A different pace from Pest — hills, castle walls, and sweeping city views
Travel Month – July
After a day soaking in Pest’s synagogues, squares, and riverside sunsets, we crossed over to the Buda side for a very different kind of day. This Buda itinerary covers the Castle District, Matthias Church, Fisherman’s Bastion, and an evening finish at Gellért Hill — trading Pest’s flat, walkable streets for hills, ramparts, and some of the best panoramic views in Budapest.
We used an all-day bus and metro pass, which turned out to be the right call for a day built around climbing between hilltop sights rather than wandering between them on foot.
Getting to the Castle District
Buda’s Castle District sits on a hill above the Danube, and it feels like a different city from Pest the moment you arrive — cobblestone lanes, medieval walls, and views back across the river toward Parliament. We made our way up to the district to start the day, with the Castle Hill Funicular and local buses both options for getting up without a steep walk in the heat.
Buda Castle and the Changing of the Guard
Once up in the Castle District, we caught the Changing of the Guard at Buda Castle — a nice bit of ceremony and pageantry that added an unexpected highlight to the morning. It’s a small thing, but it’s the kind of moment that makes wandering a historic district feel a little more alive than just admiring the architecture.
Matthias Church
Inside the Castle District, Matthias Church was our first stop, and its colorful tiled roof makes it one of the most photographed buildings in Budapest. The church has a long history tied to Hungarian coronations, and the Neo-Gothic details inside — from the painted walls to the stained glass — feel completely different from the marble grandeur of St. Stephen’s Basilica on the Pest side.
Fisherman’s Bastion
Right next to Matthias Church, Fisherman’s Bastion is the postcard view of Budapest — a fairy-tale terrace of white turrets and archways overlooking the Danube and Pest’s skyline. It’s worth spending real time here rather than rushing through; the view changes as you move along the different lookout points, and it’s one of the best places in the city to actually see the layout of Pest spread out below you.
Buda travel tip: Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion sit right next to each other, so it’s easy to combine both into one stop in the Castle District without much extra walking.
Getting Around: The All-Day Transit Pass
Buda’s sights are spread across hills rather than clustered on flat streets like Pest, so we picked up an all-day bus and metro pass for the day. It paid off — between the Castle District and Gellért Hill in the evening, we used buses and trams enough times that the pass was both more convenient and better value than buying individual tickets.
Practical tip: if your day includes multiple hilltop stops like the Castle District and Gellért Hill, an all-day transit pass is worth it even if you’re not covering huge distances — it’s the elevation changes, not the mileage, that make public transit the better call in Buda.
Evening at Gellért Hill
As the day cooled into evening, we headed to Gellért Hill, taking a combination of tram and bus to get up. The hill is one of the best sunset viewpoints in the city, looking back over both the Danube and Pest’s skyline from above — a fitting way to close out a day that had already given us plenty of great views from the Castle District. While getting down from the hill, we walked down the steps. The staircase winds down through the hillside greenery with the city opening up below, and it turned out to be one of the most scenic stretches of the whole day.
On our way down, we passed the Gellért Hill Cave Church, seen from outside rather than stepping in. It’s a small chapel built directly into the hillside, founded by Pauline monks in the 1920s. During the communist era the church was sealed off and its monks imprisoned, and it stayed closed for decades before reopening after the fall of communism in 1989 — a striking bit of history tucked into the rock face of the hill.
Worth knowing: Budapest sits on a network of thermal springs and is genuinely one of the world’s great spa cities — the Gellért and Rudas thermal baths sit right at the base of the hill, and beyond those, the city is home to well-known baths like Széchenyi (the largest in Europe, over in City Park on the Pest side) and Király. The tradition goes back centuries, with the Ottomans building several of the original bathhouses during their 16th and 17th century rule, and it’s remained part of daily life for locals ever since.
We ended up skipping the baths entirely on this trip as kids are not allowed. If your travel style allows for it, though, the baths are one of the most distinctly Budapest things you can do.
Buda Travel Tips: Getting Around & What to Know
Best way to reach the Castle District:
The Castle Hill Funicular and local buses both get you up without a steep uphill walk — useful if you’re visiting in summer heat.
Getting around Buda:
Unlike Pest, Buda’s sights are spread across hills. An all-day bus and metro pass is worth it if your day includes more than one hilltop stop.
Pace it differently than Pest:
Buda rewards a slower pace built around views rather than a checklist of streets — budget real time at Fisherman’s Bastion and Gellért Hill rather than treating them as quick photo stops.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion close to each other?
Yes — they sit right next to each other in the Castle District, so you can easily see both in one stop without much extra walking.
Is Gellért Hill worth visiting for sunset?
Yes — it's one of the best panoramic viewpoints in Budapest, looking back over the Danube and the Pest skyline, and makes a great way to end a day on the Buda side.
Is it worth buying an all-day transit pass for Buda?
Yes, especially if your day includes multiple hilltop sights like the Castle District and Gellért Hill — the pass tends to pay for itself once you factor in the number of rides.
Should you visit Buda or Pest first?
We visited Pest first since it's flatter and easier to cover on foot, saving Buda's hills for a day with the transit pass to handle the climbs. Either order works depending on your energy and pacing.
Shaminee is a U.S.-based mom and family travel blogger who designs detailed itineraries for her own family and turns them into practical guides for others. Her goal is to make family travel simpler, more organized, and more enjoyable.
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