How to Meet Other Travelers in Budapest

Budapest is an amazing European city thronging with travelers from around the world. Whether you’re looking for some companionship on your vacation or have moved to the city and are looking for some new friends, the city does provide plenty of opportunities to meet like-minded people. In this guide, we take a look at the top ways on how to meet other travelers in Budapest right away.

Join a Tour to Explore the City

One of the easiest ways to meet locals and other travelers in Budapest is to join a tour. Many of the tourist companies, such as Budapest Tours, offer group tours that you can join quickly and get to know the city and its attractions in depth. Not only do these tours give you excellent knowledge about the locality, but also provides an opportunity to interact with other travelers, sharing stories and making new friends in the process.

The great thing about joining a tour is that you’re not limited to solo sightseeing and can easily subscribe to walking tours, food tours, pub crawls, wine tastings and other interesting experiences that will allow you to get creative and to get up close and personal with local culture.

Having gone on many of them myself, I will always vouch for joining a local tour to explore Budapest. The experience of learning and getting to know the city in the company of a knowledgeable tour guide and a bunch of like-minded people adds a completely different perspective to your travel experience.

Free Walk Budapest

Another great way to meet travel enthusiasts in Budapest is through Free Walk Budapest. The organization brings together locals and travelers from around the world on its free group walking tours. There are several themed tours that you can choose from, such as ghost walks, ruin bars, underground passages and others — each giving you an immersive experience about the city, its culture, art, food and history.

Free Walk Budapest also offers private tours for those who want an intimate, personalized experience exploring the city. Apart from the regular tours, you can also submit a custom request based on your interests and preferences, allowing Free Walk Budapest to create a tailor-made tour specifically for you.

Although it’s mainly focused on walking tours, Free Walk Budapest is among the best places to meet active travelers who want to explore somewhere beyond the typical tourist traps. These tours also serve as excellent “icebreakers’, helping you talk and interact with other travelers in a friendly atmosphere.

The Ruin Pubs — Szimpla Kert

Budapest is known for its eclectic ruin pubs — abandoned buildings turned into unique bars and pubs that are decorated with eclectic finds like colorful vintage furniture, graffiti, paintings and much more. Among the top ruin pubs in the city is Szimpla Kert, located in downtown Pest and open even during the daytime.

At Szimpla Kert, you’ll find different areas decorated differently — a post-apocalyptic living room here and a tranquil courtyard there — all ensuring that you’ll find something new each time you visit. Apart from really cheap drinks and great music, Szimpla Kert serves as one of the best places in town to meet other travelers, socialize with new people, hear their stories and exchange tips about traveling around in Hungary and beyond.

Nighttime at Szimpla Kert sees an eclectic mix of interesting people — backpackers, expats, artists, musicians and locals — all dancing the night away until late into the night. It’s one of my personal favorites for sure — definitely one of the best places for meeting fellow travelers in Budapest!

Travel Cafes

Budapest also has plenty of travel cafes and bars that are specifically designed for bringing together traveling fans from all around the world. These cafe-bars present an interesting mix of locals who’ve traveled abroad or moved to Budapest and international travelers who swap stories over their coffee.

One of Budapest’s most famous traveler cafes is Café Ládesse. Serving really delicious coffee and packed sandwich combinations, this cafe quickly draws a large crowd throughout the day. With its casual atmosphere and open seating arrangement, Café Ládesse makes it really easy for strangers to strike up conversations — often leading to some really meaningful conversations between travelers from different parts of the world. It’s really quite fascinating!

Another great traveler bar is Sellő Publika — basically part party bar, part cafe with its outdoor wing offering open seating between Diván Street and Váci Street, overlooking the river from Erzsébet Bridgeból. The front half of Sellő Publika has a theater/concert stage hosting regular live jam sessions from various music bands along with several open discussion forums revolving around traveling experiences, growth of cultures colliding on a global scale and much more. This bar instantly gains my thumbs up for making it a great place for travelers in Budapest to come together, exchange stories and make new friends!

Conclusion

Budapest might look like a small quaint city at first glance but it packs an amazing old-world charm that can quickly draw travelers across the world into its fold. Blessed with an amazing nightlife including eclectic ruin pubs hosting passionate jam sessions together with traveler cafes and interesting walking tours, travelers don’t need to look hard while searching for ways on how to meet other travelers in Budapest!