New Year’s Eve in Budapest: Three Nights, City Walks and the Christmas Market

Written by Loredana Arion in Travel

View along the Chain Bridge walkway toward its stone tower and suspension chains

We spent New Year’s Eve in Budapest with some friends who love photography. We stayed for three nights and did plenty of walking, in the kind of cold I can still feel as I write this somewhere warm. 😆

Our friends took all the photos, so this time the credit for the images in this article goes entirely to them. You can find more of their photography and travel stories on Dusty City. 😊

We explored the Buda Castle area, Fisherman’s Bastion, the banks of the Danube and the Hungarian State Opera. But my favourite part was the Christmas market, which was still open at the end of December. With its displays full of pastries, it had quite an advantage over the other sights. 😁

What the Weather Was Like in Budapest Around New Year’s Eve

A boat on the Danube, with Budapest’s bridges and riverbanks fading into the winter haze

Cold. Very cold.

It was freezing throughout our stay. We were cold walking through the city streets, even on the days when we had sunshine and clear blue skies.

We covered a lot of ground on foot, so the cold came along on almost every walk. Budapest certainly kept us busy, but I can’t say it gave us a warm welcome. 😅

Here’s what we got up to:

The Chain Bridge and Buda Castle

We walked across the Chain Bridge and then headed towards Buda Castle. At the bottom of the hill, we saw the funicular, but decided to walk up instead so we could take in more of the architecture and stop to photograph the buildings along the way.

A Buda Castle Funicular carriage on the steep tracks between brick retaining walls

With photography-loving friends, the climb naturally came with plenty of stops. We had time to notice façades, ornaments and all sorts of details we might have missed from the funicular. The cold didn’t spare us on this stretch either, but we suffered for our art. 😂

Once at the top, we wandered around the palace grounds, with their grand façades and green dome.

The green dome of Buda Castle rising above its pale façade against a blue sky

Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion

We also explored the area around Matthias Church, with its white tower, Gothic windows and colourful roof tiles arranged in geometric patterns. Nearby, we saw the Holy Trinity Column and the equestrian statue of Saint Stephen.

The ornate white Gothic tower of Matthias Church above part of the church façade

A rose window beneath the patterned roof tiles of Matthias Church

We continued to Fisherman’s Bastion, walking among the stone towers and archways, with views of the Danube and the buildings on the opposite bank. Between the architectural details up close and the city panorama, there were reasons to stop at every turn. Naturally, we kept to the same leisurely pace, pausing for photos and taking in the details.

Stone figures and a golden cross at the top of Budapest’s Holy Trinity Column

The equestrian statue of Saint Stephen with a Fisherman’s Bastion turret behind it

Parliament and Walks Along the Danube

We walked along the Danube, looking across at Buda’s buildings and the hill topped by the castle. Boats passed on the river, and the scenery had that muted winter palette, with grey skies and the outlines of buildings fading into the distance.

A riverboat on the Danube with Buda’s waterfront and Matthias Church tower behind it

We saw Parliament up close during the day and again in the evening from the opposite bank. Standing beside it, you can appreciate just how much detail there is on the façade: arches, sculptures and slender spires surrounding the central dome. Our photography-loving friends had plenty of reasons to stop here too. 😁

Budapest’s illuminated Parliament building across the Danube at night

An upward view of the Hungarian Parliament’s dome and spires beneath an overcast sky

Near Parliament, we also stopped at the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial. Sixty pairs of iron shoes sit at the water’s edge: men’s, women’s and children’s, as though their owners had just stepped out of them.

The memorial commemorates the Jewish people murdered on the banks of the Danube by members of the fascist Arrow Cross Party towards the end of the Second World War. Before being shot, the victims were forced to remove their shoes, which were valuable and could be taken and sold. Their bodies then fell into the river.

The shoes left symbolically on the bank speak of the people who wore them and the lives cut short there. Among them are tiny children’s shoes, a detail that makes it impossible to see this as just another monument.

Of all the places we visited in Budapest, this one affected me the most emotionally. It’s hard to look at the shoes on the riverbank without thinking about the people who might have worn them.

Iron shoes at the Danube memorial, with a riverboat blurred in the background

Műcsarnok and the Heroes’ Square Area

Our walks also took us to the Heroes’ Square area, where we saw the Műcsarnok building, with its tall portico, columns and gilded decorations.

Columns with gilded capitals beneath a mosaic at the banner-covered entrance to Műcsarnok

An image of the Madonna and Child on a gold background at the corner of a building

The Hungarian State Opera

We also visited the interior of the Hungarian State Opera, with its reddish columns, painted ceilings and gilded decorations.

The interior is richly decorated, from the sculptures around the doorways to the paintings and ornaments overhead.

An ornate interior at the Hungarian State Opera with chairs, music stands and red drapery

A sculpted male figure with raised arms beside a wooden doorway inside the Opera House

A reddish column rising to an ornate capital beneath a painted Opera House ceiling

The Christmas Market and St Stephen’s Basilica

The Christmas market was still open at the end of December, so we wandered among the decorated wooden stalls, food stands and displays full of sweets. Although we had come for New Year’s Eve, Christmas was still very much in the air here, with fairy lights and decorations everywhere.

A tall Christmas tree lit up in blue stood in front of St Stephen’s Basilica, framed by the building’s two towers. In the evening, the square glowed with lights, from the tree to the surrounding stalls. We wandered through the market, past garlands, hanging lamps and counters piled with treats.

A blue-lit Christmas tree standing in front of St Stephen’s Basilica at night

For me, this was the highlight of the trip. And, of course, the pastry displays had a lot to do with it. 😁

I wanted to buy them all. Everything looked delicious, and choosing just by looking was impossible. Every variety seemed worth trying, and I couldn’t come up with much of an argument against any of them. 😋

A cook working at a garland-decorated food stall with firewood stacked underneath

Illuminated glass jars hanging in front of a chalkboard food menu

After all those walks among palaces, churches and monuments, the market offered temptations a little closer to my own interests. Our friends still had plenty to photograph, while I had the pastry displays to study. To each their own. 😂

🏨 Where We Stayed in Budapest

We stayed for three nights at Aquaworld Resort Budapest, formerly Ramada, and spent New Year’s Eve there too, at the dinner organized in the hotel restaurant.

I really enjoyed the spa area, with its lovely hot thermal pools. After being so cold on our walks around the city, I barely wanted to get out of the water. 😁

Final Thoughts on Our Budapest City Break

❤️ What we (well, I) loved:

The Christmas market: my favorite part of the visit, with its decorated wooden stalls and displays full of delicious-looking pastries.
The food: I really enjoyed it, and the sweets at the Christmas market naturally had a special place. I would have tried them all. 😋

💔 What we (okay, I) didn’t like:

The cold: we were freezing throughout our stay as we walked around the city.

If we return to Budapest, I’d definitely choose summer. After being so cold this time, I’d love to explore the city in warmer weather. 😅 And an evening cruise on the Danube would definitely be on my list, to see all the illuminated buildings from the water.

This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, book an activity, or use a service through these links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.