What to Do in Budapest in One Day: Our Danube Cruise Stop

Budapest was our final stop on AMA Waterways’ Romantic Danube itinerary, and although we only had one day in the city, it quickly became one of the highlights of the entire trip.

We knew we’d barely scratch the surface in a single day, but we wanted to make the most of our time. Between an included AMA Waterways excursion, exploring on our own, finding gluten-free lángos, and even booking a last-minute nighttime river cruise, we packed a lot into our final day in Hungary’s capital.

Here’s how we spent one day in Budapest during our Danube river cruise.

Morning: Exploring Budapest With AMA Waterways

We started our day with one of AMA Waterways’ included excursions, which focused on several of Budapest’s most famous landmarks.

Shoes on the Danube Bank

Our first stop was the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial.

The memorial consists of a series of iron shoes along the riverbank and serves as a tribute to the thousands of Jewish victims who were killed along the Danube during World War II.

It’s a simple but powerful memorial and one of the more moving sites we visited during the cruise.

Hungarian Parliament Building

From there, we walked along the Danube and around the Hungarian Parliament Building.

Even before arriving in Budapest, we had admired Parliament from the river, but seeing it up close was an entirely different experience.

The level of detail is incredible, and the building seems to stretch on forever. It quickly became one of the most impressive landmarks we saw during the entire trip.

If there’s one building that defines Budapest’s skyline, this is it.

Heroes’ Square

The final major stop on our excursion was Heroes’ Square.

The square features statues of important figures from Hungarian history and is one of Budapest’s most recognized landmarks.

While we enjoyed seeing it, Parliament was definitely the standout attraction of the morning for us.

Lunch Back on AmaReina

After our excursion, we returned to the ship for lunch.

One thing we enjoy about river cruising is that you’re never very far from the ship. Instead of searching for a restaurant in the city, we were able to head back onboard and enjoy another meal on AmaReina.

For lunch, we tried the goulash, which felt like a fitting meal while visiting Hungary.

Afternoon: Exploring Budapest on Our Own

After lunch, we set out to explore Budapest independently using the city’s tram system.

Finding Gluten-Free Lángos

No trip to Budapest would have felt complete without trying lángos.

For those unfamiliar, lángos is a traditional Hungarian street food that is typically made from fried dough and topped with ingredients like cheese, garlic, and sour cream.

Since Julia has celiac disease, finding a gluten-free version was important.

Fortunately, we found one at Retro Lángos Budapest, allowing Julia to enjoy one of Hungary’s most famous foods without worrying about gluten.

For travelers with celiac disease visiting Budapest, Retro Lángos Budapest was a great option and gave Julia the opportunity to try a traditional Hungarian dish that would normally be off limits.

Finding gluten-free versions of traditional local foods is always a highlight for us when we travel, especially because Julia has celiac disease.

For us, trying local food is one of the best parts of travel, and this ended up being one of the highlights of the afternoon.

Budapest’s Famous McDonald’s

We also considered visiting the famous Nyugati McDonald’s, which is often described as one of the most beautiful McDonald’s locations in the world.

After looking into it a bit more, we realized we’d be making the trip primarily to see the special projection show inside. Since the timing didn’t work out, we ultimately decided it wasn’t worth going out of our way and moved on to our next stop.

Central Market Hall

Next, we took the tram to Central Market Hall.

Located near where our ship was docked, the market was an easy stop before heading back to AmaReina.

The market is spread across multiple levels and is filled with vendors selling everything from local food and spices to souvenirs, clothing, and handmade goods.

We enjoyed browsing the various stalls and getting a feel for the atmosphere before picking up a few Hungarian specialties to bring home.

Our purchases included:

• Paprika
• Pálinka

Even if you’re not planning to buy anything, Central Market Hall is worth visiting. It’s a great place to experience a local side of Budapest, sample Hungarian products, and find unique souvenirs to bring home.

Dinner on the Ship

After a busy afternoon exploring Budapest, we returned to AmaReina for dinner.

One of the nice things about river cruising is being able to enjoy a full day in a destination while still returning to a familiar restaurant each evening.

Seeing Budapest at Night

After dinner, we headed back into the city for what would end up being our favorite experience in Budapest.

One thing we had assumed before arriving in Budapest was that we’d be able to experience the city illuminated at night from the river as part of our cruise.

Once we realized that wasn’t included, we quickly jumped on Viator and booked an evening sightseeing cruise just a few hours before departure.

It ended up being one of the best last-minute decisions we made during the entire trip.

Budapest From the Danube

If there’s one experience we would recommend in Budapest, it’s seeing the city from the river at night.

As darkness fell, the city’s landmarks began to light up one by one.

The Hungarian Parliament Building was the star of the show.

Seeing it illuminated and reflected in the Danube was absolutely breathtaking and easily one of the most memorable sights from our entire Danube cruise.

The bridges, riverfront buildings, and skyline all looked incredible after dark.

Although we had already spent a week sailing the Danube, this nighttime cruise provided a completely different perspective of the city and was well worth the extra time and expense.

If you’re only in Budapest for a day, this is one experience we highly recommend.

Ending the Night at Instant-Fogas

After our evening river cruise, we weren’t quite ready to call it a night.

Instead, we headed to Instant-Fogas, one of Budapest’s most unique nightlife spots.

Rather than being a single bar, Instant-Fogas is made up of seven different bars and dance areas all connected together. Each room has its own atmosphere and plays different styles of music, so you can easily move around until you find something you like.

Even if you’re not a big nightlife person, it’s worth visiting just to see the venue itself. We found ourselves wandering from room to room to see what each area was like.

It ended up being a fun way to spend our final night in Budapest before heading back to AmaReina.

Final Thoughts

Although we only had one day in Budapest, we managed to pack quite a bit into our visit.

We saw some of the city’s most famous landmarks with our AMA Waterways excursion, explored on our own, found gluten-free lángos for Julia, wandered through Central Market Hall, and even squeezed in a last-minute nighttime river cruise.

And somehow, we still had enough energy to end the night at Instant-Fogas.

Budapest ended up being one of the highlights of our Romantic Danube cruise, and it’s definitely a city we’d love to return to someday. One day gave us a great introduction, but we’d love to come back and spend a few more days exploring everything we missed.

If you’re visiting Budapest as part of a Danube river cruise, don’t worry if you only have one day. You can still see a lot, eat some great food, and experience the city at night.

Just be prepared to leave wanting more.