*Budapest's Buda Castle at night as seen from the Danube.*

The streets of Budapest are Paris. And Munich. And Florence. Of course, my history tells me. Of course they are. This hit me in a real way the first night I walked around the city only hours after arriving via an 8 hour bus ride, a 4 hour layover, and a 6 hour train ride. My body was exhausted, but you do not sleep here. It’s a city for the night warriors, street dwellers, and tree crawlers.

Calling Budapest hip and trendy is about as banal and irrelevant as calling Steve Jobs an innovator. And the vibe is so chill I can’t even think of a real-world simile. Like maybe Britney pre-2007 add a little bit of weed subtract all the basicness? You come here as you are. You walk around. You slowly feel your shoulders drop. Your mind floats. You're inclined to look for some super loose pants to meander in with your newfound attitude. Then you go as you please. If you ever do.

There’s something slippery about this city and every time you try to put your finger on it, it slides out from under you. You find yourself wanting to stay with no real answer to “why?” And for me, I realized after my first day in Budapest that it wasn’t that I wanted to stay another day. I wanted to stay another night.

Days in Budapest feel akin to the perfect hangover. The one where you wake up with absolutely no side effects, but you feel a refreshing lightness. So you find yourself going back to the night, trying to figure out what you did to come out of it with such a swagger. But it’s usually not about what exactly you drank. There are so many factors. Who you were with. What the occasion was. What you had for dinner. The perfect, elusive combination that leads to magical hangovers is Budapest at night.

*The Little Princess statue on the railing by the Danube.*

At night that slippery thing rears its head a little and tells you to come hither. You’re trying to see it, but the modern Christmas-esque lights on buildings, bridges, and churches throughout the city always make sure your vision is always a little out of focus. You want to keep searching. When you realize you’ll never find it, you surprisingly accept it gracefully. And upon reaching this acceptance, you gain a deeper understanding of the people who call this place home.

They don’t give a fuck about you. In the most genial way. People here reside in their cliques like they do in New York City, but there is no pitting of one against the other. No judgement when brushing shoulders. To go out to a park or club here at night is like watching highly individual herds of cattle, sheep, zebra, and horses nestle right up next to each other without mingling. Each group has bonded over the way they try to figure out mysteries. Personally, I felt like a brightly colored unicorn among the black leather jackets and low-key fashionable hooves. But the brilliant relief is that not one person here could give a shit about my unicorness. I was free to prance as I pleased throughout the narrow divides in the herds.

Sunset over Akvárium Klub, Budapest, Hungary

2 Days 3 Nights

Night 1

Arrive in the afternoon around 4 PM. Rest, change up if you need, then head out for kebab. If you stay on the east side in the north of District VII like I did, you'll be able to walk to Török Étterem on Teréz krt. (there are multiple locations throughout the city). It’s essentially at the corner of the thick of Budapest’s nightlife and if you start here, you can move west hitting lots of spots along the way.

With gyro in hand, walk two blocks down the road and you’ll find Instant, a bizarre staple ruin pub with a hostel on the top floor. It’s worth a visit to see the wall images depicting naked ladies and cauliflower-headed humans, but make it a stopping-by visit only unless you’re keen on slowly feeling like you’re living real life Willy-Wonka-in-the-boat-tunnel only with lots of groups of frat boys “doing Budapest.”

Next slip down to Anker’t, an outdoor beer garden two more blocks away with pretty lights and a much more bookish vibe. You’ll find a strong mix of locals and tourists. It’s a spot where you could hang for a while and meet a number of people from all over the world without having to deal with crowds or obscenely loud music.

Five more blocks away you’ll hit Fogasház, a rooftop ruin pub. Game hall. Vineyard. Treehouse. Whatever you want to call it, Fogasház is a hotchpotch of randomness that rightfully resides within beautifully decrepit walls.

For your last stop of the night walk two blocks to the train stop at the corner or Erzsébet krt. and Wesselényi u. It’ll be the 4 train toward Széll Kálmán tér M. Take it 5 stops and get off at Margit híd. If you can, step directly on the train when you get on and face the opposite window. Face that way until your stop. Turn around for a surprise. Trust me. Word to the wise: just make sure you do this before 12:30 AM.

