12 Things to Do in Budapest at Christmas

When you think of Christmas and winter destinations, cities like Paris, London, Prague or Vienna come to mind. But lately, Eastern European countries have begun to eclipse their Western neighbours when it comes to festive spirit and Christmas destinations. A prime example is Hungary, and more specifically Budapest.

If you visit Budapest at Christmas time in Budapest you can enjoy traditional Hungarian-style Christmas markets, light shows at St. Stephen's Basilica, fireworks on New Year's Eve and music and opera festivals with a Christmas twist.

A must-do on your Christmas trip to Budapest is a relaxing experience at the Széchenyi Spa. This is a must-do at any time of the year, but at Christmas, due to the temperature contrast, you can enjoy a hot bath outside despite the freezing cold. The water vapour will condense and there will be a thick mist around you.

At the Széchenyi Spa you can bathe in a total of 15 indoor pools and 3 giant outdoor pools, try the saunas and steam rooms, and relax in the massage jets.

And after your bath, you can enter the Palinka Museum, where an expert local guide will take you on a guided tour through the history of the Hungarian national drink. An interactive exhibition where you will have the opportunity to enjoy a tasting.

On this 70-minute cruise on the Danube in Budapest, you will admire the most popular sights of the Hungarian capital such as the Chain Bridge, the Parliament and the imposing Buda Castle, among others.

You can also enjoy a voucher for an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink, including champagne, wine, beer, lemonade, soft drinks or mineral water. And to make sure you don't miss any details and learn about the history of Budapest, an audio guide will be available along the way.

The last stop on this cruise, which lasts approximately 70 minutes, is Margaret Island, where you can take a stroll.

For an authentic Hungarian holiday experience, head to Óbuda Square, located across the Danube River and far to the north. This square and its decorations may seem rather small and modest in comparison to the larger markets in the centre, but stay a while and you'll find that Obuda's quaint and simplistic charm is exactly what makes it so captivating.

Óbuda square is also the site of a very special Christmas tree called "The Charity Tree''. Made entirely of wood, it has a hollowed-out interior space that is a bit like a chapel where people can walk or sit quietly. Every night during the Christmas fair, it is beautifully illuminated with multicoloured lights. In addition, the atmosphere in this square is much closer, where families go outside to stroll and buy food in the open air thanks to the various street food stalls.

However, it is not until after the festivities that the Charity Tree fulfils its most significant purpose. When the decorations are removed, the wood from the tree is donated to families in need. According to the designers, the installation represents the importance of the community, as at Christmas it is also important to think of the thousands of Hungarian families who have problems with heating.

What makes many of the Christmas markets in Budapest really attractive and outstanding is that there is a remarkable focus on trying to preserve authentic Hungarian folk art, traditions and offering good quality handicrafts rather than commercial Christmas gifts.

Christmas markets are scattered all over the city centre, so I recommend describing them one by one, the best place to take as a starting point is Vörösmarty Square. The Christmas markets in the city centre usually start much earlier than planned, even in late November. However, the best way to enjoy them is to visit Budapest in December.

There are several things you can do at these Christmas markets:

• Buy small handmadegifts.
• Drink mulled wine.
• Eat Hungarian cakes (such as 'Kurtos kalacs').
• Eat traditional street food (sausages, sandwiches, roasted chestnuts, etc.).
• Have fun chatting and listening to the pleasant Christmas musicals on the market stages.

Seeing the ballet show "The Nutcracker at Christmas'' is a Christmas tradition that has been sweeping beyond the USA for years. If you are a fan of musical and expressive art, you will agree with me that a Christmas without this show is a half-hearted holiday. So, if you're visiting Budapest in December, don't miss a performance at the Hungarian Opera. Concerts start in the middle of the month, and the most important performances are reserved for 25 December and 6 January.

The Opera House is one of the most impressive cultural venues in Budapest. The famous building, in my opinion, has nothing to envy to the Vienna Opera. Prices are usually between 8 and 50 euros per person. And admission is completely free for children under the age of 6. For more information visit the event's website.

The Christmas market as such takes place in Vörösmarty Square, one of the city's iconic squares and one of the most atmospheric during the festive season. It's also one of the most popular, so be prepared for a square full of wooden huts and lines of people buying street food.

