36 Hours in Budapest: Things to Do and See

How often do visitors to Hungary think about the Roman Empire? At the Aquincum Museum and Archaeological Park in the Óbuda district, the history of the imperial outpost on the Danube takes center stage (adult entry, 3,000 forints). Grab a flat white (1,990 forints) and a Korean-style egg drop sandwich (2,390 forints) at a cool café like Relative Pozsonyi in Pest and then time your easy, 40-minute journey on public transportation to arrive at Aquincum when it opens. The 130-year-old museum displays Roman-era glassware, statues, grave stelae, pottery and weapons uncovered in and around the area. The sprawling site includes remnants of streets, houses and workshops, as well as the Aquincum Mithraeum, a temple dedicated to the Roman god Mithras, founded by a local official, Marcus Antonius Victorinus, in the third century.

Local fashion takes a lot of inspiration from vintage clothing and streetwear. Search for chic new fits at longtime favorite Retrock, just off Deák Ferenc tér in Pest, which stocks everything from Japanese kimono-style blouses (around 35,000 forints) to screen-printed T-shirts from local brands like Derszu and Mama Tried (12,000 forints). A boutique, ReClaim Vintage, opened just a few blocks away in late 2023, selling a well-curated collection of 1970s shearling coats (35,000 forints) and beautifully worn Levi’s trucker jackets (19,000 forints). Another five minutes on foot will get you to Komondors, a three-year-old boutique and cafe where you can try on old-school Hungarian military dress jackets (12,000 forints) and cycling jerseys (8,000 forints) before plopping on the couch with an Aperol spritz (2,800 forints). If Komondors doesn’t fit your schedule, it might work as an after-hours option: fashion shows, D.J. sets and other occasional special events sometimes kick off around 9:30 p.m., running until quite late.

Ask a Hungarian winemaker for an insider’s restaurant recommendation and they just might pick the airy Pest brasserie Textura, younger sibling to the celebrated Borkhonya Winekitchen across the street. True to its name, various textures are apparent in the casual but stylish décor, which includes a wall covered with living moss and slick ceramic tiles, as well as on the plate, where crunchy sage leaves contrast with a creamy celeriac purée and crispy, well-battered fried sturgeon plays against a side of seared Caesar salad. The extensive wine list includes Hungarian gems both by the bottle and by the glass, like the elegantly dry white Hárslevelű Tarczal made by Stéphanie Berecz at the Tokaj region’s excellent Kikelet winery. Lunch for two: about 50,000 forints, including drinks and service charge.

Pest’s Városliget, or City Park, was spruced up and given a pair of new attractions in 2022, starting with the House of Music, a beautiful concert hall designed by the Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. Nearby, you’ll find the impressive Museum of Ethnography from a leading Hungarian architect Marcel Ferencz. The main collection at the museum includes more than 3,600 artifacts representing Hungarian and global cultures: folk costumes, furniture, tools, musical instruments and much more (entry fee, 4,900 forints). Unfortunately, many of the descriptions are only in Hungarian, with English translations requiring the use of a QR code. Since the building seems to block cellular signals, give yourself a few extra minutes to figure out how to register for Wi-Fi from the free local network, and make sure your phone is charged. Afterward, use some of your remaining juice for photos of Hősök tere, or Heroes’ Square, the enormous, UNESCO-listed monument at the park’s main entrance, then take the waters and a few selfies at the Széchenyi thermal bath and swimming pool (weekend entry fee, with locker, 12,500 forints), an ornate, 19th-century spa complex that perfectly illustrates the logic behind a basic rule of travel: Always pack a swimsuit.

Refuel and find your next read at Massolit, a charming English-language bookstore and cafe in central Pest’s party zone. Options include the historic photo book “Forgotten Budapest” (5,250 forints) and great Hungarian literature in translation, from Antal Szerb’s “A Martian’s Guide to Budapest” (2,990 forints), to “Sátántangó” (5,500 forints) and “The Melancholy of Resistance” (5,850 forints), both by László Krasznahorkai, and both of which were made into acclaimed films. Afterward, peek through the windows into Kahan Art Space, a small art gallery down the block that closes at 6, or read a few more chapters on a bench at the charmingly rundown neighborhood park, Klauzal Square.

Though it’s just a block from St. Stephen’s Basilica, a soaring Pest landmark, the self-described “fire-hearted kitchen” Goli feels like a busy market restaurant in Tel Aviv, where the chef Harel Zakaim worked previously. The restaurant’s flame-kissed vegetables, like smoked cauliflower and roasted oyster mushrooms, play main roles and the outrageously delicious, za’atar-topped vegan labneh is made from soy, not dairy, but meat-eaters will also find plenty to love, from aged beef entrecôte to lemon-chicken shawarma and lamb with grapes, almost all prepared over open flames and served for sharing. In the year and a half or so since Goli opened, it has become extremely popular; making reservations is highly recommended. Dinner for two: about 40,000 forints, including drinks and service charge.

Budapest’s burgeoning craft beer scene includes a number of excellent producers, including Horizont, Fehér Nyúl and Reketye, as well as an uncountable number of beer bars, mostly in Pest. One of the newest is Beer People, co-founded by the American novelist Duncan Robertson, where you can sample brews like the 10.8 percent imperial stout from Gravity Brewing (200 milliliters, or about 6.8 ounces, for 1,900 forints) under artwork that depicts praying hands and a rosary with a bottle opener. If you like your crowd louder and less beer-focused, you can’t go wrong with a classic “ruin bar” like Csendes Létterem, a high-ceilinged 19th-century space decorated with old hubcaps, mismatched furniture and loads of graffiti. Find a table, order a glass of kékfrankos rosé from the Gál winery just south of Budapest (1,090 forints) and enjoy the show.