Day 1

If you’re unsurprisingly hungover after the night before, head over to Bors GasztroBár for one of the best sandwiches you’ll ever eat. Added bonus: they pump Hungarian gangsta rap and the sandwich crafters are rad as fuck.

Here I’ll make an insert about the famed House of Terror museum. I went and did not care for it at all. We're all different, so it might be your thing, but it was not mine. My favorite movie is Silence of the Lambs and one of my favorite museums is the EL-DE House in Cologne, but I just couldn’t get down with this museum. In addition to images and movies of terror during the Hungarian Nazi reign, there is ominous music playing throughout and you absolutely need to get an audio guide to know what is what. There are lengthy English print outs of historical facts in each room, but they do not tell you about individual pieces as you walk through the museum. I didn’t like the design, the music, or the overall feeling. I don’t like audio guides. Total pass.

For your afternoon, take a walk up the hill that contains the Buda Castle and St Matthias Church in one giant walkable space. Do as you please here. The Buda Castle contains the Hungarian National Gallery and there are little shops and crevices all around this area.

For the early evening, head over to the Inner City and have a fancier traditional Hungarian dinner at Cyrano. Post-dinner, walk around the area to discover a mix of high-end shops, large open squares, and even more buildings.

Night 2

After nightfall, you could easily head back over to the river without going back to your Budapest home. I recommend walking the length of the river at night if you’re the walking sort. If you head directly west of the Inner City and walk north up the river you’ll hit a few bars and one 5-star hotel. I’ll go in order of direction.

Stop by the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace just to see it because #fluxury. The building alone looks like a palace and if you wander around inside at night you’ll likely be alone and able to take in all its beauty.

After you’ve gotten your luxury hit, walk two doors down to get nasty. No, actually. Bob Bár down the street pumps the BEST rap music from the 90s to today. You can hear it from the hotel’s front door. As a woman who is well versed in twerking sensibilities, I couldn’t resist. Go.

On the river bank directly across from the hotel and Bob Bár, you’ll run into PONTOON, a riverside bar that’s a mellow relief from the former. Stop by for a drink and continue along the river until you run into Shoes on the Danube Bank and then the Hungarian Parliament Building up close and personal. Upon seeing its level of perfection in architecture and lighting, try not to judge yourself too hard.

After your long, silent river walk, end your second night at the Akvárium Klub and surrounding area. There was a private party in the club the night I went here, but the giant square surrounding it has a beer garden, a pool, grass space to chillax, and tons of people everywhere. This is a a must-do epicenter night spot.

Day 2

Go for breakfast at Centrál Kávéház. The food is delicious and you’ll have a lovely street square view that almost makes you feel like you’re in Paris. I had the goat cheese salad with elderflower dressing and it was as sparkly in my mouth as it sounds.

Post delicious breakfast, go get a massage at the yellow and blue toned Széchenyi Baths and hang around until the moment right before your fingers start to prune. After you're all relaxed, head out for an afternoon walk.

Take a walk down both Király u. and the famous Andrássy út. Maybe stop at the Book Café to see this overly-priced bookstore café that essentially looks like a palace instead. Walk some more. Stop at the stores. Walk. Stop and have coffee. Walk. Stop and have champagne. Walk. Walking around a city has so much value. Do it.

For a late-ish lunch or dinner, there are any number of beautiful and I’m sure delicious restaurants up and down these streets, but I can’t not recommend falafel. Because Budapest. And falafel. It’s a mouth party. You'll find falafel everywhere, but I found a special, tiny gem called Olive Tree Hummus and it was perfect in every way from the hummus to the falafel to the topping ratios. Speaking of hummus, Hummus Bar. No further explanation necessary.

Night 3

The last night is short but sweet because it consists of one place: Simplza. If you go during high tide, you will wait forever to get in. But it’s so worth it. This is the ruin pub of all ruin pubs. And for all those who don’t club or don’t like public places or don’t like to dance or don’t like people or just aren’t feeling life, THIS IS YOUR PLACE TO FORGET ALL THAT STUFF AND GO CRAZY AND BE FREE.

Meet people from every corner of the globe. Do the chicken dance. Do the YMCA. Kiss strangers (responsibly?). Try out public speaking. Or public table dancing. Do whatever the fuck you wanna do, it’s Simplza.

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