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City trip Budapest
While staying at our hotel in the center of Budapest, you’ll be in the heart of the city. In this article, we’ll introduce you to your neighborhood with great sights, activities and stunning architecture.
MEININGER Budapest Great Market Hall
The Great Market Hall
©Zoltán Perényi
Located only a couple of meters from your hotel, the Great Market Hall is one of the best places in Budapest to explore the city’s culinary scene. With a great variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, fish and dairy products as well as artisan items and souvenirs, this market is equally popular among locals and travelers. Visiting the Great Market Hall is also a unique experience if you’re interested in architecture as it is one of the finest examples of Secessionist-style buildings with its wrought-iron structure and colourful tiles, made in the famous Zsolnay factory.
©Zoltán Perényi
Bálna (Whale)
If you start walking south along the Danube, you’ll soon spot an interesting-looking building with both traditional brick and modern glass parts to it. This former public warehouse was reconstructed between 2009 and 2011, and today, it is commonly known as the Bálna (whale) because of the shape of the building.
©Zoltán Perényi
It is a cultural and shopping center as well as an event space, and there are also several restaurants, cafés and bars in the building with outdoor terraces overlooking the Danube and the Buda side. Make sure you grab a pint of local craft beer at Jónás, one of the most popular bars at Bálna.
©Zoltán Perényi
Liberty Bridge
One of the first things that you’ll notice in Budapest is the two distinct parts of the city on the two opposite banks of the Danube: Buda and Pest. Crossing the river is very easy as there are several bridges in Budapest. You’ll probably get to Margaret Island through Margaret Bridge and will walk through Elisabeth Bridge on your way up to Gellért Hill where you can enjoy the stunning panorama over the city. Chain Bridge is the most well-known bridge in Budapest with its many light bulbs that are lit up in the evening to emphasize the graceful shape of the bridge.
And then there is Liberty Bridge. Built between 1894 and 1896, this bridge has a more traditional design with a beautiful green color that comes out even more in the evening when the bridge is illuminated. In the summer, Liberty Bridge is closed off to traffic on several weekends, so pedestrians can take over the bridge, have picnics and enjoy the beautiful view over Buda and Pest.
©Zoltán Perényi
Budapest Music Center and Opus Jazz Club
The Budapest Music Center, or BMC as it’s often called, is one of the latest additions to the city’s music facilities. It has a 300-seat concert hall, a Music Information Center and Library with a collection of 100,000 items, BMC Records with over 250 classical, contemporary and jazz releases and a state-of-the-art jazz club and restaurant called Opus Jazz Club. At BMC, there are concerts almost every evening with both classical and contemporary music and you can also enjoy jazz concerts every night from 8pm. Check out their concert schedule and get your tickets in advance at https://bmc.hu/en/
©Zoltán Perényi
©Zoltán Perényi
Gellért Thermal Bath and Bartók Béla Boulevard
Gellért Hotel and Thermal Bath is one of the first buildings you’ll see when you cross Liberty Bridge. This gorgeous Secessionist-style hotel and thermal bath was built in the early twentieth century, and today, it’s still one of the most iconic buildings on the Buda side. With its indoor and outdoor pools and its stunning architecture, Gellért Spa and Bath is very popular among both locals and travelers.
There are various medical treatments available at Gellért, such as massages, mud treatments, carbondioxide bath, underwater water jet massages, electrotherapy and more, while the wellness services include thermal baths, saunas, a wave pool (outdoor) and aquafitness. If you’re planning to visit only one thermal bath in Budapest, it should definitely be Gellért.
