Budapest continues to be one of the most popular city break destinations in Europe, not just for its wonderful architecture, thermal baths and history, but also because of its low cost.
Transport is cheap, and although you can splurge on an expensive meal if you wish, you can comfortably eat out for under a £15 each and the cost of entry to most attractions is quite small.
Affordable luxury in Budapest
Justin and I visited Budapest for a long weekend this May with two friends, travelling to the city on a Saturday and heading back on the Tuesday afternoon. Our goal was a weekend of affordable luxury, which we achieved pretty easily.
Rather than paying out for a hotel we found a gorgeous two bedroom apartment to rent, which was spacious, beautifully decorated and even came with a free smartphone for us to use during our stay and a large jacuzzi bath.
Our spending budget for the weekend (not including flights and accommodation) was £250 each, and even though we packed a lot into our visit we were able to stay within this. Our biggest costs were entry to the thermal baths and meals at some of the city’s landmark restaurants, cafes and hotels. It would be easy to eat far more economically, but there were certain restaurants we really wanted to visit and so we decided to throw a little more money into the mix in order to treat ourselves.
Below I’ve broken down the costs of our trip, so you can see that it’s possible to enjoy some of the best Budapest has to offer without necessarily breaking the bank.
TRAVEL
Return flights to Budapest with British Airways – £502.84/4 = £125.71 per person
Airport parking = £37.16/4 = £9.29 per person
Private transfers to and from airport and apartment: €50/4 = approx £10.50 per person
Hop on, hop off tour bus: £11 per person
Uber taxi journeys: £9.93/4 = £2.46 per person
A trip on iconic Tram #2: £1 per person
TOTAL: £149.46 per person
Inside our Budapest apartment…
ACCOMODATION
3 nights in a central 2 bedroom apartment booked via Wimdu: £256.18/4 = £64.04 per person
TOTAL: £64.04 per person
ACTIVITIES (all prices per person)
Entry to Gellert Baths, including cabin and towel rental: £19.00
Entry to Szechenyi Baths, including cabin and towel rental: £15.00
River cruise, with drinks: £14.10
Entry to Hospital in the Rock museum: £5.30
Entry to Matyas Church: £2.50
TOTAL: £55.90 per person
Scrambled eggs with bacon – New York Cafe style!
FOOD AND DRINK:
Drinks at Ruszwurm café: £6.37/2 = £3.20 per person
Visit to the cat café = £6.50 per person
Breakfast at the New York Café: £52.30/2 = £26.15 per person
Dinner and drinks at Suelto Café and Grill = £58.10/2 = £29.05 per person
Herend Afternoon Tea at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace = £32.97/2 = £16.49 per person
Dinner and drinks at Paprika = £36.57/2 = £18.28 per person
Misc snacks, food and drinks = £75/2 = £37.50 per person
TOTAL: £137.17 per person
OVERALL TOTAL OF MY 3 NIGHT TRIP TO BUDAPEST
£406.57 per person
This is actually remarkably good value I reckon Keri – and having read about your lovely afternoon tea there,I can now say that that in particular seems to have been a serious bargain compared to London afternoon tea prices!
Oh yeah, London’s one of the most expensive places for afternoon tea I’ve found Shikha – there’s some great bargains in eastern Europe and SE Asia…. 🙂