Drooling over food art? Or maybe, you are holding a forearm stand in a vineyard? It’s the age of Instagram these days, and you know what - people will just about do anything for ‘gram these days. Love it or hate it, but this is what makes the platform so addictive these days. And now, you can also add "lavish trips". According to a recent study in the International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, it showed that appearing and looking cool on Instagram and capturing coveted likes is what is considered to be one of the top motivators for tourism. And what's more, more than 30 percent of people under the age of 35 prefer to opt for "Instagrammability" when they want to choose their next vacation spot. Today, social media is quite important to millennials, and more than 30 percent of millennials wish that they could be the person that’s portrayed on social media.
How to find Instagrammable places?
So, why wait? Get out of your comfort zone, and satisfy your own wanderlust – and while at it, why not snap some of the most incredible and most liked Instagram photo along the way? Of course, when it comes to some of the most Instagrammable places, how about heading off to Budapest? A city with a tumultuous past, Budapest is known for its ornate skylines and lively nightlife. If you want to capture some of the most photogenic places, Budapest is the city you don't want to miss.
1. Budapest Chocolate Museum
Nursing a sweet tooth? Then, you are going to like this – located on the outskirts of Budapest, the Szamos Chocolate Museum is a unique place, yet, it looks like you have just stepped into Willy Wonka’s world. A hot favorite of Instagram's influencers and one of the must-visit Instagram places that enrich visitors with the history of Hungarian chocolate. This museum will take the visitors on a culinary journey, complemented by tasting sessions. The visitors can do anything from making their own handmade chocolate to dipping marzipan balls into a chocolate fountain. It’s a dream come true for chocolate lovers, right?
2. Danube Promenade
Dubbed as one of the best vintage places to visit in Budapest to admire the beautiful architecture of the city, the Danube Promenade is a century-old pleasant riverside that extends between Elisabeth and Szechenyi Chain bridges, painting a stunning landscape that is 100% Instagram worthy. It is also on the banks of the Danube river that you will find the memorial - heartbreaking it may be, but it's also a chilling reminder of the atrocities of the Nazi on the Jews during World War II, for the memorial features a series of 60 pairs of shoes, sculpted from steel, that commemorates the Jews shot by the Nazis.
3. Gellert Thermal Baths
Did you know that Budapest also goes by the name of "City of Spas" - and it's for a good reason too? Established in 1918, Gellert Baths is one of the most renowned spas that have healing qualities and which you can take advantage of if you plan to travel to Budapest. Located within the Gellert Hotel, Gellert Baths is one of the spas that is formed by the natural thermal springs by delivering therapeutic waters to the city each day. Of course, one of the best places for Instagram must have to have this - the Gellert Baths have their own massage rooms, steam and sauna rooms, sun terrace, thermal baths - and all of them are housed in an eye-catching Art Nouveau-style building!
4. Pinball Museum
What’s Instagram if it doesn’t include some of the most renowned places in Budapest? Don’t be fooled by the name - this is one of the Instagram worthy attractions that you don’t want to miss while you are in Budapest. Located close to Margaret Island, the Pinball Museum, also known as "Flippermuzeum", feels like a journey back in time. This museum houses a staggering collection of 130 pinball machines from the yesteryears, and as if that's not enough, this museum also caters to the largest ongoing pinball exhibition, including their own Hungarian-flavor pinball machine, "Mesovonat".
5. Saint Stephen’s Basilica
Known to many as the jewel in Budapest's crown, Saint Stephen's Basilica is the pride of the city and is rightly an Instagrammer's dream. Named after the first king of Hungary, Stephen, this one of the places to visit in Budapest, which is also the famous Roman Catholic Basilica, was completed after a whopping 54 years of construction, namely, in 1905. To this day, this building still stands and is considered to be one of the most important churches in the country. Saint Stephen's Basilica is an architectural masterpiece and is best admired when an enchanting organ is recited within its intricately painted walls. Should you ever visit this church, one of the best things you can do is take up an elevator to the cupola that will give you a 360-degree view of the city and the Danube river.
