These Are the Most Exciting Experiences in Budapest Right Now

As summer draws to a close in the Hungarian capital, the trees on Castle Hill start glowing with amber leaves, locals promenade along the Danube, enjoying the still-warm days, and events celebrate the best of the country’s harvest season. From 9 to 12 September, the Budapest Wine Festival takes over the Buda Castle, with free tastings and music performances well into the evening, and the city’s skyline bathing in golden rays below. We round up eight other experiences to make the most of the season.

Hunt for Budapest’s Banksy

With dazzling architectural detail at every turn — gothic spires, baroque domes, art nouveau facades — Budapest rewards those who pay attention. Among the city’s small surprises are bronze miniatures scattered by Hungarian-Ukrainian guerrilla artist Mihály Kolodko. Some celebrate local heroes, others nod to the latest in the country’s politics or pop culture. Examples include a Yoda figurine at the Szent Gellért tér metro station and Dracula statuette behind Vajdahunyad Castle, but new works pop up regularly. Kolodko occasionally recreates them as jewellery, too.

Toast Hungary’s natural wines

Honey-sweet tokaji aszú and full-bodied egri bikavér: Hungary has always made fabulous drinks. But Budapest’s low-intervention wine scene has exploded — a new trend bringing together adventurous winemakers, relaxed bars and an unpretentious crowd. Settle in among the exposed brick walls of Marlou, a wine bar behind the State Opera House, for volcanic whites, aromatic orange wines or cloudy pét nats (naturally sparkling) from one of 22 producing regions. Each glass comes with a story, so arrive curious.

Soak in the local spa culture

While visitors queue for Budapest’s headline bathhouses, locals make for Lukács, where the thermal waters are said to be healing — the plaques on display are notes of gratitude left by former guests. Rotate between the outdoor pools, saunas and sunbathing terrace.

Dine at Kádár Étkezde

Open since 1957, this restaurant serves hearty dishes such as slow-cooked cholent (traditional Jewish stews). When it reopened last September after a five-year hiatus, aficionados flocked back to check whether the chequered tablecloths and black-and-white photographs remained. Thankfully, it’s all still there.

Party like it’s 1925

Budapest’s nightlife has a mischievous streak, and a new cabaret bar on Dob utca brings back the after-dark decadence of the city’s interwar years. The calendar at Vörös Neon spans live concerts, drag shows, burlesque performances and karaoke nights — some in English.

Stroll down Bartók Béla út

This once-overlooked leafy avenue in South Buda is now one of the capital’s most creative corners. The trick here is not to rush — pop into library-cafe Kelet for a coffee, try a kakaós csiga (cocoa roll) at Nor/ma bakery, then drift between the area’s independent galleries and design shops.

Catch Budapest’s golden hour

Budapest puts on a spectacle in the evenings and the best seat in the house doesn’t cost a thing. People gather along the Danube — there are plenty of touristy spots on the Promenade, but grab a fröccs (wine spritzer) and join locals on the quieter lower Pest embankment, anywhere between Liberty Bridge and Margit Bridge. As the sun slowly drops behind the Buda Hills, the Danube turns gold, the parliament glows and the bridges start twinkling one by one — the city at its most effortlessly romantic.

Stretch your legs in City Park

Few urban parks pack so much into one place. The entrance is Heroes’ Square — the city’s biggest — displaying statues of Hungary’s greats. Beyond, you’ll find the fairytale-like Vajdahunyad Castle; a host of museums, spotlighting everything from art to agriculture; and a boating lake, which becomes Europe’s biggest open-air ice-skating rink in winter.