Beefeater Gin seeks the coolest spots in town – tells us why you love Budapest!

To provide a little inspiration, we’ve put together our own Cool List, suggesting where we think it’s best to sit outdoors, show you our favourite street art and where we found the best pizza in Budapest. All you have to do is tell us what you love about the city, submit your favourite places to Beefeater Gin via this link (Hungarian-only). This will get whittled down to shortlists of three, then you can vote on the coolest thing in town. Bottles of Beefeater gin are at stake!

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Our favourite outdoor places

After months of shutdown, we’ve all finally escaped, but it’s hard to find a destination in the city centre that isn’t too crowded – which is why we’ve chosen outdoor places with plenty of space for everyone can keep a safe distance from each other. One of our eternal favourites is Római-part, the Danube shore in Óbuda, where you can eat lángos, drink a tall ice-cold lemonade, tuck into fried fish, chill and, of course, enjoy the proximity of the water. One of our favourites here is Nap bácsi, where you can sprawl on the wooden sunloungers and enjoy the delicious drinks and great food.

If you are looking for a less bustle, head to Népsziget. Kabin is a super waterfront spot for cyclists, dogs, walkers, young and old alike. It’s ideal for sipping a spritzer or a lemonade when you’re on the move, and from noon, heavenly dishes await. Népsziget also holds other treasures, such as Filip at Zsilip utca 9, a community workshop set up on the site of a ship repair complex, where they even set up a flea market on Saturdays.

If you don't feel like moving out of the city centre, there’s no better choice than Pagony behind the Gellért Hotel. Renovated pools now feature tables and chairs where breakfast, lunch, dinner, dishes sourced from seasonal ingredients, lemonade, fine coffee and Czech beers, are served in a summery setting.

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Our favourite street art

Street art can often be very divisive, as it can not only add but also take it away from the cityscape. Fortunately, more and more artists and groups are emerging, whose goal is to add to Budapest and liven up the atmosphere of the streets with colourful, cheerful murals. One of our favourites is the Színes Város (’Colourful City’), who have introduced a legal form of public art here. Since 2009, countless murals have been created to liberate the surfaces of crumbling walls and replace neglected advertising. Look out for the mural art depicting a huge heart on the wall at Dob utca 40, painted by London’s Luke Embden with the inscription Love Thy Neighbour.

Not only in Pest, but also in Buda, you can find eye-catching works, such as in District XI, the wall at Bertalan Lajos utca 16 is decorated with a wonderful bird, created by Lídia Zsanna Zsuffa. At first, residents were a bit hesitant, but in the end they loved it so much a petition was also launched to keep the painting. This was duly signed by hundreds, so the bird still nests on the firewall today.

Returning to Pest, we should definitely talk about District VIII. Two works in Szigony utca evoke the golden age of Hungarian cartoons, scenes showing popular character Szaffi cover the wall at number 10, and the iconic figures of Macskafogó at number 8. The creation of this latter mural was also assisted by 0036mark, whose work around the city is well-known. The illustrator is famous for his cult mash-ups, in which he mixes popular fairy-tale figures of the '80s and '90s with famous film characters, so Hungarian figures Picur and the Vízipók can be found at the most unexpected parts of the city merged with Princess Leia of Star Wars and Spider-Man.

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Our favourite secret places

If you’re here as a tourist, you’ll want to visit the most popular attractions, as well as places hidden from the general public. One of our favourites is the secret back garden of Massolit Books & Café, which is hard to find even if we you’re in  the cafe itself. Bookshelves and a busy interior can easily distract you, but once you’ve chosen a delicious coffee, perhaps even a cookie, it’s worth sitting out in the cosy garden with a good book. And did you know that the name of this cult café refers to Bulgakov’s famous novel, Master and Margarita. ‘Massolit’ is the transliteration of the acronym МАССОЛИТ, the Writers’ Association in the book.

Adventuring out of the city centre, Budapest holds plenty of other secret places. For example in Zugló, hidden between the four-storey brick houses and a sports field, there’s a hidden green oasis, Hungary's first Japanese garden. This attraction is created around the traditional tea ceremony and is still used for relaxation to this day. The sense of slowing down is augmented by the lake system built around the garden, where Indian and Asian mandarin ducks casually paddle. The garden was founded by Márton Varga in 1928 and was visited three years later by the emperor’s third son, Prince Takamatsu and his new bride, touring Europe on their honeymoon.

Another favourite green oasis, and even lesser-known, is Molnár Island, hidden down the Soroksár stretch of the Ráckeve-Danube branch of the river. This wildly romantic natural getaway, which evokes the atmosphere of children’s adventure stories, is a world of possibilities: you can go hiking, cycling, rowing and fishing, or just feed the ducks, sit on a bench and admire the timeless scenery.

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Our favourite street food

Who would have thought that choosing our favourite street food would have been so tricky – but these days you can find decent examples on so many street corners. At the top of our list sits a recently opened pizzeria. Periferico opened its doors in an old lottery outlet on Csepel island, and in this bizarre, yet wonderful place, you found one of the most perfect pizzas in Budapest. Almost all the ingredients come from Italy, so quality is guaranteed, the edge of the pizza is just how it should be, and the inside is as light as promised. In addition to the classic Margherita, we also find exciting creations such as pear-walnut-mascarpone-honey-and-gorgonzola pizza with a little extra honey or the filling, Austrian mascarpone-ricotta-peppercorn-and-ham Peperosa. In addition to pizza, you’ll find authentic Greek dishes and desserts.

Our next favourite, the Halkakas fish bistro, is a completely different animal. You won’t find spicy Hungarian fish soup or catfish paprikash, but the basic ingredients come exclusively from home. Street-food wise, you’ll find exciting dishes such as the fishburger with classic french fries and coleslaw salad, and it’s also worth trying the catfish kebab, wrapped in tortilla bread.

Last but not least, we must mention the Bors GasztroBár, one of the 2012 pioneers of Budapest’s great street-food revolution. Combined with a bistro kitchen, it offers some of the best quality you’ll find in town, and you can also thank them for the introduction of takeaway soup in Budapest. They often play with soup and sandwich combinations, for example, it is worth sampling the Bounty cottage-cheese bar (yes, really!) dessert soup with Belgian chocolate drops, or the French Lady baguette with raspberry-and-red-onion jam and roast chicken.

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Our favourite panoramic places

Budapest is gorgeous whichever way you look at it, but gazing down from on high is always best. Fortunately, there are many points from which you can admire the cityscape in full panorama, such as Mansfeld Péter Park in District II. It is worth struggling with the gradient and then resting on the stairs, from which vantage point the city spreads out beneath your feet, Parliament, the Chain Bridge and Citadella. It’s perfect for a rendezvous, but you can also bring the dog, too. It’s a great place to place to relax, the view unbeatable.

Our other big favourite for views is Buda Castle but is there a better vista than simply looking from the battlements? Yes! The dome terrace of the Hungarian National Gallery is the highest point of Buda Castle. The dome hall on the third floor functions as an exhibition space, from where a narrow flight of stairs takes you up to the observation terrace. To enter, you just need a ticket for any of the museum’s current exhibitions. The HNG reopens on May 13 (Immunity Certificate required), so let’s hope everyone can enjoy the view soon.

Finally, it is worth heading a little further out, as there is a wonderful view of Budapest from the surrounding hills as well. One particular favourite in this category is the bunker on Fazekas Hill. The World War II memorial is a lesser-known attraction around Hűvösvölgy and the Children's Railway, the terminus a ten-minute walk away. Although you may find more beautiful excursions nearby, none will be more adventurous, with a rare landmark thrown in.