6. Hungarian Parliament Building
Make yourself the envy of others by bringing a dash of beauty to your Instagram feed by traveling to one of the gems in Hungary. Located on the banks of the Danube river; this is the Hungarian Parliament Building we are talking about. Attracting more than 500, 000 visitors per year, this building was inaugurated in 1902, and is the largest building in Hungary, boasting a whopping 691 rooms, which is further complemented by 19 kilometers of stairs and corridors. Known as one of the leading attractions of Budapest, many consider the building to be one of the best examples of what the Gothic Revival and Renaissance Revival architecture are all about; but despite that, the building is still very much active, and works as a law-making body, with guided tours lasting as much as 40 minutes to 1 hour - of course, when the government is not sitting.
7. Buda Castle
Home to the Hungarian National Gallery and Budapest History Museum, the Buda Castle was constructed way back into the year 1265, but it is only in the year 1769, that it was completed. Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Buda Castle, comprises a massive 200-room palace that overlooks the Danube river. At the front, it has a bronze statue of Prince Eugene, who is considered to be a hero of the Turkish attacks on the city. Today, the Buda Castle is home to both the castle and the palace complex. With the palace courtyards remaining open 24 hours a day, you can get lost in the shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and museums dreamily illuminate the venue making it highly Instagrammable.
8. Szimpla Kert
Unconventional nightclubs and hangout spots cropping up in abandoned buildings - that’s what Szimpla Kert is. Known as the first ruin bar to be established in Budapest, Szimpla Kert has moved quite a few places, before settling down in the Jewish quarter in 2004, and now, houses a flea market and farmer’s market during the day, while nights are reserved for live film and music screenings. In Budapest, Szimpla Kert is renowned as one of the most popular ruin bars and can simply be recognized by its eclectic music and quirky furniture of an old Trabant car that has been transformed as an eye-catching centerpiece. Today, Szimpla Kert has become the highlight of the city's nightlife and is one of the best Instagram places to be. That being said, it should be the first choice when one would want to explore the culture of ruin bars.
9. Vajdahunyad Castle
Located right within the Budapest City Park, the Vajdahunyad Castle was built in 1896 to commemorate 1000 years of the Carpathian Basin's Hungarian conquest. Interestingly, the castle was built with wood and cardboard at first, but with the site becoming popular with the locals, the castle was rebuilt with bricks and stones in 1908. Housing the largest agricultural museum in the world, the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture, the castle is surrounded by a boating lake that transforms itself into a majestic ice rink during the winters, making it a coveted favorite to be on the Instagram feeds.
10. Great Market Hall
Also known as Budapest's Central Market Hall, the venue is chock full of Instagrammable places - always abuzz with activity. This place can promise you an adventure in a world of cultural and retail beauty. Home to stalls that offers traditional Hungarian clothing and local delicacies, this venue was built in 1897 with stalls that flock to the venue and cover three floors. With a Neo-Gothic style, this building can give you an opportunity to try out Hungarian food and delicacies that you just won’t find anywhere else while letting you enjoy the in-depth history of the building.
11. State Opera House
As one of the oldest iconic scenes to grace the feeds on Instagram, you can’t say that you have been to Hungary, if you haven’t visited the State Opera House at least once. Known to many as the Hungarian State Opera House, the venue is a great example of Neo-Renaissance architecture that is in existence today. Built-in the year 1884, the State Opera House has rightly earned the name as one of the top cultural places in Budapest. This one of the best Instagrammable places you will see while travel to Budapest, Opera House boasts of a grand chandelier that weighs an unbelievable three tons, and a whopping 7 pounds of gold were used to build its ornate structure. As if that's not enough, the Opera House can seat more than 1000 plus people in its auditorium. Home to some of the greatest performances from the Hungarian National Ballet and Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, the orchestra season runs from September to June. However, you can buy tickets online and enjoy the performance of a lifetime.
12. Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden
One of the oldest still-standing zoos, this venue is a must-to-include in your travel itinerary if you plan to travel to Budapest with your family. Ever since its inception some 250 years ago, the park has become a home to over 1000 species of animals, some so rare, that you won’t find in any parks around the globe, making them your perfect companion for unique Instagram shots. The park also features a nature reserve and a variety of kid-friendly programs to entertain the kiddos.
