Is Budapest Overrated? My Honest Take

Budapest is on every Europe list. Cheap, beautiful, "the Paris of the East." I've lived in Vienna, so I've seen my share of grand Central European cities, and Budapest is the one people kept telling me I had to see.

So I went. And I'll be honest: I didn't fall for it. (October 2022, prices and hours checked for 2026.)

This isn't a hate post. Two things in Budapest were worth the trip, and both happen after dark. If you're deciding whether to go, here's what I'd tell a friend.

The short answer

If you're choosing between Budapest and Prague, I'd skip Budapest and spend the extra days in Prague.

If you're already in Vienna and have a spare night, Budapest is an easy add-on. Plan your days loosely and save your energy for the evenings. That's when the city looks the way it does in the photos.

Fisherman's Bastion at night: the one place I loved

During the day it's crowded and feels like a photo set. At night it's a different place. The white turrets are lit up, it's quieter, and you look down over the Danube to the whole Pest side glowing below.

This is the one spot I'd tell anyone to see.

Yes, they charge you to go up the top turrets during the day: 1,700 HUF, roughly 9am to 7pm (until 9pm in summer). Paying to stand on a viewpoint felt like a bit of a scam to me. The good news is you don't have to. The lower terraces are free all day, and once the ticket booth closes, the top is free too. So go at night. It's the better view and it costs nothing.

The Parliament lit up, and why it made me sad

Every evening the Parliament building turns gold over the river. It's the photo everyone takes in Budapest, and it is beautiful.

But looking at it made me sad. So much of the city around it felt dirty and dark, and then there's this one building glowing like a palace. The contrast is what stayed with me, more than the building itself.

If you want the full front view, cross to the Buda side and stand on the riverside at Batthyány tér. You can get there on the M2 metro or trams 19 and 41. You can also see it from Fisherman's Bastion.

Where I stayed

I stayed in an Airbnb right in front of the Parliament. The room itself was nice. Getting to it was not. The way in felt gloomy, and the hallway was messy and run-down.

The location was the best part. I could walk out at night and the Parliament was right there. If you book near it, check the photos of the building entrance and hallway, not just the room.

The food: nothing special, and not that cheap

I tried lángos, which is basically Hungary's take on pizza: fried dough with toppings. Mine was super bland. Nothing special.

What surprised me more was the price. Budapest has a reputation as a cheap city, but the food wasn't cheap for what it was. That felt strange.

The best thing I ate in Budapest was a bowl of pho. A tiny place, and I've forgotten the name, but it was really good. So if the local food lets you down too, don't be afraid to eat something else.

Bring coins for the Keleti station lockers

If you want to drop your bags at Keleti station before exploring, bring Hungarian forint coins. When I went, the lockers only took coins and there was no change machine. I tried asking shop owners for change, and they either made me buy something or sighed and acted annoyed. It put me in a bad mood right at the start of the trip.

Some lockers may take cards now, but I'd still bring coins so you don't have to deal with it.

So, is Budapest worth visiting?

For me, Budapest is a night city. In the day, the dirt, the bland food and the prices didn't do much for me. At night, two views made the trip.

Would I go back? No. If you have limited days in Central Europe, give them to Prague.

But if you do end up in Budapest, go for the nights. Fisherman's Bastion after dark and the Parliament lit up are the two things I'd still tell you to see.

Found this helpful? I write honest travel guides like this, mostly about Korea, where I'm from. Here's everything I'd sort out before a trip there. Some are affiliate links, so if you book through them I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It's what keeps these guides free.

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