Paris might’ve once been the ultimate spot for Europhiles chasing that classic Old World magic, and for lovey-dovey couples hunting down the perfect honeymoon backdrop, but if you’ve been paying attention lately, the City of Lights isn’t exactly shining the way it used to.
Between the spike in pickpocketing, hotel prices that feel borderline criminal, and the rat situation getting way out of hand—and we’re not talking cute little Ratatouille Remy—Paris has definitely lost a bit of its sparkle.
Tant pis.
Because the “Paris of the East”, which comes for about half the price, hasn’t lost an ounce of its charm.
If anything, it’s 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.
Fly Nonstop To Budapest This Summer
Budapest has seriously been having a moment lately.
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.
Well, you’ll 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.
They’re 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:
- Route: Philadelphia (PHL) → Budapest (BUD)
- Start date: May 21, 2026
- Frequency: Daily
- Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
- Cabins: Flagship Business, Premium Economy, Main Cabin Economy
- Average price: $850–$1,050
No other U.S. based airlines or U.S. airports currently offer nonstop service to Budapest.
Why Swap Paris For Budapest This Summer
Let’s just put it this way: if you were impressed by Paris’ Haussmann-style boulevards and perfectly ordered streets, Budapest will completely blow you away with its grand Habsburg-era palaces and over-the-top architecture.
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.
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 than Paris.
Our Traveler Safety Index currently ranks Budapest at an 87/100. Been recently? Help other travelers by voting below:
Going abroad this summer?
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.
Is This One Of The Prettiest Cities In The Old Continent?
Back to Budapest, this is one of those cities where you genuinely feel tiny standing among these massive, insanely ornate buildings. And they’re everywhere.
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.
By the way, before you go anywhere in Europe this summer, make sure you check the Entry Requirements in place in advance as these travel rules have been changing fast.
For instance, now you’re required to give fingerprints and undergo a biometric scan upon entering the continent, with only a handful of exceptions.
At the same time, Budapest is not your average sleepy open-air museum where there’s not a lot going on socially. It just happens to be one of Europe’s top city breaks for nightlife, cheap eats, and unhinged weekends out that won’t break the bank.
How Actually Cheap Is Budapest?
Its downtown districts are littered with the so-called “ruin bars,” 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 Füge Udvar.
Speaking of prices, Budapest may not be as cheap as it once was (don’t trust the internet time capsule blogs that haven’t been updated since 2018), but it’s still excellent value compared to most Western European hubs, and Paris in particular.
An overnight in trendy, centrally located areas like District VII will set you back around $75–90 a night, and we’re 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.
Food is also remarkably inexpensive… if you know where to go.
Now, of course, you can’t exactly complain things are overpriced and touristy if you’re dead set on the daylight robbery that is New York Café. It’s beautiful, sure, but you can drop $50 on coffee and cake there without even trying.
Head over to Szimpla Kert, an outdoor courtyard space lined with food stalls, and grab yourself a $5 lángos, the iconic deep-fried Hungarian street snack made of dough and garlic sour cream, or swing by a traditional kifőzde bar in the laid-back district of Újbuda, 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.
How To Do Hungarian Summer Right
You’ve probably heard Budapest has a legendary thermal bath scene, with household names like Széchenyi Thermal Bath, a grand yellow-washed complex with swirling pools and outdoor chess tables, or Gellért Baths, an indoor Art Nouveau spa that almost looks like a Wes Anderson set, dominating the conversation.
The last thing you want to do in Budapest in summer, however, is lock yourself inside a 104-degree steam room when it’s already scorching outside.
Trust us, Central European summers make Italy and Greece feel like the North Pole.
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 ‘Hungarian Sea’.
Absolute eurosummer bliss, minus the hefty price tags.
Read more about Lake Balaton here.
Stacie Harris is a local resident and reporter of the Maple Grove area. Stacie reports on medicine and science for the Maple Grove Report.
