This time we headed from Stuttgart to Budapest for a spot of Christmas shopping. The Christmas market there is said to be one of the prettiest in Europe, and we wanted to see that for ourselves. We'd been comparing flights on Skyscanner since the autumn, and found the cheapest with Wizz Air at €58 per person. It was that cheap because we travelled with small hand luggage only (40 x 30 x 20 cm, max. 10 kg) – plenty for three nights away. We booked the car park for 6–9 December in Stuttgart through Airparks, as we pretty much always do, for €44.
Arrival and the way into town
We landed in Budapest after just under 90 minutes. Travelling with hand luggage only meant we could head straight for the exit and go looking for the bus into the centre. There are several ways to reach town – we went for the 100E. It only stops a handful of times and gets you into the city in 30 to 40 minutes. Back in December 2024 we paid 2,200 HUF (around €6.05) per person for a single. Today the same ride costs a flat 2,500 HUF (around €6.90) – the fare went up on 1 October 2025. You can either buy the ticket for cash from the driver, or get it from the card machine on board.
We got off at Astoria M and walked the roughly 700 metres to our accommodation, the CLAUDIA Apartments Budapest. We'd booked this brilliantly located spot through booking.com – three nights for €187.73. On the way there we already got a feel for the local restaurants, along with a couple of small supermarkets and souvenir shops. The weather stayed heavily overcast and rainy for the whole stay. As they say, there's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing – and we'd come prepared.
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The owner was already expecting us when we arrived and showed us round properly. As soon as the bags were down, we headed straight back out to explore.
Christmas markets, the Chain Bridge and Parliament
We walked along Wesselényi utca, past the Dohány Street Synagogue, and straight into the thick of it. Budapest runs several Christmas markets at once. The two best-known sit on Vörösmarty tér in the heart of the city and in front of St Stephen's Basilica. The Vörösmarty tér market is the largest and the most traditional, right at the end of the Váci utca pedestrian street. Outside the Basilica you'll find the "Advent Bazilika", complete with a 3D light show projected onto the façade. If you'd rather avoid the crowds, there are smaller markets in City Park by Vajdahunyad Castle and on the main square in Óbuda.
We started with the market on the pedestrian street. The overcast sky meant it got dark earlier than usual, so the Christmas lights were working their full magic. We walked down Deák Ferenc utca to the Danube and turned right towards the Chain Bridge. It's the oldest and best-known – and, in my view, the prettiest – bridge spanning the Danube in Budapest. Budapest, of course, is really two halves: Pest on one bank, Buda on the other, with the Danube running between them. We set off from the Pest side of the bridge, crossing over to reach Buda on the far bank. You already get a lovely view of the Parliament building from here.
Once on the Buda side, we turned right again and walked to the Batthyány tér metro station, which gives you an almost dead-on view of the striking Parliament building. Having already crossed the Danube on the Chain Bridge, we now wanted to go under it, so we took the red M2 line one stop to Kossuth Lajos tér – back then, the ticket cost 450 HUF (around €1.25) per person. The station sits right by the Parliament building, which glows a warm orange after dark, making it look even more impressive.
On the way to our next stop we paused briefly at the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial – commemorating the victims shot here during the Second World War – before reaching St Stephen's Basilica and its Christmas market after a further 15 minutes or so on foot. This market has quite a different feel to the one on the pedestrian street – the 3D light effects projected onto the Basilica make it something else entirely. Christmas markets always run a bit pricier, ours included. But I noticed prices in Budapest were noticeably higher still than what we're used to back home.
Vajdahunyad Castle and the ice rink in City Park
The next day we visited the lovely Vajdahunyad Castle. We walked five minutes from our accommodation to the Blaha Lujza tér tram stop, took the tram four stops to Oktogon, then switched to the metro to Hősök tere. Heroes' Square sits at the end of the famous Andrássy Avenue and marks the gateway to City Park. From there it was only a few minutes to the castle.
