I spent 2 days in Budapest at Christmastime. Here are 4 things that were worth it and one I'd skip next time.

My favorite activity in Budapest was a walking food tour of the city I booked with Secret Food Tours ($94) via Tripadvisor.

It was just over three hours long, and we got to see everything from the outside of the Parliament building to some of the smaller squares and statues that dot the city.

During the tour, our group stopped at four different restaurants to try five dishes. Our guide also explained some of the city's history and the impacts food has had on its culture.

We started with a sampling of strudel, with fillings ranging from sour cherry and cottage cheese to apple. Then we had lángos, a traditional street food of fried bread, garlic, sour cream, and shredded cheese.

My favorite stop on the tour was Dose Espresso, where we had a tray of local cheeses, meats, and pickled vegetables. I also ordered a coffee made with a special Slayer V3 machine that's supposed to make incredible espresso.

The final stop on the tour was a local winery to try a glass of wine, a bowl of goulash (a traditional soup seasoned with paprika), and a cottage-cheese dumpling dessert.

When I started searching for things to do in Budapest, one of the top recommendations I saw on TikTok was getting coffee at the New York Café inside the Anantara New York Palace Hotel.

I arrived about 20 minutes before it opened at 8 a.m. and got a table in the first wave of seating.

The café originally opened in 1894, and the stunning space is filled with gold detailing, marble, and incredible ceiling murals. Its menu offers various coffees and hot chocolates.

I splurged a bit on the 24-carat gold hot chocolate ($13), which had a velvety chocolate base, a thick layer of whipped cream, and a gold-dust recreation of the café logo.

The drink was perfectly warm, and it came with a small cookie.

There are many Christmas markets in the city, but I decided to explore the one just in front of St. Stephen's Basilica.

It was small, which was actually nice since this was my first time experiencing a European Christmas market.

There were still dozens of charming stalls selling everything from handmade crafts and ornaments to cookie presses and ceramic Christmas houses.

My favorite part was looking at all of the food options and trying a traditional chimney cake. The pastry is wrapped around a steel cylinder and baked rotisserie-style over hot coals before being rolled in various toppings (I chose crushed hazelnuts).

One of the things I booked ahead of time was a tour of the Hungarian Parliament Building ($29), which is one of the most iconic buildings in the city.

The tour was about 45 minutes long and included a listening device where you could hear information about the building as you were walking through it.

I thought the outside was ornate, but the inside was even more impressive, with fresco paintings, gold, and an abundance of stained glass.

We even got to see the crown jewels of the Hungarian monarchy, but photos were not allowed.

The Central Market Hall was at the top of my list of things to see in Budapest — so many of the guides I read said it was a must-visit.

The large venue is separated into two floors: one for a food market and another for knickknacks and street food.

I stopped at the food-hall portion to get some paprika, the most popular spice in Hungary. But after spending about an hour there, I was ready to leave.

It was only about a 10-minute walk from my hotel, so I don't regret going. But I wouldn't go out of my way to see it again.