5 of the best neighborhoods in Budapest

29.07.2024 - 15:41 / lonelyplanet.com

Jul 28, 2024 • 6 min read

From the stately monuments of Castle Hill to a revitalized industrial quarter on the banks of the Danube, each of Budapest’s neighborhoods has a distinct personality that gradually changes as you cross from one kerület (district) into another.

Similar to the arrondissements in Paris, each district fans out in a clockwise direction, beginning at Buda (districts I and II), onto Óbuda Island (III), and then across Pest (IV through to XXIII, including Csepel, District XXI).

The layout makes the Hungarian capital reasonably simple to navigate, but travelers aren't likely to find themselves in all 23 districts. Narrow down your plans with this guide to the best neighborhoods to visit in Budapest.

Best neighborhood for history lovers

With cobbled streets, Ottoman-era echoes and grand Habsburg palaces, there are layers of history on Castle Hill. Alongside the neighborhood's medieval relics, you’ll find the Hospital in the Rock, a subterranean infirmary used in WWII and the 1956 Revolution (an uprising against Hungary's Stalinist government), which was brutally quashed by the Soviet Union.

Take a morning plunge into the thermal pools set under the Ottoman domes of the Rudas Baths (note: some days are single-sex only). Get moving with a walk through the Tabán area to Krisztina tér for a decadent brunch at Bistro Déryné. Afterward, hike up to Buda Castle for a visit to the Hungarian National Gallery or the Castle Museum. Curb the hunger pangs with a velvety cream cake at Ruszwurm Cukrászda, the city’s oldest patisserie, before popping by the turrets of the Fisherman’s Bastion for views over the Danube.

In the evening, wander through the quaint streets and keep an eye out for a 14th-century synagogue, the ruins around Buda Tower and the grave of Abdurrahman Abdi, the last Pasha (governor) of Buda. Salute the day with a glass of wine over dinner at Pierrot, an excellent Hungarian–French fusion restaurant housed in a former medieval bakery.

Best neighborhood for architecture and design

You can still see the stones from Pest’s old city wall surrounding District V, but today elegant residences and monuments like the Parliament and St Stephen’s Basilica populate the inner city. Bullet holes from the 20th century still scar some facades, but modernity molds itself into the cracks with trendy design hubs and new-wave cafes.

To fuel up, go to Szimply Food for brunch and grab a coffee at Kontakt next door. Swerve the paprika-laden tourist shops on Váci utca, discover Hungarian design at MONO Art and Design and Paloma on Kossúth Lajos utca, or peruse some handmade vintage stationery at Bomo Art. Later, head north along the river to the poignant Shoes on the Danube memorial before turning up towards