One of the downsides of living overseas (yes, there are downsides) is that after a while, any place you live for long enough stops being purely magical and delightful and becomes Where You Live. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; living in another country allows you to dig deeper and get to know a city much more intimately than you could in a brief week-long visit. However, we all know there’s a difference between real life and vacation—many differences, in fact. As much as I enjoyed my time living in Prague, after a while it started to feel a bit routine. Oh, that beautiful castle tourists from around the world throng here to see? That’s just something I walk by on my way to run afternoon errands.
When Prague became my temporary home, it also lost the wondrous sense of the new and unfamiliar. It became the place I lived, worked, bought my groceries. As one might expect, while I had a great time there, it certainly didn’t feel like every day was a vacation.
But that’s okay: I had Budapest for that!
Budapest was a city I had been dying to see before moving to Europe. It was at the tip-top of my lengthy travel list; only a seven-hour train ride from Prague would sweep me into an entirely new country and culture. And Budapest did not disappoint in the least. It quickly became, and remains, one of my favorite cities in the world.
Budapest boasts many attractions: it has the usual range of big ticket sights, architectural gems, museums, and so on. Yet, while I did the usual city walkaround and spent time at landmark tourist spots like Castle Hill and the Chain Bridge, that’s not what I remember most vividly years later. What Budapest brings to mind most is the overwhelming sense of delight and even luxury I found in even its smallest experiences. Budapest is a beautiful city, and just walking around and taking it in visually is a treat; but that’s far from the only treat this magical destination has in store. Whether it’s food, café culture, or soaking in majestic and incredibly relaxing baths, Budapest has you covered. For some affordable relaxation and luxury, you’d be hard pressed to do better.
A few of my favorite indulgent experiences in Budapest:
• The Szechenyi Baths: This is my one must-do recommendation for every traveler to Budapest. The Hungarian tradition of communal outdoor bathing may seem a bit odd at first to people from other countries where it’s not so common, but it’s really a complete delight. After dropping off our clothes and valuables in a locker (still in our bathing suits, don’t worry), my friend and I walked outside and left the chilly October air behind as we stepped into warm, enveloping water that relaxed us completely. We stayed for hours, leaning against the side of the enormous bath, letting our limbs just float as all the stress and tension of travel and daily life was slowly washed away. We talked, we watched the people around us—a varied crowd, including young boys, hefty grandmas, and old chess-playing men (just like in the guidebook photos!)—and took the time to rest and rejuvenate ourselves in this beautiful community setting. And oh yes, on our second visit, we discovered the bath also had a section featuring whirlpools. Hell yes!
• Café Culture: I’m one of those people who plans city visits around trips to specific cafes. In Budapest, it was Café Gerbaud, home of delicious, rich hot chocolate and every kind of indulgent pastry you can imagine. And it’s also in a beautiful, elegant building, bringing to mind the imperial café culture of the Habsburg Empire and making me feel I’d stepped back in time a bit whenever I walked inside. I visited Budapest three times and made it to Café Gerbaud each trip without fail; it was always a highlight of my time there, and a nice familiar place to come back to and re-experience with new friends every visit.
• Food, Glorious Food (and Wine): Czech food—at least when I lived there—was not a highlight of my time in the city. Hungarian food, however, was a different story. The first time I visited Budapest, my friend and I checked into a hostel with a rather sketchy character who tried to simultaneously impress us with his knowledge of the city and ask my friend out. But he did give us one piece of excellent advice: he recommended the Soul Café, down the street from our hostel. The second we walked inside, sat down and looked at our menus, we were transported. Gulyash, Riesling, exquisite desserts—it was all so delicious! We were in dire need of a break from the rather bland Czech cuisine and the stuff we were cooking in our flats from Tesco, and Budapest provided the culinary kick in the pants we needed. Paprika, you were never such a welcome addition.
Have you been to Budapest? What did you like most about it—any of the things on this list? Do you enjoy partaking in small indulgences while you travel?