The Best Nightlife activities in Budapest
We’re not typically nightlife people. But Budapest is not just about trendy nightclubs catering to young people. Its nightlife is very different and you can have unique experiences here (no matter your age) that you won’t find anywhere else.
Budapest is known for its ruin bars. But there’s more than that. You can enjoy Budapest’s thermal baths at night, go to a party on a boat, or enjoy drinks on some of the city’s fashionable rooftops.
Budapest is listed as one of the best nightlife in Europe. But of all the cities that make it on that list, it’s easily our favorite party city.
In this post I cover you the nightlife options that make Budapest unique in detail.
Accommodation: See this post: The Best hotels in Budapest (for all budgets)
Ruin Bars
Lissette and I fell in love with something unique to Budapest: ruin bars. What’s a ruin bar? Typically it is an old, often abandoned, building that someone has decided to turn into a bar. They decorate it with old forgotten things (things you’d see in flea markets or garage sales), put in cool lights and build a bar and serve drinks. Our favorite ruin bars look like a re-creation of the 1970s. Where are ruin bars located? The majority are in Pest’s Jewish District.
There are different types of ruin bars. Some have cheap beer and have a hostel on their premises. Others are higher end and you can order anything from a beer to a cocktail to a glass of Hungarian wine (Hungary produces some very nice wine).
A few years ago we spent two months in Budapest and spent them exploring the different ruin bars.
The two ruin bars you absolutely have to visit:
Szimpla Kert. It’s no surprise that this is the best-known, most popular ruin bar in Budapest. Located in a large building (that used to be a factory), it is a complex of different bars. There’s a large courtyard where you can sit and enjoy all the weird regalia around you (and it’s really weird!) You can explore the premises, drink in hand, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. Upstairs you’ll find rooms with foosball tables, more bars, and more strange artefacts.
Szimpla Kert also has live music on special nights, they show films on others, and on weekends they host a farmers’ market.
It has become an institution in Budapest. At the very least, visit and stay for a drink. Szimpla Kert is unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Instant. The 2nd most popular ruin bar in Budapest and very different from Szimpla Kert. We love this place, it is totally, totally bizarre. Instant is full of little rooms, all with their own particularities but with the same weird animal motifs. Lots of passageways, you can walk around a corner and suddenly find a little bar. There’s a room where you can play foosball as well as a table hockey game. We met a strange English couple here and spent a few hours talking to them in a little room with disco lights bouncing over our heads. This place is like a drugged-out, perverto Disney movie.
Like Szimpla Kert, Instant has live music and party events. But come during the week if you don’t like crowds and just want to chill in a cool ambiance.
As mentioned up top, each ruin bar in Budapest is very different. I recommend the above but I wrote a post on all of the top ruin bars in Budapest which you should look at if you find yourself falling in love with ruin bars.
Thermal Spas
Budapest is famous for its thermal baths and many people visit them during the day. But you can also have a night time experience.
Szechenyi Baths. The Szechenyi Baths are the most popular of Budapest’s thermal spas. It is a complex of 21 thermal pools (with water at different temperatures) located in a neo-baroque complex built in the early 1900’s. It is the largest medicinal bath in Europe and one of the “must see” attractions for tourists visiting Budapest.
The Szechenyi Baths have a night time event called the “Sparty” (a party in a spa) where the pools are illuminated by lasers and flashing lights. There’s live music, you can order drinks and people dance around the pools.
Rudas Thermal Baths. If you want something more subdued than Sparty, go to the Rudas Thermal Baths at night. We did it and it was an unforgettable experience.
The Rudas Thermal Baths were built in the middle 1500’s by the Ottomans (they, along with the Kiraly Baths, are the oldest thermal baths in Budapest). It is an authentic Turkish bath and you can relaxing in steaming water just as people did 500 years ago.
Every Friday and Saturday between 10 PM and 3 AM, you can have a night time experience. Enjoy the baths and the swimming pool and have a drink at the cocktail bar in the rooftop pool (we did it in winter, having a drink while keeping warm in the hot water. It was magical).
More on the Rudas Thermal Baths at night.
Party on a boat on the Danube
The A38 is an old Ukrainian cargo ship that is moored permanently on the Buda side of the river. It is a fun, quirky space with good restaurant and a party venue in the ship’s hull where concerts take place. On the upper deck, a DJ plays music while people dance and drink cocktails.
Pontoon is another place where you can party on a boat. Situated on the river just across from Buda Castle, it has great views of Budapest’s highlights. When it gets dark, they have DJs playing techno music or concerts.
Rooftop Bars
Budapest has some trendy Rooftop bars where you can enjoy the great views of the city while having drinks and partying.
Ötkert has a great location near St Stephen’s Basilica. You can enjoy the views on the rooftop bar, lounging on the comfortable seating. In the courtyard, which is open to the stars in the summer, they have live DJs and bands and you can party through the night. With an impressing setting in a 19th century building, it is a more polished clubbing experience than most that you’ll encounter in Budapest.
360 Bar. Atop one of Budapest’s most beautiful buildings, this classy rooftop bar has cocktails, fine wines and live DJs. In winter, they put little tent-like igloos on the roof and you can enjoy your drinks and views in comfort.
Traditional Clubbing in Budapest
If the unique experiences of ruin bars, thermal baths, boat parties and rooftop bars are secondary to the goal of partying, there are some more traditional clubbing/partying spots in Budapest that might be more along the lines of what you want:
Akvárium Klub (Aquarium Club) is a famous nightlife venue with big-name DJs and live acts. Beautiful outdoor space, large pool…a very hip place to be.
Dürer Kert is a popular live music venue known for rock, indie & electronic music. In an open space, it is like a big garden party. You can throw a Frisbie around while drinking craft beer.
Központ is an Expresso bar/music venue with a bohemian vibe.
Bottom line: Budapest is a fun place with lots of nightlife activities for everyone. We never get bored coming here.
Related: What to See and Do in Budapest (and what to skip)
Related: Our Taste Hungary inspired Budapest Food Tour. How we saved big bucks
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