Top 10 Hidden Gems of Budapest

Our Local Expert Says:

Attention hidden gem lovers! This is a must see sight, especially for those who are interested in the Jewish culture of Budapest.

Description:

The beautiful Art Noveau building of this small synagogue is hidden amongst the jungle of little streets in the VII. District. This area is where the Jewish Ghetto used to be during the Second World War, and all the Jewish culture remaining in the city today can be found here, including 4 synagogues (amongst them the largest one in Europe), lovely little kosher restaurants and the only mikvah of Budapest.

Description:

Situated just across the way from the Opera House, the main feature of this restaurant is the fact that every evening at 8pm, the waiters put down their plates and napkins and burst into song. The repertoire is classical music from the last century. A very high-ceilinged room allows space for a balcony from where the view is not as good as from down below, but you will at least be able to converse over the background of opera tunes. The coffee cream walls and white linen tablecloths are elegant and understated. The dishes have themed titles such as Tournedos à la Rossini, Opera steak and Belcanto salad. At lunch-time there is a special smorgasbord menu offering a selection of dishes for guests to choose from.

Our Local Expert Says:

Highly recommended to the sweet toothed! The Sugar Shop will surely get your mouth watering, especially as even the furniture and decoration look edible!

Description:

Entering may feel like a quick teleport to some make believe candy land! You can get everything from cakes, chocolates, little sweets and lollies to weird little gifts, gadgets and designer bits and pieces in the joke shop section. The Sugar team have put a quirk into every little detail; made sure that the cakes, the plates they are serves on, the packaging and even the chairs you sit on have their individual funky design. The edible stuff all look so gorgeous; you will have trouble fighting down the urge of taking them home and lining them on your mantelpiece!

Our Local Expert Says:

Discover what lies under the city! Having seen what there is beneath your feet will make walking about the Castle District and Buda hills all the more interesting.

Description:

This maze of tunnels (which literally goes on for miles) is located beneath Castle Hill. It contains huge, cavernous rooms, originally intended as cellars and bomb shelters. Some of the tunnels can be explored without a guide. One section even features reproductions of cave paintings from around Europe. There is also a café (a cup of tea is included in the ticket price) and an underground shop. Another great thing about these tunnels is that when it is scorching hot outside, it remains cool and airy down below. A flashlight (torch) might be adviseable, as several sections of the maze are almost pitch black.

Our Local Expert Says:

This cellar is a must see not just because Hungary is a wine country and it would be a sin not to taste some delicious local wine, but because it is the most extensive cellar system of Budapest with underground exhibitions and professional sommeliers serving the wine – a real treat!

Description:

Newly opened cellars from the Renaissance period await guest with an exhibition about wine culture in Hungary, with sections of cellars from different centuries, wax work figures and an opportunity to taste a selection of wines with the help of professional sommeliers. A palinka distillery exhibition can also be found, and again, tasting the products is an option!

Our Local Expert Says:

Relax, pamper and travel back in time all at once!

Description:

The Király (King's) Bath is an old Turkish bath named after the König family, to whom it belonged from the 18th century onwards.

Its building is an eclectic mix of styles with many remaining Ottoman features, making it one of the most interesting of its kind: The oldest part is the beautifully restored hamam, an octagonal main pool covered by the characteristic Turkish cupola dating back to the 16th century. Smaller domes of similar design cover the three corner rooms with smaller pools. When the bath house was later extended, it received a beautiful baroque style arched passage. A classical wing and pillared courtyard were later added in the late 19th century, completing its present appearance.

It is located on Main Street, strategically built not on the thermal springs along the geological fault line but inside the former castle walls so that the Pasha can enjoy a relaxing bath even during a siege! As a result, it is fed by the same spring feeding the Lukács Bath.

Our Local Expert Says:

Giving someone Szamos in Hungary is the equivalent of giving someone Ferrero Rocher in Britain! Plus cute little marzipan figures are what Hungarians mothers decorate their children’s birthday cakes with. Surprise your friends back at home with a present they were definitely not expecting!

Description:

Szamos Marzipan can be found all over the city in cake and candy shops. The firm makes elaborate toy figurines, fruits and other edible decorations using the famed almond paste. This is a very popular little ice cream shop during the summer - a longtime favorite among Hungarians. You will find it just off the Vaci utca.

Our Local Expert Says:

This is the place to sit down, relax and enjoy the view before carrying on with the strenuous activity of sightseeing, the place to take those restless children bored to death by a morning of museums and exhibitions, or the place to get wet on a hot urban summer day.

Description:

Liberty Square is already well known for the buildings surrounding it; the American Embassy, Hungarian National Bank and Television Headquarters, and is also famous for giving home to the last Communist monument remaining in the city. Now this newly finished fountain also decorates the square and has already proven to be a great source of entertainment. The rectangular fountain is lined by weight sensitive tiles, and stepping on any one will stop the flow of water for just enough time to enter into the middle, where you'll find yourself surrounded by a rippling curtain of water.

Our Local Expert Says:

A not so well known underground club famous amongst the locals for its Wednesday night “Rewind” parties with drum and bass and break beat mixes!

Description:

Corvinteto is an open air underground bar and club located on the Corvin Departmental store on Blaha Lujza square. There is lots of cold beer, cushioned sofas and a dance floor that invites you to put on your dancing shoes. The entrance to the bar is a little bit of a treasure map as you need to find a passageway that leads to it. Once you get there , you wont mind the walk..