Budapest

Budapest is Hungary's administrative, economical and cultural center, everything important happening in the country starts, takes place or has decisions being made for in this city. Most people just visit it for its beauty. Budapest straddles the Danube river and has broad avenues, quiet parks and an exceptional collection of architectural styles that has earned it the nickname the 'Paris of Eastern Europe'. Most of the city was built during its boom years at the turn of the 19th century. The city planners is Budapest have done an excellent job in making it an easy-to-navigate place; you can hardly get lost and it is the perfect place to explore on foot.

Budapest is actually two towns, Buda and Pest, respectively east and west of the Danube river, that have been merged. The prime destination for visitors is the walled Castle District. The city's most important monuments are situated there. The area is divided into two parts: the Old Town, where people lived during medieval times; and the Royal Palace, the original site of a 13th century castle. In the Old Town you can stroll around the small streets sided with beautiful old houses and churches. Here you will also find the famous Fishermen's Bastion, built as a viewing platform in 1905. It got its name from the guild of fishermen responsible for defending this stretch of wall in the middle Ages. Its seven turrets represent the seven Magyar tribes who entered the Carpathian Basin in the 9th century. From the bastion there are great views over the city. There is a statue of St. Stephen. A small entrance fee has to be paid. On the other side of the river, immediately south of the old town is the Royal Palace. Originally built in the 14th century, it has been destroyed, rebuilt, modified and redesigned several times since. The palace is home to several museums of which the National Gallery is the most important one. It has a huge collection of new and old Hungarian art. The building opposite the Old Town is the Parliament building.

Óbuda is the oldest and most interesting part of the city. There are many Roman ruins and small, quiet neighborhoods, which still give you the felling of how things were in Budapest at the end of the 19th century. Also in this part of Budapest, there are numerous museums. The Kiscelli Museum has an impressive art collection and there are rooms furnished with beautiful Empire, Biedermeier and Art-Nouveau furniture.
Aquincum, the most complete Roman town in Hungary, can be found just north of Óbuda. It was established at the end of the 1st century and developed into one of Europe's most advanced places. It used to have single-storey houses, fountains and courtyards, but all that remains nowadays are their outlines as well as those of the big public baths, market and a temple devoted to the sun god Mithras. In the Aquincum Museum everything is explained and outside the museum you can see a 3rd-century water organ, pottery moulds, floor mosaics, sculptures and stone sarcophagi.

There are many other smaller museums and monuments to explore throughout the city. Other attractions include a Danube cruise that gives excellent views of the riverfront. You can have a walk along the Danube river and see all of its bridges. The Oellért-hegy is a hill south of the Old Town that gives you the best views over the city, it can be climbed on foot or you can drive up there. Budapest has a good metro system that takes you all over the city quickly.

Cheap accommodation is mostly situated in Pest or the Buda Hills, but for budget restaurants you will have to go to the Castle District. There is a camping ground in the outskirts in the western side of the city near the U.S. embassy. A bus connection to the city center is available. One of the biggest flea markets in Eastern Europe is the Esceri flea market (in the XIX district, south of the city). You can buy anything from Soviet army watches to caged birds. There are plenty of choices of entertainment in Budapest, including opera, theatre, ballet, dance and rock-, pop- and jazz-cafés, and discos.