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Castle Hill: Take the cable car up to the 13th century Buda Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here in the neo-Baroque quarter with its narrow, stone-paved streets you will discover the neo-Gothic church of King Matthias and the Palace. The palace complex now houses the National Gallery, the History Museum and the National Library.
Address: cable car starting point, Clark Ádám tér, 1013 0036 1 201 9128

The Fisherman’s Bastion: a neo-Gothic monument of the 19th century, on the Buda side of the city, with seven conical towers representing the seven tribes of the Magyars. The location offers magnificent views of the Danube and the Pest quarter of the city.
Address: Szentháromság tér 5, 0036 1 458 3030, www.fishermansbastion.com/

Hungarian Parliament: Inspired by the Palace of Westminster in London, the dazzling white edifice on the Pest bank of the river is mirrored in the waters of the Danube. This is the largest building anywhere in Hungary, a little over one hundred years old, which combines features from the neo-Gothic, neo-Baroque and Romanesque styles. Some of its 700 exquisitely decorated rooms are open to the public.
Address: Kossuth Lajos tér 1-3, 0036 1 441 4000, www.parlament.hu/

Heroes Square: The largest square in the whole of Budapest, situated on the eastern side of the city, imposing in its simplicity. The centre of the square is dominated by the Millennium Monument, a column 35 metres high crowned with a statue of the Archangel Gabriel, and flanked by colonnades with statues of Hungarian kings. It was erected in 1896 to mark the passing of a thousand years since the arrival of the Magyars in Hungary. On the northern side of the square stands the Museum of Fine Arts – currently being renovated – with masterpieces by El Greco, Goya and Giotto, while the southern side is home to the Kunsthalle, with its collections of modern art.
Address: Hősök tere, 0036 1 322 4098,

Gellért Hill: The hill stands right on the bank of the Danube, on the Buda side, and offers the most amazing views of the city. It takes its name from a bishop who was drowned in the waters of the Danube in 1046 by pagans who refused to convert to Christianity. His statue can be seen opposite the Elizabeth Bridge, the Habsburg Palace and the Soviet-era Liberty Statue, commemorating the liberation of the city from the Nazis.

Hungarian State Opera: During your stay you should enjoy a performance at the Opera, which opened in 1884. Designed in the Renaissance style by the Hungarian architect Miklós Ybl, the opera house on the Pest side of the river is famed for its acoustics.
Address: Andrássy út 22, 0036 1 814 7100, www.opera.hu/?lan=en

Franz Liszt Museum: Browse the scores and admire the piano once owned by the great Hungarian composer and pianist, in the house where he lived from 1881 to 1886.
Address: Vörösmarty utca 35, 0036 13229804, www.lisztmuseum.hu/
Margaret Island: This is a long, narrow island set in the middle of the River Danube, a royal game park where kings would hunt in the Middle Ages. It takes its name from a young princess who lived in a nunnery here. The island is a popular leisure destination for the local people, who come to jog in the rose gardens, swim in the pools and enjoy the water slides, or relax with a spa treatment in the hot spring water. You can get to the island easily across the bridge of the same name, and explore on foot, by cycle or taking the little train. Make sure to stop and listen to the musical fountain, whose waters dance to the music of Vivaldi, Brahms, Verdi – and even the Rolling Stones!

River cruises: An absolute must for the visitor is a trip on one of the cruise boats gliding lazily beneath the city bridges, to the musical accompaniment of the ‘waves of the Danube’. Many of the city’s travel agencies organize themed cruises along the river, by day and night.

Spas: It is definitely worth treating yourself to a rejuvenating treatment in the hot springs of the Széchenyi bath, whose waters bubble up from the ground at a temperature of 74˚C. In the outdoor pool of the neo-Baroque building you can play chess in the water – even if it’s snowing! At the Ottoman Rudas Baths you can relax and soak up the oriental atmosphere in the octagonal pool. At the famous Gellért Baths, with their art nouveau furnishings, Doric colonnades, glass ceilings, mosaics and stained glass, you can swim in the emerald waters of the pool, equipped with its own wave machine.

