The battle between Buda and Pest: which one is better?

Budapest is comprised of two parts that were separate cities before the 19^th century, and even though the two are now connected, forming the splendid Hungarian capital city, they still kept their unique and opposing features. Almost everyone living in Budapest prefers one side to the other, so The Culture Trip decided to get to the bottom of things and list the locals’ reasons.

The debate over which side is better will likely be never be settled, as there are those locals preferring Buda who claim that the noise coming with living on the busy Pest side is unbearable, while those faithful to Pest will tell you straightaway that Buda is boring and life happens in Pest. Why is one ‘better’ than the other?

Buda for the win

The first reason why people usually like Buda better than Pest is the peaceful atmosphere. Here you are away from the busy hustle of downtown Pest, yet still very close to it, and still in the capital city. It is like two distinct worlds. Do not worry about public transport, as despite the metro lines operating mainly on the Pest side of the city, public transport is really good at the Buda side too, and you can get to the other side very quickly.

Since Buda is the more relaxed half of Budapest, life here is a bit slower and quieter. There are lots of hills, walking paths, elegant, family-friendly parks and streets with endless rows of trees on each side,

providing a magical experience and the feeling that you are always connected to nature.

If you are roaming around the Castle, then you might notice the abundance of expensive homes: the first and second districts are close to the Danube bank, thus closer to the city centre too. Buda is favoured over Pest by the locals because tourists and visitors do not frequent this side through the night as much since the ruin pubs and other main sights are on the Pest side.