Hungary itinerary, day by day

From the thermal baths of Budapest to the sunny shores of Lake Balaton, by train: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, travel times, and where to sleep at three budgets.

🗓️ 3, 7 or 14 days📍 2 stops☀️ Best time: April to June and September to October

Budapest · Photo K / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

Hungary in 3 days

2 stops · 12 things to do · ≈ 115 km

1Budapest

Days 1-2

Two towns joined in 1873: hilly Buda with its castle and flat Pest with its Parliament, facing each other across the Danube. More than a hundred thermal springs rise beneath them.

🎟️ Worth booking

Széchenyi thermal bathsHalf day · from €25
One of the largest bath complexes in Europe, in a neo-baroque palace in City Park, with outdoor pools that steam even in winter.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Danube cruise by night1h · from €20
An hour on the river once the Parliament, the castle and the bridges are lit up.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Parliament (from outside) · Fisherman's Bastion · The Chain Bridge · Gellért Hill

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Wombat's City Hostel Budapest (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Aria Hotel Budapest (€170 a night) · Luxury: Four Seasons Gresham Palace (€400 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Retek Bisztro ★ 4.9 · 6141 reviews · €€
Parisi 6 ★ 4.8 · 11429 reviews · €€
Parasztkonyha Restaurant ★ 4.8 · 9893 reviews · €€
La Botte & Paprika ★ 4.8 · 5383 reviews · €€
Costes Downtown ★ 4.8 · 3119 reviews · €€€€

Photo Efrem Efre / Pexels

🚆 Train · 2h · 115 km

2Lake Balaton

Day 3

The largest lake in Central Europe, nearly 80 km long and shallow enough to warm up fast in summer. The north shore has the vineyards and the Tihany peninsula, the south shore the long sandy beaches.

🎟️ Worth booking

Tihany Abbey and a wine tastingHalf day · from €30
A Benedictine abbey founded in 1055 on the ridge above the lake, whose founding charter holds some of the oldest written Hungarian, then a tasting of the local whites.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Lake Balaton cruise1h · from €14
An hour on the water aboard one of the lake's passenger boats.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Tihany peninsula · The beaches of Balatonfüred · The Badacsony vineyards · Sunset over the lake

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Blaha Lujza Hotel (€60 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Silverine (€150 a night) · Luxury: Anna Grand Hotel (€240 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Tóth Pince - Borterasz ★ 4.9 · 345 reviews · €€
Fish Terrace ★ 4.9 · 106 reviews
Laci Pince Csárda (Balatonudvari) ★ 4.8 · 3114 reviews · €€
Villa Kabala ★ 4.8 · 797 reviews
Hegyi Csárda ★ 4.8 · 645 reviews · €€

Photo Pexels

Hungary in 7 days

2 stops · 12 things to do · ≈ 230 km

1Budapest

Days 1-4

Two towns joined in 1873: hilly Buda with its castle and flat Pest with its Parliament, facing each other across the Danube. More than a hundred thermal springs rise beneath them.

🎟️ Worth booking

Széchenyi thermal bathsHalf day · from €25
One of the largest bath complexes in Europe, in a neo-baroque palace in City Park, with outdoor pools that steam even in winter.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Danube cruise by night1h · from €20
An hour on the river once the Parliament, the castle and the bridges are lit up.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Parliament (from outside) · Fisherman's Bastion · The Chain Bridge · Gellért Hill

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Efrem Efre / Pexels

🚆 Train · 2h · 115 km

2Lake Balaton

Days 5-7

The largest lake in Central Europe, nearly 80 km long and shallow enough to warm up fast in summer. The north shore has the vineyards and the Tihany peninsula, the south shore the long sandy beaches.

🎟️ Worth booking

Tihany Abbey and a wine tastingHalf day · from €30
A Benedictine abbey founded in 1055 on the ridge above the lake, whose founding charter holds some of the oldest written Hungarian, then a tasting of the local whites.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Lake Balaton cruise1h · from €14
An hour on the water aboard one of the lake's passenger boats.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Tihany peninsula · The beaches of Balatonfüred · The Badacsony vineyards · Sunset over the lake

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Blaha Lujza Hotel (€60 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Silverine (€150 a night) · Luxury: Anna Grand Hotel (€240 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Pexels

Hungary in 14 days

3 stops · 18 things to do · ≈ 230 km

1Budapest

Days 1-7

Two towns joined in 1873: hilly Buda with its castle and flat Pest with its Parliament, facing each other across the Danube. More than a hundred thermal springs rise beneath them.

🎟️ Worth booking

Széchenyi thermal bathsHalf day · from €25
One of the largest bath complexes in Europe, in a neo-baroque palace in City Park, with outdoor pools that steam even in winter.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Danube cruise by night1h · from €20
An hour on the river once the Parliament, the castle and the bridges are lit up.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Parliament (from outside) · Fisherman's Bastion · The Chain Bridge · Gellért Hill

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Efrem Efre / Pexels

🚆 Train · 2h · 115 km

2Lake Balaton

Days 8-11

The largest lake in Central Europe, nearly 80 km long and shallow enough to warm up fast in summer. The north shore has the vineyards and the Tihany peninsula, the south shore the long sandy beaches.

🎟️ Worth booking

Tihany Abbey and a wine tastingHalf day · from €30
A Benedictine abbey founded in 1055 on the ridge above the lake, whose founding charter holds some of the oldest written Hungarian, then a tasting of the local whites.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Lake Balaton cruise1h · from €14
An hour on the water aboard one of the lake's passenger boats.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Tihany peninsula · The beaches of Balatonfüred · The Badacsony vineyards · Sunset over the lake

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Blaha Lujza Hotel (€60 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Silverine (€150 a night) · Luxury: Anna Grand Hotel (€240 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Pexels

🚆 Train · 2h · 115 km (back to the airport)

3Budapest

Days 12-14

Two towns joined in 1873: hilly Buda with its castle and flat Pest with its Parliament, facing each other across the Danube. More than a hundred thermal springs rise beneath them.

🎟️ Worth booking

Széchenyi thermal bathsHalf day · from €25
One of the largest bath complexes in Europe, in a neo-baroque palace in City Park, with outdoor pools that steam even in winter.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Danube cruise by night1h · from €20
An hour on the river once the Parliament, the castle and the bridges are lit up.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Parliament (from outside) · Fisherman's Bastion · The Chain Bridge · Gellért Hill

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Efrem Efre / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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The free printable Hungary guide: map, stops day by day, hotels by budget. Works offline.

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Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

Gulyás: a thick soup of beef and vegetables with paprika, slowly simmered, the national dish.
Lángos: fried dough served hot with sour cream, grated cheese and garlic, the snack of markets and beaches.
Pörkölt: meat stewed with onions and plenty of paprika, often with nokedli, small egg dumplings.
Halászlé: a fiery river-fish soup with paprika, from the towns along the Danube and the Tisza.
Dobos torta: layers of sponge and chocolate buttercream under a hard caramel top, created in Budapest in the 1880s.

⚠️ What to avoid

Do not change money at the airport or at the exchange booths in the centre: the rates are poor. Pay by card or use a bank cash machine.
Take only licensed taxis (yellow, on a fixed tariff), or book through an app.
In central Budapest, turn down strangers who invite you into a bar: these places are known for grossly inflated bills.
Many Hungarians still avoid clinking beer glasses, a habit traced back to 1849.
Check the bill before tipping: many restaurants already add a service charge.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Hungary guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Hungary, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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