Despite the crowds, it's well worth a visit, as it's a great starting point for a stroll to the nearest Christmas markets and even for tours of Budapest. In Vörösmarty Square, you can enjoy live music, eat traditional food, as well as being one of the best places to enjoy Budapest at night.

One of the most enchanting things to do in Budapest at Christmas is to enjoy an organ ** concert in St. Stephen's Basilica**, one of the most beautiful neoclassical buildings in the city, which will amaze you with its acoustics.

Enjoy authentic classical pieces from Mozart, Bach, Beethoven to Schubert and Vivaldi in a dreamlike setting, with this organ concert lasting approximately 70 minutes. You will hear excellent artists and famous Hungarian musicians.

Some of Budapest's trams become very festive at Christmas time. They are covered with thousands upon thousands of LED lights, which makes travelling around Budapest a unique experience. The Christmas tram lines usually follow the routes of lines 2, 19, 41 and 69.

I recommend you to take the tram line 2 for a scenic ride along the Danube River, an excellent and cheap option if you can't opt for a trip along the Danube Bend.

To travel on the Budapest Christmas tram you can use your Budapest Card or public transport travel pass. For more information on times and frequencies please visit the following link.

While there are no "official" New Year's Eve fireworks in Budapest, many suburban municipalities and local residents hold their own celebrations. The best place to see fireworks is on Gellert Hill on the Buda side of Budapest.

As for New Year's Eve street celebrations, the Váci utca area, Erszebet ter and the Jewish quarters of Budapest will be full of people celebrating New Year's Eve until the late morning hours. Music and food stalls are usually not lacking either.

Szentendre is a small, artistic village located about 40 minutes from Budapest, one of the most frequent excursions from Budapest. The village is, apart from the centre of Budapest, the best place to enjoy the festive season, because in Szentendre Christmas has a lot of value.

The village is full of small and charming museums, as well as shops and galleries, all with Christmas lights. Christmas cheer is easily noticeable in this area. There is a nativity scene in the centre, and many of the local artists plug the town with music and recitals. Of course, you can't come here without visiting the Szentendre Christmas Market, one of the most famous in Hungary. It opens at the beginning of Advent, so a visit in mid-December would be ideal.

To get to Szentendre, take the H5 train from Batthyány Tér or Margit Híd to the Szentendre stop. The journey takes about 40 minutes and costs less than 2 euros.

St. Stephen's Basilica is a beautiful architectural building, but what makes it even more pleasing to the eye is the light show projected on its façade.

You can watch religious stories and traditional fairy tales projected with coloured lights, dazzling 3D animations, accompanying sounds, graphic illusions and more. If you are travelling with children, don't miss this experience. The light show takes place every half hour between 4.30pm and 10pm during the festive season. For more information visit the basilica's website.

Hungarian families often gather at home on Christmas Eve to eat traditional Christmas dishes such as fish soup, stuffed cabbage, stuffed roast (usually turkey stuffed with chestnuts) and, of course, sweets such as bejglit (dough roll stuffed with a poppy seed filling) or zerbó cake (filled with jam and walnuts). Traditional wines such as Kadarka or Tokaji aszú accompany the food.

I recommend you to try these tasty specialities and some of the best places to go are the Centrál Cafe & Restaurant (one of the oldest cafés-restaurants in Budapest), Gerbeaud Cafe & Confectionery (one of the most specialized places in Hungarian gastronomy).

If you visit Budapest at Christmas, you should be aware that temperatures can range from 3.4°C to -1°C on average, with January being the coldest month of the year. Also remember that daylight hours are minimal, so it's not uncommon for most Christmas activities to take place in low light or darkness (although, thanks to Christmas lights throughout most of the city, you're unlikely to spend time in the dark).

Sunrise is usually at 7:20am and sunset is at 04:00pm.

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Don't forget winter clothes, woollen jumpers, thick trousers, ski socks, hats, scarves, winter coats and snow boots or waterproof shoes.

Although hats, gloves and scarves are the best allies for snowy days in the city, don't forget the rainfall, especially in November and February, so an umbrella and a mackintosh are a must.

The city becomes a magical place at Christmas, so it's worth a visit if the winter cold doesn't bother you. Moreover, at this time of the year, you can enjoy a Christmas market that sometimes seems like a separate city within Budapest, not to mention the millions of sparkling lights illuminating every corner of the capital. And of course, a date marked by some of Hungary's gastronomic delights.