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<\/a><\/p>\nIf anything, it\u2019s still as safe as ever, with gorgeous imperial-era architecture, spotless parks, a zero-tolerance approach to street crime, and, best of all, it’ll soon be hosting nonstop flights from America.<\/p>\n
Fly Nonstop To Budapest This Summer<\/p>\n
Budapest has seriously been having a moment lately.<\/p>\n
Whether you randomly found yourself following the latest Hungarian elections after seeing them all over social media, or got hit with instant FOMO when your favorite travel blogger posted a perfect sunset shot from Fisherman’s Bastion, chances are the Hungarian capital has popped up on your feed more than once these past few weeks.<\/p>\n
Well, you\u2019ll be coming across it a lot more often in the coming months, as American Airlines is set to launch the only nonstop U.S. flights to Budapest since 2022.<\/p>\n They\u2019re set to start May 21, 2026, and will link the major East Coast city of Philadelphia (PHL) directly to the Hungarian capital (BUD), with daily service expected throughout the summer season:<\/p>\n Route: Philadelphia (PHL) \u2192 Budapest (BUD)<\/p>\n Start date: May 21, 2026<\/p>\n Frequency: Daily<\/p>\n Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner<\/p>\n Cabins: Flagship Business, Premium Economy, Main Cabin Economy<\/p>\n Average price: $850\u2013$1,050<\/p>\n No other U.S. based airlines or U.S. airports currently offer nonstop service to Budapest.<\/p>\n Why Swap Paris For Budapest This Summer<\/p>\n Let\u2019s just put it this way: if you were impressed by Paris<\/a>\u2019 Haussmann-style boulevards and perfectly ordered streets, Budapest will completely blow you away with its grand Habsburg-era palaces and over-the-top architecture.<\/p>\n Best part? None of Paris’ insane rates of street crime, or dodgy women harassers or wallet-snatchers running amok in train stations and city parks.<\/p>\n Of course, Budapest remains a sprawling cosmopolis with your usual big city problems. There’s always going to be the odd rough area, so it’s not exactly risk-free, but ask any traveler who’s been recently, and chances are they’ll tell you they felt way safer in Hungary<\/a> than Paris.<\/p>\n Our Traveler Safety Index currently ranks Budapest at an 87\/100. Been recently? Help other travelers by voting below:<\/p>\n Going abroad this summer?<\/p>\n Don’t forget to check for local security updates and travel alerts at your destination, no matter where it may be, on the Travel Advisory Checker<\/a>.<\/p>\n Is This One Of The Prettiest Cities In The Old Continent?<\/p>\n Back to Budapest, this is one of those cities where you genuinely feel tiny standing among these massive, insanely ornate buildings. And they\u2019re everywhere.<\/p>\n From the red-domed Hungarian Parliament Building sitting right on the banks of the Danube, to the regal Buda Castle towering above the city with its lush gardens and sweeping views, to the soaring St. Stephen’s Basilica dominating the skyline below, everything feels grand, elegant, and unapologetically European.<\/p>\n By the way, before you go anywhere in Europe this summer, make sure you check the Entry Requirements<\/a> in place in advance as these travel rules have been changing fast.<\/p>\n For instance, now you’re required to give fingerprints and undergo a biometric scan upon entering the continent, with only a handful of exceptions<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the same time, Budapest is not your average sleepy open-air museum where there\u2019s not a lot going on socially. It just happens to be one of Europe\u2019s top city breaks for nightlife, cheap eats, and unhinged weekends out that won’t break the bank.<\/p>\n How Actually Cheap Is Budapest?<\/p>\n Its downtown districts are littered with the so-called \u201cruin bars,\u201d ramshackle establishments known for their edgy decor, grungy music, and dirt-cheap drinks, with beer costing as little as $3 in low-key, local-frequented spots like F\u00fcge Udvar.<\/p>\n Speaking of prices, Budapest may not be as cheap as it once was (don\u2019t trust the internet time capsule blogs that haven’t been updated since 2018), but it\u2019s still excellent value compared to most Western European hubs, and Paris in particular.<\/p>\n An overnight in trendy, centrally located areas like District VII will set you back around $75\u201390 a night, and we\u2019re talking the kind of spacious, cozy, well-equipped 3-star accommodation that would easily cost you a couple of hundred dollars in the Parisian suburbs.<\/p>\n Food is also remarkably inexpensive\u2026 if you know where to go.<\/p>\n Now, of course, you can\u2019t exactly complain things are overpriced and touristy if you\u2019re dead set on the daylight robbery that is New York Caf\u00e9. It\u2019s beautiful, sure, but you can drop $50 on coffee and cake there without even trying.<\/p>\n Head over to Szimpla Kert, an outdoor courtyard space lined with food stalls, and grab yourself a $5 l\u00e1ngos, the iconic deep-fried Hungarian street snack made of dough and garlic sour cream, or swing by a traditional kif\u0151zde bar in the laid-back district of \u00dajbuda, where some 50-year-old waiter barely speaks English, there are maybe five mains on the menu, and every single one is hearty, unmistakably Hungarian, and under $12.<\/p>\n How To Do Hungarian Summer Right<\/p>\n You\u2019ve probably heard Budapest has a legendary thermal bath scene, with household names like Sz\u00e9chenyi Thermal Bath, a grand yellow-washed complex with swirling pools and outdoor chess tables, or Gell\u00e9rt Baths, an indoor Art Nouveau spa that almost looks like a Wes Anderson set, dominating the conversation.<\/p>\n The last thing you want to do in Budapest in summer, however, is lock yourself inside a 104-degree steam room when it\u2019s already scorching outside.<\/p>\n Trust us, Central European summers make Italy and Greece feel like the North Pole.<\/p>\n Now, if you want to actually experience Hungarian summer the way locals do, take a 2-hour train out of Budapest to any of the quaint resort towns on Lake Balaton, a massive body of water covering 230 square miles, so vast they call it the \u2018Hungarian Sea’.<\/p>\n Absolute eurosummer bliss, minus the hefty price tags.<\/p>\n Read more about Lake Balaton here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n