Between them, like a spine, runs the mighty Danube, a clear demarcation between the cobbled streets, hills and medieval, Renaissance and Baroque architecture that define Buda, and lively Pest, known for its nightlife, its neo-Gothic domed Parliament building, and its famous neo-Baroque Széchenyi Baths.
Dotted with Unesco sites, Budapest excels when it comes to landmarks with historical and cultural significance. A stroll through the Buda Castle Quarter rewards vistors with sightseeing around the Buda Castle complex, Matthias Church and the iconic Fisherman’s Bastion. Other notable attractions are the Hungarian National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum, the Labyrinth cave system, and the elegant Sándor Palace.
As the days shorten and the temperature drops the city presents fresh appeal.
Autumn and winter in Budapest have a magic of their own, delivering scenery and activities that provide the perfect setting for a Hollywood film, particularly once the Christmas markets and ice-rinks open.
This is the time for exploring on foot, stopping for a cup of coffee or hot chocolate at one of the 19th-century cafés – among the best are New York Café and Gerbeaud – before returning to your sightseeing.
Highly recommended, to the point of being essential, is a visit to the Unesco-listed Buda Castle Quarter. It’s an easy enough walk, but if visitors prefer not to make the journey on foot, several buses also go there from numerous locations throughout the city. The most fun way to arrive, though, is to take the funicular railway. The ride lasts only a couple of minutes but takes in spectacular aerial views of the historic city skyline.
There are cruises along the Danube for everyone, from day-trippers to night-owls to diners to beer-lovers. Take your pick, and sit back seeing the magic of Budapest from water-level.
Dotted with Unesco sites, Budapest excels when it comes to landmarks with historical and cultural significance. A stroll through the Buda Castle Quarter rewards vistors with sightseeing around the Buda Castle complex, Matthias Church and the iconic Fisherman’s Bastion. Other notable attractions are the Hungarian National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum, the Labyrinth cave system, and the elegant Sándor Palace.
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No continent does Christmas markets as well as Europe, and few countries do them as well as Hungary. From mid-November, the city fills with markets selling quality decorations and gifts and traditional food. The main ones – Vörösmarty Square, one of the oldest in Hungary, and St Stephen’s Basilica – each have more than 150 stalls and are open until late.
Another city highlight at St Stephen’s is the dazzling light show, where festive scenes are projected onto the Basilica’s façade every 30 minutes.
Ice skating rinks pop up throughout the city, but the best, and most famous – known even beyond Hungary – is the lake in City Park. In the summer, this vast expanse of water is filled with boats and paddleboards, but in winter, the ice rink that appears – one of Europe’s oldest and largest – attracts ice-skaters of every age and ability from the world over.
Sitting just beneath fairy-tale-like 19th-century Vajdahunyad Castle, the lake is an exhilarating experience. After that, do as the locals do and treat yourself to a glass of steaming mulled wine.
Hungary is as renowned for its wines as it is or its thermal baths, so if warmed and spiced is not for you then you will have a difficult time choosing between the excellent varieties. Perhaps the most well-known are the honeyed wines from the Tokaj region, in the northeast of the country, which were much-loved by Beethoven, Haydn, Liszt and Voltaire.
Tokaj has built its reputation on dessert wines – the most notable of which is Tokaji Aszú – but it also has many outstanding dry varieties, with many created from fermented grapes.
Over to the reds and Egri Bikavér is the stuff of legends – truly! The name means Bull’s Blood and comes from the Ottoman invasion of 1552 and the siege of Eger Castle, when the invaders mistook the red wine the Hungarians were drinking for blood. There are some excellent wine tours to choose from, including a half-day tour to a family-run vineyard in the Etyek-Buda region, just 30km from Budapest.