Not Enough Time in Budapest – Baths, Bastions, and Late-Night Riverlight
I was originally going to take the train from Berlin to Budapest — until I looked at the route. Fourteen hours and six different trains. Hard pass. Instead, I booked a flight. Best decision of the trip. Forty-five minutes later, I was in Hungary, and somehow lucked into a first-class seat. Not a bad way to arrive in a new country.
The first thing that hit me wasn’t the architecture or the river — it was the money. Everyone I’d met traveling through Europe had told me Hungarian Forints were the most “useless” money on the continent. And they weren’t wrong. Five U.S. dollars translated into something like 2,000 Forints, and holding the bills honestly felt like I’d just raided a Monopoly box. It was absurd, and yet, once I got used to it, the prices were shockingly cheap. Trains, trams, food — everything felt like it cost nothing at all.
But the money wasn’t what made me want to stay. The city itself did. Budapest is, hands down, one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. From its mix of Gothic, Baroque, and Art Nouveau buildings to the way the Danube cuts right through the heart of it, everything feels like it belongs on a postcard. Even just standing on a bridge at sunset, watching trams rattle by and the skyline glow, I felt like I’d stumbled into a dream.
Day One: Wandering and Shooting
That first afternoon I didn’t have a plan — I just wandered. Wide boulevards, massive bridges, ornate facades — the city felt alive in a way that demanded attention.
And then the photographer in me kicked in. I’d been traveling for weeks, shooting plenty, but Budapest was different. It made me want to chase the light, to frame every corner, every shadow. After hours of walking, I dropped my bag back at the hostel, grabbed my gear, and went right back out.
That’s when I learned what Budapest really looks like at night. The city glows. Parliament lit up like a golden crown, bridges strung with light like jewelry across the Danube, trams carving streaks of yellow through the dark. I walked for hours, taking long exposures, reflections shimmering on the river, and just soaking in the magic. It was the kind of night that makes you forget how tired you are.
A Tale of Two Cities
What I didn’t know before coming here is that Budapest is actually two cities — Buda and Pest, divided by the Danube River. The name is literally just both sides mashed together.
I stayed on the Pest side, which feels like the heart of the city — lively, dense, and filled with people, cafés, and music. Buda sits higher up and looks much older (because it was built to look that way). It’s way quieter and mostly filled with tourists heading to Fisherman’s Bastion or the castle.
For some reason, my brain kept wanting to call it Fisherman’s Wharf. I knew it was wrong every time — but it never stopped happening.
Day Two: Markets, Baths, and a Cruise into the Night
The next morning I met up with a group of people from my hostel, and we decided to check out the Great Market Hall together. The place is massive — three floors of stalls selling everything from paprika and cured meats to tourist trinkets and fresh produce. It smelled like spice and grilled food the moment we walked in, and it was easy to get lost weaving between stalls.
After eating our way through the market, we headed over to the Szechenyi Thermal Bath. The iconic yellow palace of hot water and steam is a maze of outdoor pools, steam rooms, saunas, and mineral baths — and it’s worth every Forint.
Pro tip: If you pay in cash at the door, it's way cheaper than booking online. I had no idea until I got there, but it saved me a solid chunk of change.
Later that evening, I grabbed some food near the castle, and then came the real highlight — a 10pm river cruise.
I already knew Budapest looked good at night from my first walk with the camera, but seeing it from the middle of the Danube was something else entirely. The Parliament building glowed gold on the water, bridges arched across the river, and the city looked like it was designed to be photographed from a boat.
Afterward, with the city still humming, tourists mostly gone, I walked up to Fisherman’s Bastion. Just past 9pm, it was free to visit, and just as empty as the city itself. I climbed the ramparts, just the sound of my own footsteps on old stone, a view over the river, and the lights of Pest blinking across the water. It felt surreal.
Not Enough Time
I wish I had stayed longer. There’s so much more I wanted to see — more markets, more baths, more quiet walks along the river. Budapest has a way of pulling you in and making you want to slow down, but I denied the urge to give it the time it deserved.
Still, I’m glad I came. By seeing these castles, walking these streets, and chasing the city through my camera — it has become one of my favorite stops so far.