Dinner and a movie is (almost) always nice... but if you want to take your sweetheart out for a truly extraordinary evening, Budapest has plenty of options for creating a rendezvous to really remember. Whether dining in the dark at a restaurant with no lights, taking turns firing a genuine machine gun, or soaking in a hot tub full of beer-brewing ingredients while gulping unlimited mugfuls of Czech suds, couples can engage in all sorts of sweetly surreal activities together in Hungary’s capital – here are a dozen of our favorite unusually appealing date ideas to enjoy in the Magyar metropolis.
1/11
A trip aboard the Children’s Railway
Couples who would like to leave the city’s buzz behind for awhile can embark on a dreamy trip in the Buda Hills aboard the Children’s Railway, one of Budapest’s most scenic vintage vehicles, which is registered as the world’s longest narrow-gauge railway line controlled by children, making this a truly unconventional journey. Operating all year round, the train glides past sylvan settings as it chugs along the ridge of the Buda Hills and covers nine stops between Hűvösvölgy and Széchenyi Hill. The Children’s Railway operates from Tuesdays through Sundays from September to April, and every day from May to August; tickets can be purchased from children at the stations, while kids serve as conductors aboard the train.
2/11
Creative DIY dates
Crafty couples have countless opportunities to paint the town red in Budapest, as there is a wide range of workshops where you can create something together that you can keep forever, and even put on display at home. At PaintCocktail’s regular events, you can replicate a prominent painting with the help of a skilled artist while sipping on cool cocktail concoctions amid an easygoing and encouraging ambience, with these events held at different Budapest bars every time. Althernatively, Technika offers workshops where professional handymen help you make small pieces of furniture out of wood chunks, such as a bedside table, a bird feeder, or even a tray on which you can bring breakfast to bed for your beloved.
Learn about upcoming PaintCocktail and Technika events.
3/11
Breaking out of escape rooms
Here is one way to bring a couple closer together: being locked in a cellar where one puzzle leads to another, and your only chance of getting out is solving a real-life riddle that calls for team spirit and strong cooperation – an activity that somehow has a surreal charm to it, and may even make you look like a hero in the process. Whether it’s the abandoned room of a passionate adventurer at Claustrophilia, the Pharaoh’s Burial Chamber at Mystique Room, or the hideaway of a perverted photographer at Pániq Szoba, Budapest boasts countless thematic escape rooms, where you can experience the sweet struggle of racing against the clock while showing off your sharp logic skills, and a burning desire to rescue your darling.
4/11
Firing real guns at a shooting range
If you aim to make your date more exciting, why not ditch the dinner table and start your special day with a bang? At Budapest’s high-caliber shooting ranges, you can pull the trigger on plenty of genuine guns, such as powerful pistols and revolvers like a Desert Eagle or a Colt Single Action Army 1873, as well as rifles like a Colt M4, or a killer Kalashnikov AK-47. In Budapest, there are several shooting ranges to choose from, such as Celeritas Shooting Club, Erva Shooting Range, and Top Gun Budapest, where you can unleash your inner alpha male and trigger attraction in the lady of your dreams under safe circumstances, as professional staff is there to help your shooting session go smoothly at all times. However, make sure you are not arguing with your loved one before teaching her how to fire a shotgun!
5/11
Taking a cooking course
Spice up your date with an exciting cooking crash course, where you can not only create an out-of-the-ordinary meal and a memory for a lifetime with your loved one, but also acquire useful tips and tricks for the kitchen, and of course, enjoy the fruit of your labor afterwards. There are plenty of lighthearted opportunities for hands-on learning in Budapest, where you can master three-course Hungarian or Jewish meals, pastries, or even French desserts. At Chefparade, Kitchen Pixie, or Culinary Hungary, talented chefs guide food lovers step-by-step through making a mouthwatering meal amid cool open kitchens, which guarantees that you’ll leave with a saucy smile.
