Budapest
Welcome to Budapest
Budapest has something for everyone – from dramatic history and flamboyant architecture to healing thermal waters and a nightlife that is unrivalled in Eastern and Central Europe.
Architecture
Budapest’s beauty is not only nature given; humankind has played a role in shaping this amazing place as well. Architecturally, the city is a treasure trove, with enough baroque, neoclassical, Eclectic and art nouveau buildings combined to satisfy everyone. Overall, though, Budapest has a fin de siècle touch, for it was then, during the capital’s ‘golden age’ in the late 19th century, that most of what you see today was built.
Museums
Witness the bullet holes and shrapnel pockmarks on buildings from WWII and the 1956 Uprising. There are sad reminders like the poignant Shoes on the Danube memorial, but ones, too, of hope and reconciliation. Danube Promenade is a great way to see many of the mst famous sights in capital.Looking over towards to Buda side of the river you will see Buda Castle, The Liberty Statue. House of Terror which holds exhibitions about the successive fascist and communist regimes.
Cuisine
When in Budapest you should try goulash, and it remains one of the most sophisticated styles of cooking in Eastern and Central Europe. There is a michele of cuisines in Budapest but the traditional one remains irreplaceable. But Budapest’s reputation as a food capital dates largely from the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century and, despite a fallow period under communism, the city is once again commanding attention. So, too, are Hungary’s excellent wines – from Eger’s complex reds and Somló’s flinty whites to honey-sweet Tokaj.
The hot baths
Budapest is blessed with an abundance of hot springs. As a result, ‘taking the waters’ has been an experience here since the time of the Romans. The amount of bathhouses is wide – you can choose from Turkish-era, art nouveau and modern establishments. Some people come seeking a cure for whatever ails them, but the majority are there for fun and relaxation – though we still maintain it’s the world’s best cure for what Hungarians call a macskajaj (cat’s wail) – hangover.