The Ultimate Wellness Weekend in Budapest

Description:

Danubius Health Spa Resort Margitsziget offers fine accommodations along with relaxing baths, pools, and therapy treatments. All rooms have a balcony with views of the Danube; non-smoking and connecting rooms are available upon request. Guests can indulge themselves at the health spa, where a range of massage treatments are available, from Thai to Shiatsu.

Our Local Expert Says:

Feeling active? Then this is the tour to join! Bike tours, rentals and pub crawls all in one place in the company of fun-loving guides!

Description:

Budapest Bike was started in 2005, by six Hungarian bicyclists. They offer the coolest bike tours downtown, starting at 10am daily for as few as one person. The tour costs 5,000 Ft ($27/£14). It includes a tour guide, the bike rental, a helmet, a map, a chain lock, and a drink. They also have tours outside of the city. If you are bound and determined to go it alone, they will rent you a bike for 6 hours for 2,000 Ft ($11/£5.75) or for a full day at 3,000 Ft ($16/£8.50); a tandem will run you 3,000 Ft ($16/£8.50) for 6 hours and 5,000 Ft ($27/£14) for a full day. A helmet, chain lock, and insurance are all included in the rental. They also offer a guided evening program, called a pub crawl, which will take you to the hottest pubs in Budapest for a mere 5,000 Ft ($27/£14). Included in this tour is a guide for 4 hours, a minimum of four pubs, two beers, and a shot. A minimum group of four people is needed.

Our Local Expert Says:

Budapest doesn’t have to go next door for some nature, as half of the city is hilly green countryside!

Description:

Even though Budapest has outgrown itself into a Central European metropolis, it is still abundant leafy green areas, most of which are found on the hilly Buda side. The Buda Hills are a hilly countryside built on dolomite and chalk hills on the Western side of the River Danube, comprising of the St. John's Hill, Hármashatár Hill, Szabadság Hill and Széchényi Hill. They are a popular destination for short excursions from the inner city, being ideal for picnics and recreational activities such as hikes, bike rides, and even extreme ones like caving and paragliding.

A tried and tested rout that never fails to impress starts at the cog-wheel railway at the Szilagyi Erzsebet Fasor. It's worth taking it to the top and carrying on from there by the 'Children's Railway', a scenic railway manned - apart from the train drivers - exclusively by children. The Elizabeth Lookout Tower marking the highest point of the city at 520m can be found at the St John's Hill stop, along with lovely paths for leisurely strolls. The nearby chair lift will take you down to Zugligeti Road, from where it's possible to catch a bus or taxi back to the inner city.

Our Local Expert Says:

One of Budapest’s most beautiful historic spas, a Secessionist masterpiece!

Description:

The Gellért Bath as part of the Gellért Hotel is one of Budapest's most beautiful historic thermal spas, renovated to receive its present appearance in the early 20th century. It is considered a Secessionist masterpiece with its imposing exterior and elaborate mosaic and stain glass window decorated interior.

Located at the foot of the picturesque Gellért Hill, the bath house is fed by the springs coming to surface on the geological fault line running along the Buda embankment.

The entrance to the bath - open to hotel and non-hotel guests alike - can be found to the right of the main entrance. The main attraction is its main indoor pool, famous for its beautiful Secessionist design, marble columns and colourful mosaic. Several plunge pools of different temperatures can be found, as well as saunas and a steam bath. The sun terrace and outdoor wave pool have a gorgeous view of the Gellért Hill, and the first floor terrace of the Gellért Restaurant boasts a spectacular view of the city.

Summer pool parties are held on Fridays and Saturdays from 8pm in through July and August.

Our Local Expert Says:

This area is named after St. Gellert, the first Hungarian martyr. Legend has it that in 1047, while attempting to convert the pagans, Gellert was forced into a wooden barrel filled with nails and then rolled down this steep hill to a bloody death.

Description:

Right next to the Danube River, Gellért Hill is the largest hill in Pest, topped with a beautiful park. Gellért Hill is home to the famed Citadel, the Wax Museum in the Bunker, Liberty Statue, Cave Church, and more. Located in Budapest's XIth District, Gellért Hill is named for the saint who was thrown to his death from the hill. Here you can find the best panoramic view of the city.

Our Local Expert Says:

Extraordinary view from around the statue especially after dusk!

Description:

The Liberty or Freedom statue (Szabadság Szobor) was erected in 1947 to commemorate Hungary's liberation from Nazi forces after WWII. Situated atop Gellért Hill next to the Citadella, the statue stands atop a pedestal and holds a palm branch over her head. Because of its location, the monument is visible from almost anywhere in the city and is a popular tourist attraction

Our Local Expert Says:

This "Central Park" of Budapest, situated on an island in the Danube between Buda and Pest, is a great escape from the heat and hubbub of the city. Ideal for kids, joggers, swimmers, bikers, or a long, romantic walk with your loved one.

