As in almost every city in the world, to experience Budapest with a more “local” spirit you need to calm down your tourist instinct and put yourself in Hungarian shoes. Of course, if it’s your first time in Budapest, you can’t avoid to visit some specific attractions, but in general the Hungarian capital is a very nice city to live beyond its tourist side, it’s dynamic, full of interesting things and – most of all – of surprises.
Let me recommend you 5 non-touristy things to do in Budapest.
You can also be interested in:
– Moving around Budapest – Public transport and maps
– 4 unusual things to do in Buda
– Budapest: from the airport to the city centre
1. Go to a library (but not any library)
I know, you’re travelling and you definitely don’t want to spend your time in a library, but trust me: do it.
The Ervin Szabó library in Budapest is W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L! Especially on the fourth floor, where the golden room, the silver room and other reading rooms bring you back in time. Huge chandeliers, wooden furniture with elegant finishes, large tables, sofas in front of the fireplace, ancient books decorating the walls. Everything here has a retro charm, and local people seem to really enjoy the atmosphere, lost in their readings. Admission for visitors costs 800 HUF (around 2 euros), but if you frequently visit Budapest you can consider to sign up in the library system.
In any case, I highly recommend to stop by this wonderful place.
2. Stay in a guest house
Staying in a hotel will not help you to deeply live the local atmosphere. If you want to experience the authentic Budapest, you should stay in a guest house: the environment is cosy and comfortable, usually in a non-touristy location, and it gives you the possibility to be closer to local people.
I spent a night in the Oasis Guest House and it was a very, very nice experience! Not only because I received some good recommendations from the house owner about things to do in Budapest, but also because the spaces of Oasis Guest House made me feel completely at ease. I could work on my laptop in the big living room, prepare a coffee, enjoy the beautiful patio in the ancient palace. I felt like I was in my own home!
3. Eat and – most of all – drink local
If you are that kind of person who looks for a Mc Donald in every single city, well… You’re in the wrong place! I deeply believe food is something that makes a place unique and if you don’t taste local food, you’re living only half of the entire travel experience.
You can find so many information about typical Hungarian food online. I can recommend a very nice restaurant: the Drum Cafe. There are only Hungarian dishes on the menu and the price is quite law. The only cons: rumours are getting widely spread between tourists too.
In order to experience Budapest from a not very touristic point of view you should taste the local wine. Even if is not very famous abroad, Hungarian wine is delicious! I had the chance to take part to a wine tasting in Budapest (I talk about it in this post) and it was a unique opportunity to fully immerse myself in the local wine tradition and to learn many interesting aspects about it.
4. Don’t forget about Buda
Except for Buda hill, with its Castle and the Fishermen’s Bastion, the area of the city on the west side of the Danube (called Buda) doesn’t have many tourist attractions. But it doesn’t mean you have to ignore it! Buda is a very fascinating area of the city and local people really appreciate its beauty.
You can reach Buda with a nice walk crossing one of the many bridges over the Danube, or using public transport, very efficient in the city. I tell you everything you need to know about Budapest public transport in this post. Once there, just try to follow your instinct, explore. And, if you’re a curious person, in this other post I recommend 4 unusual things to do in Buda.
5. Have a beer in a ruin pub (but do not make a toast!)
Even if this aspect of Budapest starts to attract some tourists, you will always find local people in Romkocsma, the famous ruin pubs, ancient buildings ruined by the war bombing, abandoned by the local administration, brought back to life by young Hungarians.
To experience Budapest with a local point of view, I must recommend a visit to Szimpla Kertmozi (which in Hungarian means “simple garden”), the first ruin pub in Budapest, a labyrinth decorated with objects of different origins (from bicycle to bath tub, from old telephones to suitcases) where you will lose your way and enjoy local urban culture while sipping a beer. But be careful, don’t toast with beer stein! This habit is linked to a story: in 1848 some Austrian soldiers killed 13 Hungarian generals, celebrating each murder with a toast.
As you can see, Budapest charm is more than its tourist attractions. I’m sure, however, there are many more non-touristy things to do in Budapest that I don’t know yet. Would you recommend some in the comments down below? I will come back to this wonderful city very soon, so every suggestion is more than welcome! ?
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