Things To Do
Cafe Frei (coffee shop - Szombathely)
Cafe Frei is one of our favourite coffee shops in Szombathely! They have a wide ranging menu of coffee styles inspired by the owners travels around the world. Particularly great is the Nicaraguan tobacco coffee (Nicaraguai dohány-kávé). If you have a nespresso compatible machine at home you can take some of these pods home.
Balmora (coffee shop - Szombathely)
Really nice coffee shop serving some great sandwiches, toasties and lemonades as well. They have a lovely outdoor seating area in the main town square surrounded by olive trees.
Sörpatika Pub és Pizzéria (pub and pizzeria - Szombathely)
Literally translates as "beer pharmacy and pizzeria". A cozy pub for some beers and pizzas (the pizzas being particularly excellent). A favourite of the Tölgyesi family!
Móló Café & Restaurant (restaurant in Szombathely)
Some of the best lemonades in town (Lilla's favourite is the coconut), alongside pizzas and other dishes. Located centrally in the city centre.
Kispityer halászcsárda (traditional Hungarian restaurant - Szombathely)
This restaurant is great for traditional Hungarian food and has a great outdoor seating area. Ben recommends the schnitzel (tepsis rántotthús - literally: tray fried meat).
Csónakázó tó (Boating lake - Szombathely)
A boating lake in a beautiful park in Szombathely - great for a summer stroll / run. You can also hire small paddle boats.
Deck Bistro & Bar (restaurant - Szombathely)
Restaurant and bar overlooking the lake with some great views
Tófürdö (water park - Szombathely)
Water park right next to the boating lake - good for a cool down in summer.
Gettó Gulyás (traditional Hungarian food - Budapest)
This is a great place to try some traditional Hungarian food in Budapest. We went here on one of our first trips together and loved it. For some of the best traditional dishes, we would recommend trying the chicken paprikash, paprika veal stew, goulash (all with pickles on the side of course) and the curd cheese dumplings for dessert. However for the brave there are things you can try such as rooster testicle stew! We would also recommend trying some Hungarian wine - Tokaji dry white furmint is our favourite.
Twentysix Budapest (restaurant)
Wine, dine and chill out in this indoor garden restaurant where the seating area is surrounded by plants and greenery serving up Mediterranean style food.
The Duchess Rooftop Bar (Budapest)
A great rooftop bar for some early evening / sunset cocktails with some stunning views.
Black Swan Budapest (cocktail bar)
A "secret" bar where the flavours of the cocktails are described but not the ingredients. You have to ring a front door bell to get access 👀.
New York Café (restaurant - Budapest)
Described as the most beautiful cafe in the world - hard to argue. We would recommend going for breakfast and getting the 24 carat gold coffees.
Szimpla Kert (ruin bar - Budapest)
The number 1 "ruin bar" - some would say it is a "must see" in Budapest. Ruin bars were originally set up in old abandoned buildings, serving cheap drinks for the young / creative folks - think Shoreditch kind of vibes a la Hungary! There are also a number of other ruin bars you could check out which aren't large / popular with tourists (recommend doing a Google search but we're also happy to help you find others).
Instant-Fogas Complex (club - Budapest)
Club / bar in Budapest with multiple different rooms and types of music (e.g. pop, rock, electronic, techno etc)
Széchenyi Thermal Bath (Budapest)
Being landlocked, Hungary doesn't have any beach access. However what it lacks in beaches, it makes up for with thermal spas (1300 of them)! Széchenyi is the classic thermal spa in Budapest. Széchenyi is probably the most well known (and therefore has a higher number of tourists), but it's the most well known for a reason! Other great options include Gellért and Lukács spas.
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton is around 1 hour 30 mins drive away from Szombathely or about 2 hours by train. The lake is one of the most beautiful places in Hungary, with many Hungarians travelling there during their summer holidays. Some of the main towns to stay around the lake include: Keszthely, Tihany and Siófok.