6/11
Brody Studios
With its unique ambience combining ruin-pub coolness with modern-art style, Brody Studios is a private club in downtown Pest hosting exclusive events open to members only – but many of their most fun English-language happenings are also open to the public. Every Monday night, the “Brody Open Jam” welcomes up-and-coming musicians from near and far to play live, while occasional “Story Slam” nights offer opportunities for amateur raconteurs to share five-minute English monologues, with the next event happening on February 21st; both are accessible for no entry fee. Furthermore, for reasonable prices, anyone can join “Brody Alchemists Nights” – when top Budapest bartender Dez O’Connell takes audiences on intoxicatingly amusing cocktail-tasting adventures (pictured above) – or “Laugh Brody Laugh” English-language stand-up comedy nights, among many other creative events; check the Brody Club Life Facebook page for complete info.
7/11
Tower tours at Vajdahunyad Castle
Take a time-transcending journey and ascend the historic spires of City Park’s Vajdahunyad Castle, where starry-eyed lovebirds get far-reaching vistas over Budapest’s entire skyline dotted by many of the city’s monumental landmarks, including St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Parliament, the Buda Castle, and the Citadel. Two of the castle’s towers are open for visitors, where an English-speaking guide reveals little-known details of the palace during group tours, and those who sign up for these lofty hikes can get glimpses into the building’s hidden treasures and history, while admiring the amalgam of architectural styles that characterizes this exhilarating edifice.
Opening hours: Gate Tower: Monday to Sunday 10am-5pm Apostles’ Tower: Tuesday to Friday 10am-4pm; Saturday to Sunday 10am-5pm (guided tours start every hour)
8/11
Suds-filled soaking at the BeerSpa
Pairs looking for a pampering treatment in Budapest’s famous thermal baths can head to the city’s iconic Széchenyi Bath to take a truly mind-blowing warm-water dip at the BeerSpa, where wooden tubs are filled with intoxicating substances – a mix of mineral-rich 36°C hot water is infused with the natural extracts used to brew beer, including malts, hops, brewer’s yeast, and barley. Above all, throughout the boozy experience, guests can pour and enjoy unlimited amounts of beer on tap within reach from the tub. To enter the BeerSpa, guests need a valid ticket for Széchenyi Bath and a separate ticket for the suds-filled tubs.
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 10am-7pm
9/11
A visit to the Pinball Museum
Take your date to power up at Europe’s largest ongoing interactive pinball exhibition, where geek couples can enjoy playing with more than 100 different game gadgets ranging from vintage wooden ball-flicking games from the end of the 19th century to state-of-the-art pinball tables of our modern times. While perusing a chronologically organized collection of games considered unique all over Europe, lovebirds can challenge themselves through multiple rounds during their time at the museum, while anyone who gets hungry and thirsty while trying all the different machines can order sandwiches, chips, and soft drinks. Best of all, after paying the entrance fee (2,500 HUF), visitors have unlimited time to play on all of the machines.
Opening hours: Wednesday to Friday 4pm-midnight; Saturday 2pm-midnight; Sunday 10am-10pm
10/11
Volunteer activities
Spread love and give a helping hand for those in need by joining various volunteer activities with the darling of your life in Hungary’s capital. Many organizations welcome English-speaking volunteers to help their work in the Magyar metropolis and beyond, including Budapest Bike Maffia, a philanthropic group on wheels formed by young bikers for helping families in need and the city’s homeless residents – activities include communal cooking, delivery services, or fundraising at the Farmers’ Market happening on Sundays at Szimpla. Furthermore, anyone can join the Hungarian entity of the International Red Cross and help with blood-donation related tasks, or even provide support at various levels with managing disasters.
11/11
Adventure caving
Join your sweetheart on an active journey toward the center of the Earth by donning coveralls and a flashlight-equipped helmet before descending deep underground into the Pál-völgyi cave system, a series of subterranean chambers spreading far beneath the Buda Hills. Led by an experienced English-speaking spelunker, caving groups crawl, climb, and shimmy through tight tunnels to reach geologically fascinating caverns while negotiating steep underground cliffs and deep chasms, making this a truly adventurous date activity that will surely leave lasting impressions (and possibly a few bruises – hey, love hurts); check out the official website for complete English-language details.
