Currency
The Hungarian currency is the forint: HUF, on average EUR/HUF rate = 365, USD/HUF rate = 310, GBP/HUF rate = 425 (August 2026).
Weather
Budapest in mid October is typically chill but not very cold (usually ~16 degrees Celsius by day and ~10 by night).
Coffee and cake
Budapest is famous for its coffee and cake houses. For very elegant coffee houses you could try the New York Palace Cafe (Erzsébet krt. 9-11), or Café Gerbeaud (Vörösmarty tér 7-8). Auguszt is another recommended option with more places around the city, driven by a family for more than 150 years now. More in general, there are many many cake shops around in the city (Cukrászda in Hungarian). Most of the times they have some tables inside, so it is possible to just walk in and enjoy few cake slices with coffee or tea. Enjoy! If you like a coffee shop more like Starbucks style, we would recommend California Coffee Company. There are a few of them around in the city (look for the closest to your hotel on google map).
Restaurants
Plenty of restaurants can be found all over town. Many are located along Kazinczy utca, Liszt Ferenc tér and Ráday utca, with a lot of tourists buzzing around. Király utca has also many nice restaurants. A few suggestions where you can go by public transportation are:
Hungarian:
Borbíróság (very nice wine-food combinations)
Aranyhíd (mostly Hungarian, but also pizza)
Lancelot (medieval restaurant)A38 (bistro on a ship)
Beer restaurants:
Bajor (mostly burgers)
Jaromír (Czech)
Italian:
Il Terzo Cerchio (Italian restaurant and pizzeria)
Georgian/Eastern:
Babka (Middle Eastern)
Indian:
Maharaja (Indian/Nepalese)
Asian:
Sushi wan (many veggie options)
Bao Nam Phở (best pho in town, mainly take-away)
Biang Bisztró (authentic Chinese street food)
Asian Street Food (many small Asian food shops to choose from)
Vegetarian or vegan:
Napfenyes (quite elegant and with a large menu, good food!)
Tökmag (burgers)
for more options, you may check on happycow.
Gluten free:
Tökmag (burgers)
Bars and Pubs
Ruin pubs are an icon in Budapest, and usually include many bars within one building:
Instant, Akácfa utca 49-51
Szimpla, Kazinczy utca 14
Hopaholic, Akácfa utca 38, large selection of beers
Kadarka, Király utca 42, is a nice wine bar where you can try Hungarian white and red wines.
Gravity and Constellation (Hungarian craft brewery)
Tourist information:
Information on tourist attractions and what's going on can be found here (official tourist information), and here (up-to-date information on events).
There are beautiful museums in town. Besides the famous ones usually recommended in touristic information, we would definitely suggest the Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum. They also have a great collection of meteorites.
Tours:
Some suggestions to spend an extra day in Budapest:
Thermal baths
Budapest is called the city of baths: http://www.spasbudapest.com/. There are many around in town. Just ask at your hotel desk what are closest to your hotel.