Budapest

Hungary·Europe

Currency

HUF

Language

Hungarian

Timezone

Budapest

Continent

Europe

Our guide

Discover Budapest

Budapest is two cities a river eventually joined: Buda on the hills of the western bank, with its castle and the Fisherman's Bastion, and flat Pest on the other side with the Parliament and the grand boulevards. The Széchenyi Chain Bridge, opened in 1849, was the first permanent link between them.

When to go

April to June, September to October. Summer is hot and heavy, winter properly cold — which is exactly the season for the thermal baths, whose point becomes obvious when it is freezing outside.

Getting around

Budapest has continental Europe's oldest metro: line 1, opened in 1896, still runs through its original stations. The centre walks, but Buda means climbing — funicular or bus for the castle.

Where to eat

Goulash is a soup here, not a stew, and paprika goes into nearly everything. The Great Market Hall is worth it for the ground-floor stalls rather than the tourist counters upstairs. Ruin bars, set up in abandoned buildings, are a local invention — Szimpla Kert was the first and is still the best known.

Good to know

The forint is the currency, not the euro: euro prices posted in the centre hide poor rates. The Széchenyi and Gellért baths charge by the day and deserve a full half-day. Six halal addresses are listed.

Smart Planning