Budapest Holidays

The Paris of the East

Budapest gets nicknamed the ‘Paris of the East’ because both cities share that 19th-century grandness, with their café culture, gorg buildings and riverside scenes. So, if you like Paris, you’ll love Budapest – it’s also much cheaper, making it a great destination dupe. Hungary’s capital is a city of two halves – both in name and geography. It’s split by the Danube River, with Buda to the west and Pest to the east. The former’s crowned by a hilltop castle and a fortress, which offer up some of the best panoramas around. Then, the latter’s home to the Jewish Quarter and the city’s grand-and-Gothic parliament building.

Historic sights

Reminders of the past are everywhere you turn in Budapest – from the poignant Shoes on the Danube memorial to the charming Castle District and the enlightening House of Terror Museum. Then, there are the open-air ruin bars, found in the Jewish Quarter’s abandoned buildings. The most famous one – Szimplakert – has become a Budapest institution. Here, you can sip your drinks in a cut-open car or bathtub, surrounded by graffiti-covered walls and junkyard-chic furniture.

Thermal baths

As well as a scene-stealing riverside setting, Budapest’s blessed with a collection of thermal springs. The mineral-rich waters supply the city’s popular bathhouses, hence its nickname – the City of Spas. They count for some of the city’s best architecture, too, from the Art Deco Gellert Baths to the Ottoman-era Kiraly Baths and the canary-coloured Szechenyi.