Budapest in Winter: Reasons Why You Should Visit

Budapest is one of the most beautiful European capitals. It’s a strong statement, but it’s totally honest and based on a real opinion. I’ve been to the Hungarian capital many times, in different months. It’s an all-year-round city; you can visit it in any season, and it always has something to offer. Even, and also, during gloomy weather in winter!

In this article, I will tell you why visiting Budapest in winter is a (very) good idea and what to do there in winter.

Quick Links to organise your trip to Budapest:

Check out these hotels: 3 Corners Art/ Hotel Rum/ Hotel Mercure

Here, you can book guided tours and attractions.

Must-do attractions: Cruise on the River Danube/ Day at Szechenyi Spa/ Parliament Visit

Why visit Budapest in winter?

Travelling in Europe during autumn and winter is different from during the warm period. It’s the time when most tourists choose typical winter attractions trips or just city-breaks. The end of November and December is Christmas markets trips time. Christmas lights, markets, and decorations, and to be honest, almost every city is worth visiting during this time. But winter lasts longer than this. So where to go when the Christmas charm is over?

To Budapest! Budapest is a perfect destination for winter months city break.

Because it’s a beautiful city with many monuments. But that’s not all. In my opinion, Budapest in winter is so great because of:

• Cafes scene
• Warming Hungarian cuisine and Hungarian wine
• Thermal baths
• Fairy tale looking monuments
• Budapest in winter, so Christmas markets time😊

I will describe all of these points more below.

Budapest weather in winter

What’s the weather like in Hungary around this time? Hungary has a really hot summer, but also all four seasons. During the winter months, it can be really cold and even snowy, but it can also be warmer and could be rainy. The coldest months are January and February. In January, an average high is 2 degrees Celsius (36 Fahrenheit) and an average low is around -3 degrees Celsius (26.6 Fahrenheit).

Budapest in Winter: Cafés Scene

The coffee and café culture in Budapest, and actually whole Hungary, is strong. There are so many nice cafes in the city that you will have trouble deciding which one to go to. There are many new and modern ones; there are also historical. It’s not an exaggeration to say that a few cafes can be treated as a ‘must see monuments’ in the city. They were opened in the 19th century, and you can still see the interior and atmosphere from that time.

If you have visited Vienna, you will probably see some similarities. It’s not an accident of course; it has historical reasons. However, cafes have little bit different atmosphere than these in Vienna.

Historical cafes that you need to put on your to-do list are:

New York Café

The New York Café is quite often called ‘the most beautiful café in the world’. It’s tough to judge if it’s the most, but for sure, it’s one of the most beautiful ones.

It’s part of the hotel Anantara New York Palace Budapest. It has an absolutely beautiful, golden  interior; it’s very elegant. And you can even drink coffee with 24-carat gold. Of course, cafés is pretty expensive, but it’s still quite bearable, especially for drinks.

Café was opened in 1894. Later, it was destroyed, but it reopened in 1954 as Café Hungaria. Since 2006, it has had its current (historical) interior.

Gerbeaud Café

Another café with an interesting history, which roots date back to 1858. It has nice interior ‘with soul’. And a lot of good-looking cakes. You can read more on their website.

Ruszwurm Confectionery

Ruszwurm is the oldest confectionary and café in Budapest, established in 1827. It lies on the Buda side, so you can come here after visiting the castle district, Fisherman’s Bastion, and Matthias Church.

And so many more cafes to check. What are Hungarian cakes worth trying in cafes?

First of all, Dobos Torte, a sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream and caramel on top. Chocolate mousse cake and Esterhazy Torte (made from almond or walnut meringue) are the next ones. Poppy seeds cake is also quite popular; additionally, every café or confectionary proposes their own products.

Probably the most known Hungarian sweet treat is kurtos, or, in English, chimney cake. Although you will rather not find it in cafes, it’s sold in separate stands, also on Christmas markets (not only in Hungary, but I saw it on Polish Christmas markets or in Edinburgh).

