If this was your first time in Budapest:
So in this imagine it is anytime of day for that thing you want most and you are close to that site you want to see first.
What food would you try first (can be anything, but not a drink)?
What restaurant/food stand or any other place to get food would you get it from?
What site would you visit first?
First sight, the river at the Pest Corso after sunset. First food, anything at a restaurant on the Corso. "DUNA CORSO" is good .... probably stuffed cabbage.
Knowing what I know now about Budapest after 6 visits, this is what I do first upon arrival:
Head over to Margit sziget to see the storks as I like to visit in spring when they are nesting
Dinner is toltott kaposzta at Belvarosi Lugas Etterem near Szent Istvan's on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky ut
On my first visit to Budapest in 2014 I decided to conquer the metro and went a few stops to the Museum of Applied Arts (temporarily closed right now). Not a hugely important site to visit but it got me off to a good start. Then back to the Nagycsarnok to try langos at one of the upstairs food stalls. Neither were hugely important goals, I had several things on my agenda and they were easy, but it was the start of a very special relationship with Budapest and very fondly remembered.
The M1 and 2 tram are my special friends. Lol. I love taking the M1 down to the river, then riding the 2 tram along the river, especially at dusk. This is often how I say goodbye (ok, au revoir) to Budapest as well.
First full day, I would be taking a Tuk Tuk Tour (Viator tours) to get an overall feel of the city and places I would then later go back to on my own (this is a tour in a 3 wheeled soft-top vehicle with a very knowledgeable guide and you can customize what you want the tour to cover). Based on photos on the internet, I would definitely want to go to Fisherman's Bastion. And I definitely would want to eat at Ape Regina for dinner at least once. Another night it would be Menza for dinner, if I could get in--reservations needed! I would also take a side trip to Szentendre.
