Budapest – The Complete City Guide

Budapest, the capital of Hungary is located in the heart of Europe, where East and West meet. Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest is rich in UNESCO World Heritage sites: the view of the Danube embankments, the Buda Castle District, Andrássy Avenue with Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Underground Railway are now internationally protected areas of the Hungarian capital. These attractions combined with the Hungarian people's legendary hospitality make a visit to Budapest a very special experience!

CITY HIGHLIGHTS
If you’ve got some time to spare between everything we’ve got planned for you, then the following sites are highly recommended and are must sees before you leave!

• Buda Castle Palace - Located in Budapest’s picturesque Old Town, Buda Castle Palace has been home to many royal residents and today hosts a number of museums, including the Ludwig Museum, the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum.
• Budapest Parliament – The neo-Gothic palace is 268m long and has a 96m high dome with outer walls decorated with statues of Hungarian monarchs and military commanders – it is one of Europe's most splendid Parliament buildings and the city’s landmark.
• Chain Bridge – The 375m long and 16m wide bridge is a superb engineering feat and is one of Budapest’s most famous landmarks. This magnificent suspension bridge was the first permanent bridge over the river Danube connecting Buda and Pest, which at the time where separate cities.

THE RIVER DANUBE
The Danube runs majestically through the centre of Budapest, which the city has taken full advantage of as it now offers some of the finest panoramas to be found anywhere in the world. The river actually divides the city of Budapest into two distinct districts:

• Buda - on the right bank is mostly residential and comprises one-third of the city's total area. With over 20 hills, Buda’s quiet and curvaceous cobbled streets and more intimate atmosphere give you an authentic feel of the Hungarian way of life.
• Pest - on the left bank, is almost entirely flat, and has most of the government and commerce and the industry. It’s a buzzing area of shops, restaurants, bars and clubs with wide thoroughfares, grand public squares, and terrific riverside views across to Castle Hill.

No visit to Budapest is complete without a boat tour on the Danube, or a romantic cruise with buffet dinner, as the city’s most beautiful and important sights can all be seen from the Danube. Why not discover the city’s breathtaking scenery at night, when Budapest’s sights are spectacularly lit up. Take advantage of the unique city views and book a cruise today!

THERMAL BATHS
Budapest holds the title "City of Spas", as it has more thermal and medicinal water springs than any other capital city in the world. There are 118 springs in Budapest, providing over 70 million litres of thermal water a day with temperatures ranging between 21-78°C (70-172 F).

Today, there are 15 public thermal baths in Budapest, which attract a huge number of visitors both local residents and tourists, who go to enjoy the relaxing thermal waters and medicinal treatments and massages that are also on offer.
Recommended public baths include: Gellért, Király, Széchenyi, Lukács.

CURRENCY
Hungary's official currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF). There are a number of places (shops, restaurants etc) which accept Euros too, but the exchange rate used is significantly lower than what you can get at a normal exchange office or a bank.

It is better to obtain Hungarian Forints upon arrival to Hungary, as local Hungarian banks work with better rates than their counterparts abroad. Exchanging foreign currency into Forints is therefore possible in banks, official currency exchange offices (these are affiliates of larger banks) and travel agencies.

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