Budapest Weekends
 Budapest is a city of contrasting halves and is best seen on foot, as there is an efficient underground system. The Old Medieval town is where you can discover the Royal Palace and St. Matthias Church, cobbled streets, quaint shops and pretty alleyways.
Across the river you will find the modern Pest bank of the city. Shops and magnificent buildings can be found here like the Hungarian Parliament, the state Opera House and St. Stephen's Basilica.
Budapest has a wealth of dining possibilities from gourmet restaurants to self-service cafes and snack bars to suit every taste. At night the city is lively and many cafes and bars stay open late.
 With its Turkish baths, eclectic architecture and grand old coffee houses, Budapest has more than enough to win over visitors all year round. But its charms seem particularly beguiling in the spring and summer, when pavement cafés fill up and locals come out of their winter-long spiritual hibernation to party with manic abandon. A palpable sense of euphoria takes over as the days get hotter: people shed winter blues, clothes and, often, their inhibitions.
The river Danube bisects Budapest, providing pleasant riverside strolls and spectacular views. On one side is hilly, green Buda, on the other bustling Pest. Pest's street layout features Habsburg-style ring roads.
 Hard-drinking Hungarians party until sunrise, especially in warmer months, when the celebration moves outside, to abandoned courtyards in the old Jewish quarter and other secluded sites that have converted into open-air clubs. The scene shifts all summer, with new places opening all the time.
The season starts with the Budapest Spring Festival (www.fesztivalvaros.hu ; 17 Mar-3 Apr), the most important event in the arts calendar, taking in classical music and dance. Another big draw for tourists is the Hungarian leg of the Grand Prix racing circuit (www.hungaroring.hu), set for the end of July this year.
 The annual Sziget music festival (www.sziget.hu/fesztival ; 10-17 Aug) should bring half a million revellers to an island park for big-name acts and hundreds of rock, roots and jazz concerts. On 20 August, Hungarians honour their patron and founder, St Stephen, with fireworks by the Danube.
**BOOK NOW** FREE 24HR BUDAPEST DISCOUNT CARD INCLUDED IN THE BREAK!
|
