The Hungarian capital offers loads of fun even when the weather is freezing. Sports, culture, cuisine, night life – whatever your interest, in whichever style, you can easily find activities to your liking. If you are in town before our new bath party season begins, here are some tips on what to do in Budapest in winter.

1. Get into the beautiful Buda hills

This winter has been very snowy and cold, so if you take to the Buda hills and especially around Normafa you can slide downhill with whatever appliance you have or can get hold of – be it a sledge, a pair of skis, or a piece of plastic. And why Normafa? Cause it\’s fun to go up there by cogwheel or simply bus 21, not to mention how beautiful view you\’ll have over the city. And one more reason: there is one of the best Strudel places in town there, it’s open till 4pm in the winter.

2. Explore Budapest’s rich coffee and tea culture

Coffee and Teahouses offer warm liquid welcomes for the freezing traveller. Some coffehouses fly you back to the turn of the 20th century, to their golden age, since some of them date back to that era, like Central. If you prefer tea, and miss London Teahouses, try Cydonia Tearoom & Vintage in Akácfa street or if you go for the exotic, Chinese or Taiwanese and crave for a bit of peace in the middle of party town: your place is Flying Bird in Kazinczy Street.

3. Dip into the hot pools of Szechenyi Bath for a unique bath party experience

If it comes to the question ’What to in Budapest in winter’ we can’t hide the fact from you that Sparty, the one of a kind combination of a spa and a bath party opens its doors again after a short winter break! Bath parties are back in February in the historic Lukacs Bath on the Buda side of the city! Historic baths, live DJ sets, mind-blowing visual and a fun, international crowd of Sparty-goers are awaiting you. Sparty season starts 11th February in Lukacs Bath, so book your ticket in time!

4. Get to know unique streetfood places

Once we are at the exotic: This is the year of the Rooster in the Chinese calendar, and there is a place in Budapest that let\’s us celebrate that. Baotiful serves the best Taiwanese and Chinese street food in Budapest. Although it serves streetfood but in a beautiful (and not so freezing) setting: inside the former building of the Hungarian Television, in Szabadság square.

5. Do you love design? You\’re gonna like this.

If you like checking the running exhibitions when you visit a town, our tip is the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts this time. The awesome building currently houses an exhibition of Marcell Breuer, Hungarian-born, world-famous architect and interior designer, master of Bauhaus. His first important institutional building was the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, with many buildings following in the US in his distinctive style. The exhibition features his hallmark tubular steel furniture along with pieces of other designers he worked with.

Photo credit: kempinski.com