Hungarian cuisine

Can’t drink so many coffees? No problem; you can also rest and warm up in one of many restaurants. Hungarian food is another reason why I think Budapest is a great option for a winter trip. For me, it’s this typical winter, hearty, warming style of food.

The most known dish among Hungarian traditional dishes is probably langos, the deep-fried flatbread. The most traditional version is eaten with sour cream, garlic, and cheese. You can buy it at separate stands, but also in restaurants. Langos is another hit on Christmas markets in Hungary and all over Europe.

Another known (and warming) Hungarian dish is goulash; many other types of stews, letcho (lecso), chicken with paprika, or fish soups. You can expect to find a lot of paprika, cabbage, noodles or dumplings (even in sweet style), and poppy seeds. It’s quite meat-oriented cuisine, but people who don’t eat meat can find something for them too, for example, dishes with turos (something like cottage cheese).

In popular Retro Langos, you can also find vegan versions of langos.

Hungarian wine

Hungary is a wine country. The most known is Tokaj, especially the white sweet type. But Hungary has a lot of types of wines, depending on the region, both white and red.

Perfect for mulled wine during the winter season.

Budapest in Winter: Thermal Baths

The next reason why Budapest is a great place to visit in the winter is something quite exceptional. Thermal baths. Obviously, you can find thermal water in most countries; however, Hungary is exceptional with their amount. It’s not a surprise that Hungary is called ‘the country of thermal baths’ as there are 230 thermal spas! They are spread throughout the country, and visiting them is very popular with citizens.

So first of all, a visit to a thermal bath is participation in the local culture. Especially those most known in Budapest are just beautiful and worth visiting as monuments. Thermal baths are also a great idea to spend the cold weather in, to relax, and to warm you up.

Budapest’s most visited thermal baths are Széchenyi Baths with outdoor pools, Gellert Baths, and Rudas.

Budapest in Winter: Fairy Tale Architecture

One more reason why I think Budapest is a great place for a winter break is its architecture. A few monuments in the Hungarian capital have this magical look. Especially if you are lucky and there will be snow.

On the Buda side

The first building is Fisherman’s Bastion. The current structure was built at the end of the 19th century. The building has a lot of stairs, windows, stairs, and decorative elements. And most important, seven towers. It’s an amazing place to visit any time of the year, and there are great views from the bastion. I think it’s the most pictured Budapest building on Instagram; you know all these photos in long dresses, etc. But it’s because it really has this magical feeling, like from known fairy tales, and it’s extremely picturesque.

Another place is on the same side, and it’s just Buda Castle and District. And funicular, which takes you up the Buda hill. The funicular was opened in 1870, and it’s 95 m long. Its carriers have this old-style feeling and design. In snow, it looks especially magical, but I like it without snow as well.

On the Pest side

From the hill, when you look at the view, you will see two next monuments that create this special atmosphere. I cannot not mention probably the most known Budapest monument, an absolutely beautiful building, the Hungarian Parliament. It’s majestic, but it also has this fairy tale feeling. Its construction started in 1885, and it was fully built in 1904. You absolutely have to see it during the day in the light, but also in the dark when it’s lit. You can also see it during the boat cruise.

Parliament is on the Pest side; you can get there by tram. It’s possible to visit the building inside. You can also see it when looking at the view from the Buda side. You will see Parliament, the river, and another famous in the city ‘thing’, bridges.

Budapest has many bridges, but Chain Bridge is the most famous one. And yet, it’s another magical-looking point in Budapest. It was opened in 1849, and it was the first permanent bridge across the Danube.

Another building that gives off this special feeling is St. Stephen’s Basilica. It’s the biggest church in Budapest, at 96 metres high and it was opened in 1905.

It looks great in winter, also because of the decorations around it, as next to it Christmas Market is located.