On the way we passed a huge, purpose-built ice rink where anyone can skate, on their own skates or rented ones. We didn't give it a go ourselves, but for reference: adult entry currently runs from 3,500 HUF off-peak up to 4,500 HUF for evening and weekend slots (around €9.60 to €12.35), with skate hire at 3,500 HUF (around €9.60) plus a 2,000 HUF deposit (around €5.50), payable in cash or against ID. Children under 6 get in free. More details on the operator's website.
We just walked through the park around the castle before heading off by bus towards the funicular up to the castle district.
The Royal Palace, the funicular and Fisherman's Bastion
We got off at Clark Ádám tér. A single public transport ticket costs 500 HUF (around €1.35) today, whether bought in advance or from a machine. If you're travelling around a fair bit, a block of ten works out cheaper: today that's 4,500 HUF (around €12.35, so 450 HUF per ticket). For comparison, back in December 2024 the same block of ten cost us 4,000 HUF (around €11.00, so 400 HUF per ticket).
We skipped the funicular up to the Royal Palace, the Sikló, since we preferred to explore the area on foot. If you don't want to miss it: ticket prices were updated on 1 February 2026. A single ride now costs 4,500 HUF (around €12.35), and a return 5,500 HUF (around €15.10). Children aged 3 to 14 pay 2,000 HUF (around €5.50) for a single. Worth knowing: the Budapest Card doesn't give you a free ride here, though it often gets you small discounts on site.
From the Royal Palace we carried on to Fisherman's Bastion. It's a beautiful building with a great view down over the Danube and the Pest side. Just be ready for crowds – everyone's after that perfect selfie.
The Turkish bath and our last evening
We took the last day easy and let our feet recover: we chose a Turkish bath – tickets are sold on site only. We took the tram from Blaha Lujza tér M and got off at Margit híd, budai hídfő H, then walked the last stretch in about 10 minutes. A ticket is valid for 3 hours, and prices currently range from 5,700 HUF (around €15.65) to 7,200 HUF (around €19.80), depending on the day of the week and time of day.
In the evening we took a short detour over to the Buda side: across Elizabeth Bridge to the St Gerard Sagredo statue and the Keresztutak viewpoint. Especially after dark, this spot delivers some genuinely unique views of Budapest.
The flight home and our verdict on Budapest
The next morning we were up before daylight to head back to the airport. First came the roughly 10-minute walk to Deák Ferenc tér M, since that's where the 100E departs for the airport.
A few personal impressions to wrap up: Budapest is easy to reach and explore on foot. If 20,000 steps a day don't faze you, you'll get around the city just fine. Public transport is affordable. Food, on the other hand, gets pricey fast: a langos with sour cream and cheese starts at around €10, and a simple goulash soup is much the same – both feel steep. A chimney cake will set you back somewhere between €3 and €5, depending on the stall. The Christmas markets are lovely to look at, but overpriced in my view – prices run above what we're used to in Germany. Worth a look: yes. Worth buying gifts for loved ones: not really. The food on the markets is pricier again than what you'd pay on the street elsewhere.
Four days and three nights are plenty to explore Budapest – even one night less would have done the job.
What this leg cost
| Item | for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Stuttgart–Budapest flight (Wizz Air), €58 p.p. | 2 people | €116.00 |
| Stuttgart Airport car park, 3 days (Airparks) | 1 vehicle | €44.00 |
| CLAUDIA Apartments Budapest, 3 nights | 2 people | €187.73 |
| 100E airport bus, single, 2,200 HUF p.p. back then | 2 people | €12.10 |
| Metro single, Batthyány tér–Kossuth Lajos tér, 450 HUF p.p. | 2 people | €2.50 |
| Turkish bath (Veli Bej), morning rate, 5,700 HUF p.p. | 2 people | €31.32 |
All in, around €394, not including food or other on-site admission fees. HUF amounts converted at a rate of €1 ≈ 364 HUF (as of September 2026). Not included: the ice rink and the funicular, since we didn't use either.
All booking links at a glance
- Flight search: Skyscanner
- Stuttgart Airport parking: Airparks
- CLAUDIA Apartments Budapest: booking.com
And that's our Budapest trip told in full. If reading this left you thinking "I'd love a city break like that, just without piecing it together myself" – that's exactly what I do. The first conversation costs nothing.