In the antiques quarter of Buda Castle you can wander through the narrow mediaeval streets and take your pick of old-fashioned toys, dolls, old trains, miniature carousel figures and musical boxes playing tunes by Liszt. In the artists’ studios and souvenir shops you will discover authentic Hungarian costumes, hand-painted eggs, candles, jewel boxes, hand-made bookmarks, lace and dinner services of fine Hungarian china in the little glass shops.

The heart of the Budapest shopping experience lies along the eastern bank of the Danube, on the elegant Andrássy Avenue, the Hungarian equivalent of the Champs-Élysées, and on the pedestrianized Váci Street, where you will find imaginative creations by up-and-coming Hungarian designers. 

In the city’s colourful Great Market Hall, housed in a neo-Gothic building, you will find delicious Hungarian salami and paprika, the Hungarian national spice. For really big shopping experiences, head for one of Budapest’s malls – the Mammut for example, boasting no fewer than 330 stores.

There are plenty of traditional Hungarian recipes to try, as well as more international menus reflecting the city’s cosmopolitan nature. Some of the typical local dishes are the rich goulash, beef and potatoes in a spicy, red sauce, Hungarian breaded chicken with paprika, foie gras (goose liver) with a delicious buttery taste, cooked in various sauces.

Enjoy your meal in art-nouveau palaces, Baroque villas with gardens or water-borne restaurants, to the musical accompaniment of the famous gypsy violins. An excellent accompaniment for your meat or Danube fish are the Egri Bikavér (red) and Szurkebarat (demi-sec white) wines, both leading Hungarian varieties from the wine-growing region of Tokaj and Lake Balaton.

For dessert, sample a slice of dobos torte with chocolate, cream and caramelized brown sugar, or the divine pastries in the historic cafes and period patisseries on Váci Street in the Buda Castle district, or in Watertown, the Víziváros district to the north of the Chain Bridge.

The latest trend in Budapest nightlife is clubbing at a romkocsma, which means ‘pub in the ruins’. These are abandoned buildings and cellars in Pest, left as they are except for the addition of a bar, offering dancing and live music in an atmosphere of retro decadence.

Cultural events in Budapest

Budapest is the ideal setting for cultural events, the arts blending perfectly with the natural landscape and seasons.

• Budapest Spring Festival: A musical bouquet of hundreds of events awaits music lovers at the festival, one of the best-established events in the Budapest calendar. The programme features evenings of theatre, dance, jazz and ethnic music, hosted at various venues around the city including the Opera House and the Palace of Arts.
• Budapest Summer Festival: Performances of comedies, musicals, ballets and operas, on the stage of the open-air theatre on Margaret Island, all through the summer season.
• Cherry Blossom Festival: Each April the city celebrates the blossoming of the cherry trees in the Füvészkert botanical gardens. The festival has a flavor of the Far East, with Japanese tea-serving ceremonies, origami creations and picnics under the glorious cherry blossom.
• Dragon-boat races: Every summer Budapest hosts an impressive race on the Danube for traditional Chinese dragon-boats. The crews of these original kayaks train hard on the river for the day of the event – a spectacular race beneath the city bridges.
• International Wine Festival: Held every September, the festival is a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of the best labels from the famous Hungarian vineyards, with classes in wine appreciation on Castle Hill.
• Museum Night: On the night of the summer solstice in June almost all the city’s museums and galleries remain open until two-thirty in the morning, some of them remaining open all night for sleepovers amidst the works of art.

Getting to and from the airport in Budapest

Aegean Airlines operates through Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, 16km from the city centre. The modern airport has cafes and restaurants offering Hungarian, Italian, French, American, Greek and Asian cuisine. There are plenty of shops, too, as well as banks, foreign exchange desks and car hire agencies, a hairdresser’s, spa, post office, smoker’s area and free Wi-Fi.

There is an Airport Shuttle-Minibus taking visitors to the city centre, running 24 hours a day. You can also get the 200E city bus from the airport to the Kőbánya-Kispest metro station, and then continue on line M3 (direction Újpest Központ) to the centre. You can also take the 200E bus from the airport, get off at the Ferihegy rail station and take the train to Nyugati station in Budapest. Taxis are very convenient and the drivers will accept credit cards.