Budapest – Hungary

Start in Buda, where the Magyars rebuilt their capital after the Mongol invasions in the 13th century. Climb to the top of the castle hill. If you’re feeling brave, take the stairs up to the charming Vizivaros district. From the top, there is a superb panoramic view of the town from the Fishermen’s Bastion. Opposite the bastion, Matthias Church (13th century) has been the setting for the coronation of several Hungarian sovereigns. This is a charming neighbourhood.

As for museums, don’t miss the Hungarian National Gallery, where you can admire the realist school around Mihaly Munkacsy and Art Nouveau. If history is more your thing, the History Museum will tell you all about the city’s tumultuous history. 

Then it’s back to the Danube via the Chain Bridge. You can make a diversion to the citadel, topped by the Statue of Liberty of Budapest, which commemorates the liberation of the city by the Red Army.

Why not finish off with a visit to one of the baths: Gellért (Art Nouveau style) and Rudas (with its Ottoman dome) or Kiraly and Lukacs, popular with the locals. 

We start in the Belvardos district, with its historic Parliament. Book in advance to visit it. Next, stroll towards St Stephen’s Basilica, and don’t miss the Ethnographic Museum, the Old Stock Exchange and the National Bank, with their grandiose architecture. 

In the afternoon, head for the Terezvaros district. It is known as the “Paris of the East”, with Andrassy Utca Avenue, its Hungarian Champs Elysées. Stop off in front of the opera house and No. 39, the Alexandra bookshop, now a charming café. There are several museums in the area: the Frantz-Liszt Museum, the Museum of Photography, the Robert Capa Museum and the Museum of Terror during the Nazi occupation. Varosliget, the City Wood, stretches along the end of the avenue. Don’t miss the Széchenyi baths. 

The Jewish quarter of Erzsébetvaros is well worth discovering in daylight, even if it is a great place for partying. Visit the Great Synagogue (19th c.), Byzantine-inspired but eclectic. In the courtyard, “The Weeping Willow”, a sculpture by Imre Varga, is dedicated to the 600,000 Hungarian Jews who fell victim to Nazism. Then move on to the charming Karolyi Kert tér square, arguably the most intimate square in the city. In the afternoon, visit the Museum of Decorative Arts or the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art. If you’re more of a nature walker, the Kerepesi cemetery is very bucolic. 

In the evening, head back to the Jewish quarter and its Goszdu-Udvar passageway, packed with bars and restaurants. We continue to the Ruin Pubs, alternative bars with a vintage atmosphere set up in disused buildings. Let the party begin!