Which are the best activities in Budapest in April?

Summer isn’t here yet, but you have decided to take some days off to visit Budapest. Even though April is a spring month, the weather isn’t always stable, meaning that you can expect both sunshine and some rainshowers. When you plan your trip to Budapest in April, which are the things you should take into consideration? Are there any activities you should reserve beforehand or put on your schedule?

Spring comes early to Budapest, and already in March, you can be lucky enough to catch days with high temperatures, meaning that you can wear a shorts and t-shirt outside. But, that isn’t the normal, and there is a big difference between the beautiful days and the not so beautiful days. Of course, all days are beautiful in Budapest, but you should look at the weather forecast before you travel to get a hint of what kind of weather you can expect, as this will greatly influence what your days will be like and how much time you want to spend outside.

Budapest in April – some ideas!

If you come to Budapest on some beautiful days in April, then you should use the chance to sit outdoor and drink delicious white wine from Tokaj, a spritz (combination of rose/white-wine and water with gas), and also to eat traditional Hungarian food. Many restaurants have tables outside waiting for you on days with warmer temperatures and sunshine, so you should look for such restaurants as you plan where to eat your dinner.

spritz in budapest

If you experience Budapest on a sunshine day in April, the hop-on hop-off buses are perfect, especially those without roof. It isn’t so warm that you melt, and the sun isn’t at its strongest yet (UV), but you can still feel good and see Budapest from the top of the bus, enjoying the sun and all the fantastic Budapest attractions. If you’d rather explore Budapest on a guided tour on foot, that is also a fantastic activity on a nice sunshine day in April.

hop on hop off budapest

It might require some planning ahead, but if you like running, then there are several running competitions in Budapest in April. Some of them are half-marathons, while others come with both shorter and longer distances available. You can read more about upcoming events, concerts, and exhibitions in Budapest in our Budapest calendar.

running in budapest

What else is there to say? As spring comes around, so does all the wonderful colors of nature. Why not visit the zoo in the City Park which is a combination of a botanical garden and a zoo? It will give you the pleasure of watching magnificent and majestic animals, combined with the peaceful colors of nature and beautiful flowers and trees. If you’d rather just enjoy the colors of nature, then a visit to the Japanese garden on the Margaret Island, or the botanical garden “Füvészkert” near the metro stop Semmelweis Klinikak are wonderful chances to see spring come forth.

Japanese Garden

No matter how many times you have been to Budapest, a boat trip on the Danube is a wonderful activity. If you have been on the Danube 30 times before, or it is something you have never experienced, it is a fantastic experience you shouldn’t miss. Do not forget, to see Budapest by daytime and in the evening are two widely different experiences, so both of them are warmly recommended!

If you want to leave the city center and explore the vicinity, do like most other people do. Travel by metro to Nyugati Pályaudvar (blue line) and travel by bus 291 to the endstation. There you will find the chair-lift which will take you more than 262 meters upwards in about 12 minutes. At the end station you can walk around in a beautiful green area, or simply get back on the chair-lift and travel back to the city.

budapest chairlift

These are some fantastic activities you should consider if you come to Budapest in April. For more information about ongoing and upcoming programs in Budapest, look at our page “What’s going on in Budapest.”

If you have comments or questions, write them below.

Budapest in April

Coming to Budapest in March can be risky, because the weather can be great, but it can also be terrible. Coming to Budapest in April is much safer, because by then spring has arrived and you should be able to count on nicer temperatures and sunshine.

In April the life comes back to the streets of Budapest and one can easily see and feel that the tourists start to invade the city. More people walk along Vaci utca and restaurants get fully booked during weekends. The question is still what to do in Budapest in April?

This article is outdated. You can find a fresh and updated article about Budapest in April here.

Cool festivals

There are different events and festivals taking place in Budapest every year. One of the big festivities that often happens to be in April is Easter. In the weeks before Easter and until some days after Easter visitors can enjoy the Budapest Spring Festival. This is a festival packed with professional dancers, musicians and performances in some of the nicest venues in Budapest. During the entire Spring Festival a Spring Fair is set up on the Vorosmarty square (that is where the annual Christmas market can be found as well). The Spring Fair is very similar to the Christmas fair, except from the fact that the weather is better. The Spring Fair normally last for some more days after the Spring festival is finished, so make sure to check it out if you are in town in this period.
Spring Festival dates in 2013: March 22nd – April 7th

International Book Festival

If you like a good book, then you better check out the International Book Festival in Budapest. This is normally arranged in Budapest in April and the venue is the Millenaris Park on the Buda side. At the festival you can meet up with famous and not so famous authors, buy lots of books, During the festival you can in addition to reading and buying books also enjoy programs at stages, eat some good food and visit one of the nicest park areas in Budapest together with more than 50,000 other people.
Book festival dates in 2013: April 18th – 21st

Buda Soup Festival

The soup festival in Budapest will be arranged for the first time in 2013. The venue is the open air parking lot next to the Mammut Shopping Center and during the festival visitors will be able to taste soups, learn how to prepare soups and watch soup making competitions and other cool stuff!
Soup festival dates in 2013: April 26th-28th

Visit Margaret Island and Szentendre

If you are lucky and visit Budapest on a period with nice weather and sunshine in April, you should absolutely go visit the Margaret Island. Travel with tram number two along the Danube all the way to the Margaret Bridge (Jaszai Mari ter) and walk from there unto the bridge and down to the Margaret Island. On the island the most important thing is to relax, walk, borrow a bike and eat an ice cream. If the wind is blowing or if it is bad weather, skip this activity!

Another great activity in April if the weather is nice is to visit Szentendre, the idyllic city 30km north of Budapest. This little town is completely different from Budapest and you should consider spending some hours there. Ladies can easily spend even more, while men get bored after an hour. That is why many people combine a trip to Szentendre with a wine tasting which immediately makes the trip more interesting for the male members of the travel company as well.

Cultural programs

With more tourists arriving the traditional tourist programs are arranged on a more regular basis. This again means that you can watch traditional Hungarian folklore programs on quite a lot of evenings in April, listen to organ concerts in the St. Stephens Basilica and symphonic concerts in the Danube Palace.

If you want some more action you could also consider enjoying a traditional puszta program with horse show and authentic Hungarian cuisine. The latter horse and puszta program normally last for 5 hours in total, so a perfect half day program if you want to see something else than shopping windows in central Budapest.

Budapest basics in all months

There are some activities you should not miss out on when you come to Budapest, no matter what month you arrive. Such activities are:

  • Danube River cruise with stunning view (especially in the evening)
  • Take a swim in the hot springs of the Szechenyi furdo
  • Drink and taste lots of Hungarian wine
  • Eat the legendary Hungarian Goulash soup
  • Visit Szimpla kert or some other ruin pub in Budapest

These were some simple advises for everyone who come to Budapest in April. If Easter happens to be in April in the year you visit Budapest you can read more about Easter in Budapest in the linked article.

Weather in Budapest in April

Just in the end it is worth mentioning that the average temperature in Budapest in April is somewhere between 7 and 17 Celsius. This again means that during daytime we often enjoy temperatures far above 17 Celsius, so you should be prepared with a nice t-shirt when packing your suitcase. However, do not forget your jacket, because if you get the 7 Celsius weather with some wind, it isn’t to cozy to walk along the Danube.

If you have further thoughts about Budapest in April, make sure to write a comment with your experiences, comments or advises.