It’s not all, of course. And from the monuments, when you are visiting Budapest, don’t forget to visit the Jewish Quarter with ruin pubs and Central Market Hall, where you can also buy Hungarian food and spices. Maybe it’s not particularly winter activity, but it’s good all year around!

Christmas markets and winter atmosphere in Budapest

And let’s look at the bonus point, Christmas markets. This reason for visiting the city in winter works only in late November and in December, but if you want to travel in the Christmas season and visit a pretty Christmas market, Budapest is perfect.

It has even won the competition for Best Christmas Markets Destinations in Europe multiple times!

The Hungarian capital actually has more than one market. The biggest and most visited are in the city centre, and these are those two:

market next to St. Stephen’s Basilica and the market on the Vörösmarty Tér (Vörösmarty Square). The market next to St Stephen’s Basilica also has small ice rink. Both markets are usually open until the end of December.

You can drink there mulled wine and eat langos and kurtos. You can also buy souvenirs from Hungary. What could be such a souvenir? Of course, it’s paprika. You can buy sweet, spicy, and smoked, in very nice packages, for example, cans. Another ‘food souvenir’ that you can look at buying is Hungarian salami.

Light shows

On the Christmas market next to the Basilica, there is one more attraction. It’s a Light Show with 3D lights displayed at Basilica. The show takes place every day when it’s dark, every 30 minutes.

There are also paid Lights Parks. This year (2023/2024) one display is about the history of Budapest, and it’s on Margaret’s Island. The second is about Christmas. You can check the details and book tickets here.

Ice rinks

There is one more place in Budapest with a winter feel. It’s one of the biggest ice rinks in Europe, and it’s in Budapest City’s Park, and it’s prepared on natural water. It’s in front of Vajdahunyad Castle. It’s located close to Heroes Square and Szechenyi Spa, so it’s easy to visit on foot or by metro. It’s going to be metro number 1, which is a monument itself! It’s the oldest metro, just after London, in Europe, and you can see it looking at stations.

This is the most known ice rink. Obviously, it’s not the only one. If you are into skating, you can check out the list of ice rinks in Budapest here.

Where to stay in Budapest

Where is the best to stay in Budapest? Most often, when visiting Budapest, I stay at the 3 Corners Art Hotel.

It has a great location; it’s close to the metro, a bus stop to the airport, and it’s walking distance to Central Hall and the river. It’s located on a pretty street, has a nice interior, and offers a good breakfast.

If my flight is very early, I stay in the hotel next to the airport, which is just a 2- minute walk from the terminal.

This year, I’ve stayed also in boutique hotel Stories Boutique Hotel. Hotel is elegant and has very interesting design. The biggest attraction of the hotel is a la carte breakfast in the beautiful green restaurant. What’s also important, it’s location is very comfortable, it’s close to the airport bus stop. The hotel is quite close to Basilica so it’s good place for Christmas markets trip.

Budapest has a good public transport system, with a few metro lines and trams. Actually, it can be another reason; it’s good to commute quickly, especially in the cold.

Budapest in Winter: Summary

Budapest, with the architecture and food I’ve described above, is just the perfect place for Christmas market. It’s also quite close to the other Central Europe capitals and cities with pretty and famous markets, so you could even do a longer itinerary by visiting a few cities. It’s going to take you around 2.5 hours with the train to Vienna and the Slovakian capital Bratislava, around 6 hours to get to Prague, and 5 hours to get to Zagreb.

It’s also a good idea to spend New Year’s Eve in Budapest (just remember to book your accommodation in advance for this time!) You can, for example, participate in a cruise on the river in a party boat with music, food, and drinks.

Obviously, it’s not all reasons why Budapest is worth visiting, and it’s a great destination at any time. But I’ve wanted to show you what you can expect from Budapest in the winter and convince you to think about this trip. Have I managed to? Let me know!

For more practical information regarding Hungary and Budapest, check out the article Budapest Travel Tips.

Are you doing a circuit trip and thinking about visiting Croatia after Hungary? Have a look at the many posts regarding Croatia here.