Sziget Festival is held at one of the most amazing European capitals, Budapest. This increasingly popular city among tourists has all the best qualities to make the most of your time when you’re not dancing around at a concert. Below we collected a few things you MUST do during the week before the evenings kick off at the Island of Freedom ⬇️
Budapest is CHEAP
Not just slightly, but massively cheap. If you are in the city, a pint of beer is about £1.3, and that’s not even at the low end places. Your £3 doesn’t only buy you a sad meal deal anymore, rather a kickass lunch with a starter and main in restaurants around the city centre. Festival prices are of course inflated, but a pint was still only £1.7 at Sziget last year, so you’re in for a serious treat if you are used to UK prices.
1. Go to a turkish bath
Budapest is built on several hot springs, and during the Ottoman occupation in the 16th century, our lovely turkish comrades erected a few beautiful baths which are still working today: Rudas and Kiraly Baths. The Széchenyi Termal Bath is one of the largest spa complexes in Europe, and while it is “only” a hundred years old, it would be a shame to miss this beauty.
It sports some sizeable outside pools with thermal water, and with a moderate hangover there’s nothing more relaxing than lying in here for an hour. If you vote for the ultimate hair of the dog, for an extra ticket you can even bathe in beer from this summer onwards, and as part of the experience you have an unlimited beer tap next to the tub.
There are also parties held at this spa every Saturday night with DJs performing in the strobing lights, illuminating the steam above the water. It’s the perfect opportunity to meet people, or to bring your date to: you get to see him/her without much in the way of clothes on, helping you to decide wisely without seeming too shallow.
2. Check out Szimpla, where they keep all the tourists
Something unique about Budapest are the ruin bars. These alcohol distributing establishments are located in the city centre, usually in traditional house blocks, with the inner garden of the block transformed into a dance floor or sitting area.
The name originates from the decor of these pubs: the buildings they are housed in used to be run down asking for low rent, and the pubs that moved here followed the same principle when decorating: try to make the most with the least money. And accordingly, the furnishing looks like as it has just been salvaged from a junkyard, complete chaos all around with no two chairs alike. Some people sit in sawn apart bathtubs, others in car wrecks, with fairy lights, street signs, and old monitors hanging from the walls. And yet, the whole scene feels very homely, with smiling faces all around, and a lady selling carrots for nibbles.
The most well known one is Szimpla, which is mainly populated by foreigners, but as a local I still give it my seal of approval, the tourists don’t take away from the experience.
3. Rise above all: go to a rooftop bar
The highest rooftop bar offers a 360 degree view of the city centre, and is conveniently named 360 Bar. Our lovely city doesn’t have any skyscrapers, so don’t expect dizzying heights, but rather a cozy atmosphere with some chilled tunes.
The number one drink that you’ll quickly catch a taste for in Hungary is called “fröccs”, which is your choice of white wine or rosé topped up with sparkling water. My personal favourite is “Viceházmester” from rosé, which is 0.2l of wine with 0.3l of water: the perfect ratio to quench your thirst on a hot summer evening without immediately being knocked out by the alcohol.
Don’t bother trying to pronounce the names, it is much easier if you explain your desired ratio. You pay by 0.1l both for the wine and the water, so feel free to experiment until you find perfect mix, or get too drunk to care 😉
Head over to Waffle to chat about Sziget and what to do in the city. Meet people before going to the festival, or join the conversation and give YOUR two cents.
