July is one of the hottest months in Budapest and many of the things to do by day are either escaping the heat and soak in the outdoor pools and baths scattered all over Budapest, or staying indoors in the air conditioned concert halls, museums, market halls, shopping malls, party halls etc. In addition to our general top 10 things to do in Budapest, here is our summer list of things to do in July.

Szechenyi Spa Party - Budapest Cinetrip bath parties

At night, there are zillions of parties (including spa parties at Szechenyi Bath called “Szecska”) in the open air terraces of the cool ruin pubs and Budapest bars as well as the summertime temporary bars set up along the river Danube, while Budapest restaurants try to add more entertainment by live music, open terraces and ‘tasting tours’. July is packed with tourists, so it may be especially refreshing to visit hidden gems in Budapest in addition to the top Budapest attractions.

Things to do in July – Summer Events in Budapest

• Summer Festival Budapest: the cultural festival of the summer launches in June with loads of concerts, theatre performances, parties, art exhibitions, festivals and fairs on lots of venues all around Budapest (which is reported to be more spread out than many tourists expect in their post-trip Budapest travel reports). The most important festival venues are the open air stages on the Margaret Island (Margitsziget), and in the Varosmajor section on the Buda side.
  

  Szimpla Garden ruin pub, Budapest - photo by Philip Clifford

• Vajdahunyad Castle Festival (Vajdahunyadvar Fesztival) is in the City Park, in the romantic – eclectic Vajdahunyad Castle. The focus is primarily on music of various styles: swing, classical (chamber orchestra, strings, symphony orchestra), operetta, klezmer, Hungarian gypsy music concerts will be in the beautiful courtyards of the castle. The 3 week long open air music festival is sometime between mid July and mid August. The prices are super cheap, from around HUF 2,500 to HUF 5,000. A must thing to do for classy music lovers in the nice, cool and breezy summer evenings of Budapest.
• Szecska Spa Parties on Saturday nights from 10:30 pm to 3 am at Szechenyi Bath: spa waters, music and party adding up as a ‘Sparty’. Definitely a must see and do for under 35 or so party goers.
• Summer on the Chain Bridge: this summer festival (from June to August) is special in a way that the festival venue is the iconic Budapest attraction, Chain Bridge, which gets closed down for transport in the summer, turning into a pedestrian only festival zone – you can listen or even dance to jazz, folksy, swing, rock etc. concerts (free), you can buy tasteful and good quality handcrafted gifts at the Hungarian souvenir stalls, or try yummy Hungarian specialties (the savoury snack Langos, the sweet cylindrical shaped pastry ‘Kurtoskalacs’ which is ideal as a ‘to go’ dessert, and drinks (e.g. wines, palinka, unicum). Relaxed, fun things to do on the bridge – right in downtown Budapest.
  

  Summer on the Chain Bridge Festival Budapest - photo by customdeluxe

• Budapest Pride festival has moving dates – anytime from June to September, but typically at the end of June or the beginning of July. A cultural festival with some films too. The festival has been booed by many intolerant locals. Yet, Budapest Pride is still going on for many years.
• Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix is a unique sport event for those who love car races. Typically organized in July at the Hungaroring Grand Prix Circuit, which is a short ride from Budapest in the small town of Mogyorod. One day before the whole insane Hungarian GP starts everyone can visit the pits to see the cars and the teams close up – sorry, everyone who has a ticket to the Hungarian GP.
• More things to do in Budapest in July! Top Budapest Event Calendar / Event Guide to the current events in Budapest, Hungary: click on the calendar to see the highlighted things to do in Budapest.