: MICHELIN Guide · MICHELIN Guide · last checked 2026-10-22
94' Konyha & Bar
District VII, Király utcaVietnamese
MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand; the guide mentions its fresh, vibrant Vietnamese cooking. Close to day three's Dohány visit.
Source: MICHELIN Guide · MICHELIN Guide · last checked 2026-10-22
Borkonyha Winekitchen
District V, near the BasilicaModern
One MICHELIN star; the guide mentions an unassuming-looking kitchen that works with top-quality produce.
Source: MICHELIN Guide · MICHELIN Guide · last checked 2026-10-22
Szaletly
District XIV, around VárosligetHungarian
Selected by the MICHELIN Guide; the guide describes a neighbourhood place with a large garden terrace and a Hungarian thread through every dish. It fits the evening after Széchenyi on day two.
Source: MICHELIN Guide · MICHELIN Guide · last checked 2026-10-22
Local specialities
Goulash soup (gulyásleves)
A brothy soup with onion, paprika and cubed potatoes, listed in Hungary's Hungarikum national-value system.
Source: Hungarikum · Official tourism source · last checked 2026-10-22
Ground paprika (Kalocsa and Szeged)
Listed as two separate Hungarikum entries; the record notes that paprika was brought to the Carpathian Basin by the Turks in the 16th–17th centuries.
Source: Hungarikum · Official tourism source · last checked 2026-10-22
Dobos torte
A Hungarikum-listed cake that the Hungarian Tourism Agency counts among the most iconic.
Source: Visit Hungary · Official tourism source · last checked 2026-10-22
Kürtőskalács (chimney cake)
A cake baked on a cone-shaped spit over embers and caramelised with sugar; on the Hungarikum list.
Source: Visit Hungary · Official tourism source · last checked 2026-10-22
Lángos
Deep-fried flatbread made from yeast dough, traditionally eaten with garlic, sour cream and cheese.
Source: Visit Hungary · Official tourism source · last checked 2026-10-22
Pörkölt
A stew of onion, meat and paprika; according to the Hungarian Tourism Agency, the archetypal Hungarian dish.
Source: Visit Hungary · Official tourism source · last checked 2026-10-22
Opening hours and prices vary by venue; check the venue’s own site before you go. Recommendations are not paid placements.
Where to stay
Candidates were picked by distance to the area, star rating, guest rating (weighted by number of reviews) and completeness of hotel details. Ratings, review counts and details come live from our catalogue. Tiers follow the star rating.
Sample dates: 26.11–28.11 (2 nights), 2 adults. Prices change with dates; choose your own dates on the hotel page.
Belváros and Lipótváros (District V)
Parliament, the Basilica and Michelin picks such as Goli and Borkonyha are here; lively and walkable.
Good for: First-timers and couples
Budget
Mid-range
Erzsébetváros (District VII)
The Dohány Synagogue and the old Jewish quarter are here; the Hungarian Tourism Agency describes it as a nightlife district with venues open late every day.
Good for: Groups of friends and night-life lovers
Budget
Mid-range
Víziváros and below Castle Hill (District I, Buda)
Close to the funicular's lower station and the Castle Hill sights; quieter and view-focused, with a bridge to cross to Pest.
Good for: Families and travellers focused on the Buda side
Budget
Mid-range
Photos: Pexels (Efrem Efre, Barkalı, Elijah Cobb, Dagmara Dombrovska, Matias Mango, Zsuzsa ZSUZSA, KITSUN YUEN, Tibor Szabo)
