Budapest
Three nights in December. Grand, cheap and atmospheric - and arguably best in the cold. Steam rising off the baths, ruin bars to warm up in, and portions that will humble you however hungry you arrive. Walk up to Fisherman's Bastion for the view, do Széchenyi early or late, and give the old Jewish quarter a full evening.
11 recs
Grand nineteenth-century coffee house energy: chandeliers, cakes, waiters in waistcoats. Touristy, yes, but it earns it.
Street-food yard next door to Szimpla - nicely lit up at night and properly lively. Graze your way through it before or after the ruin bars.
Big, buzzy, and reliable - a good first-night call when you just want somewhere that works.
Proper Hungarian comfort food in the old Jewish quarter. Order more than you think you need - the portions will humble you anyway.
A nice coffee shop with genuinely good pastries - the right way to start a Budapest morning.
Another ruin bar, with lots of very open spaces - worth a look, and good for big crowds.
Rooftop bar that's lovely at night - the city lit up below and a calmer pace than the ruin bars.
No frills, cheap beer, locals only by default rather than by design. Exactly what it should be.
The most famous ruin bar for a reason. Walk the whole place before you commit to a spot - main dancefloor right after the front door, a courtyard for smokers beyond it, and a warren of rooms upstairs each playing something different. Worth it even if you only stay for one drink.
A great walk up and the best free vantage point in the city once you're there. Go at sunrise if you want it without the crowds.
The big outdoor pool steaming in freezing air is the whole point - December makes it better, not worse. Go early or go late.
Know somewhere in Budapest I should go? .