Description:

Once called Rabbit Island due to a rabbit infestation, the name changed to Margaret Island honoring the daughter of King Béla; she spent her life as a nun on this island. Today, Margaret Island is a recreation spot for all ages. On Margaret Island, you will find walking and jogging trails, a petting zoo, bicycle rentals, beautiful gardens with seasonal flowers, and lush green spaces to sunbathe or benches to just relax. Historical remains include remnants of the Dominican convent and a 13th century Franciscan church. During warm seasons, Margaret Island hosts a number of eateries ranging from a quick snack to full meals. It is also the home to the seasonal Palatinus swimming complex and open-air theater.

Description:

If you want a really dramatic experience, come up from the yellow metro station at Hosök tere from the city center at night. When Hosök tere is lit it is majestic in its splendor, not to say that it is not stunning during the day too. Located at the end of the grand World Heritage Boulevard, Andrássy út, the square is the entryway into the best-known park in the city, City Park (Városliget). Like so many other things in the city, the square and the park were planned and built to celebrate the arrival and settling of the Magyars' forming a nation in 896. The tricky part at the time was that Hungary was part of the Austrian Empire and was beholden to the emperor while celebrating their independence as a nation. The monument as it is seen today was not completed until 1929, which had the collapse of the empire precede it.

In the center of the monument is a column 37m (120 ft.) high, topped by a large statue of Gabriel, the Archangel. The sculptor György Zala won a prize for his work at the World Exhibition in Paris after it had been shipped where it waited out testing of the strength of the column to support it. If you look at Gabriel's hands, he is holding a crown. Legend has it that...

Description:

During the 1896 millennial celebration of the Magyars settling and forming a nation in 896, the plans were proposed for the Museum of Fine Arts. Ten years later in the presence of Franz Josef, the king and emperor of Austria and Hungary, the Museum of Fine Arts was opened at the left side of Heroes' Square. This was the last great monument to be built during the most prosperous period of Hungary's history. Designed in the Beaux Arts style, the main facade has three classical Greek temples connected by colonnades. The temples represent the grove of muses, a place of relaxation. The Greek influence is further incorporated with the Corinthian columns and sculpture in the pediment: the Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs from the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. The museum is the main repository of foreign art in Hungary and it houses one of central Europe's major collections of such works. The initial collection was donated by Count Széchenyi who presented a number of portraits. A significant part of the collection was acquired in 1871 from the Esterházy collection, an enormously wealthy noble family who spent centuries amassing great art. There are eight sections in the museum: Egyptian...

Our Local Expert Says:

A unique gallery with no permanent collections but temporary exhibitions! The downstairs café has great sandwiches and sparkling clean restrooms within a stone's throw from Hero's Square.

Description:

This massive building stands majestically on Hosok tere (Hero's Square). Huge columns and a lavish façade mark its impressive entrance. Inside, you will find a range of exhibits (which change fairly frequently) of photography and fine and applied arts. The work is by both Hungarian and foreign artists. Many people come here just to admire the beautiful building itself.

Our Local Expert Says:

This vast park is home to the legendary Szechenyi Baths as well as the first statue of George Washington erected in Europe (1906). It also gives home to a fabulous, bizarre, trashy/chic flea market on Sundays - watch your wallets!

Description:

Formally established for the Millennium Celebrations of 1896, exhibitions were held all over the park to commemorate the Hungarian Conquest; the Magyar tribes settling down in the Carpathian Basin in 896. Today it remains the lovely park it used to be, covering an area of 302 acres. Scattered around the park you will find grassy areas ideal for picnics, the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Hungarian State Circus, a rather old Amusement Park, the famous Széchenyi Thermal Bath, the Vajdahunyad Castle, built to represent all the Hungarian architectural styles, plus many other forms of entertainment depending on the season. The City Park is also home to a number of restaurants catering to all tastes and budgets.

Our Local Expert Says:

The largest and most beautiful bath house of the city - no visit to Budapest is complete without a visit to Széchényi!

Description:

Though not the oldest thermal bath in the city, it is definitely the most beautiful! The pale yellow Neo Classicist building of the Széchényi Thermal Bath houses the largest spa of the city and of central Europe, though this will not be apparent from its exterior.

Once inside, an endless number of pools seem to unfold in a palace-like interior. Indoor and outdoor pools are filled with thermal water of varying temperatures and mineral content, all fed by two of the 123 thermal springs under Budapest. A swimming pool for those after some exercise, a wave pool for the kids, saunas and steam rooms plus a massage salon and a physiotherapy department can all be found in the complex.

Széchényi awaits guests with long opening hours between 6 am and 10 pm, so whether it'd be after a long day of sightseeing or a long night out, this is the place to relax!