Budapest
Grand baths, ruin bars, and a river view that stops you cold
Budapest is divided by the Danube into Buda (hilly, historic, calm) and Pest (flat, lively, cosmopolitan) and the contrast between them makes the city endlessly interesting. The thermal bath culture is genuine and centuries old, not a tourist gimmick. The Parliament building, lit up across the river at night, is one of Europe's great views. The ruin bars of the Jewish Quarter are a genuinely original contribution to nightlife culture.
- 01Gulyás (goulash) at Menza in Liszt Ferenc tér
- 02Chimney cake (kürtőskalács) from a street stall
- 03Lángos (fried dough) at the market
- 04Unicum liqueur as a digestif
Széchenyi Baths on a weekday morning, dramatically fewer crowds
Fisherman's Bastion at dawn for empty shots of the Parliament across the river
Ruin bars in the 7th district only open after 9pm, arrive late
The HUF is weak against major currencies, Budapest is excellent value
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