My husband and I arrive May 19 from Zagreb via bus. Have booked the Cortile Hotel on points (per Mr. E and RS guide advice).
Public transportation or Uber/Bolt from Népliget bus station to Cortile? Perhaps a Danube cruise may be a relaxing, low impact event for that evening after a full day of travel (driving from Ljubljana to Zagreb - bus from Zagreb to Budapest)?
May 20 we are headed west to the Pápateszér area with a guide to visit my paternal great grandparents' villages.
We'll have three full days to explore the city. In every major city, we hit as many musical performances as we can in the evenings. I have already booked the Opera for our last evening 23 May.
Looking for any suggestions or expertise. I'm a heavy guidebook reader but so often I find the best suggestions from this wonderful community.
Many thanks!
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
24272 posts
My husband and I arrive May 19 from Zagreb via bus. Have booked the
Cortile Hotel on points (per Mr. E and RS guide advice).
Okay, I recommend location, not hotels. To recommend a hotel I would have to have stayed in it first. But if you are young (adults only pool bar on the roof) this one has a good reputation, and the location is not half bad.
Public transportation or Uber/Bolt from Népliget bus station to
Cortile?
Uber and Bolt in Budapest are both just metered yellow taxi cabs that charge the exact same as every other taxi company in Budapest…. So sure, if you have their apps loaded do it. More Bolts in town than Ubers so Bolt might be faster for a pickup. OR, the M3 runs from the bus station to within about a 4 minute walk to your hotel. Just use google maps to see the route.
Perhaps a Danube cruise may be a relaxing, low impact event for that
evening after a full day of travel (driving from Ljubljana to Zagreb -
bus from Zagreb to Budapest)?
Really pretty beautiful if you do the after sunset cruise.
May 20 we are headed west to the Pápateszér area with a guide to visit
my paternal great grandparents' villages.
Sounds rewarding.
We'll have three full days to explore the city. In every major city,
we hit as many musical performances as we can in the evenings. I have
already booked the Opera for our last evening 23 May.
Three full days will get you trough a lot of the city. Be sure to get a metro pass. Here is a pretty complete list of performance venues if you want to do more: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/concerts-in-budapest
And here is a list of restaurants that often (not always, you will need to confirm the date) have live music or entertainment.
DISTRICT II
Piros Pezsgő Piano Bar (M) https://www.facebook.com/pirospezsgo/
DISTRICT V
Rézkakas Bistro Terasz (M) https://www.rezkakasbistro.hu/
Café Liszt (M) http://cafeliszt.hu/en
Százéves Étterem (M) https://www.szazevesetterem.hu/
DISTRICT VI
Pörc&Prézli (M) https://www.porcesprezli.hu/en/
Callas Café (M) http://www.callascafe.hu/
VakVarjú (M) https://pest.vakvarju.com/
Sir Lancelot (S) https://sirlancelot.hu/
DISTRICT VII
Orfeum Club (S) https://orfeum.hu/
Spinoza Café & Restaurant (C) http://spinoza.hu
DISTRICT IX
Opus Jazz Club (C) https://opusjazzclub.hu/etlap
Jedermann (M) https://www.facebook.com/
DISTRICT XI
Szeged Vendéglő (M) https://www.szegedvendeglo.hu/
DISTRICT XIII
Budapest Jazz Club (C)
https://www.bjc.hu/home/
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8435 posts
And if you get hungry for a burger, Zingburger is about as good as the get. Different locations throughout Budapest.
Posted by
Washington DC
29650 posts
The sunset cruises seem the most popular, so that's something you should book in advance. You probably don't need to do it way ahead of time, but I'm not sure how soon is soon enough.
Posted by
State of Washington, USA
338 posts
In Aug 2025 my wife and I stayed in Budapest 4 nights, including attending the opera and a Danube river sunset cruise. Our trip report might have useful info: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-hungary-aug-2025