Independent’s guide to make the best out of your trip in Budapest – PHOTOS

What makes Budapest especially charming is the duality and diversity when it comes to its personality: the two halves already represent different values (Buda being the romantic enchanter while Pest the lively seducer), with the various activities, markets and festivals being the cherry on top. However, it is not easy to navigate your way through the numerous things to do in the Hungarian capital city.

British online newspaper Independent has put together a useful guide for your (first) trip to Budapest, including sights to check out, cultural learning points, restaurants, cafés and even hotels.

Before you head out, it is recommended to buy a Budapest Card, which covers public transport, 17 museums and two walking tours.

What to do

You should start discovering Budapest with the Castle District, either by hiking up the hill, riding the funicular or simply taking a bus. The cobbled streets and the colourful narrow streets are charming in and on themselves, and with the addition of the medieval monuments such as the Matthias Church, the Fisherman’s Bastion or the Buda Castle, you will feel like you have travelled a few centuries back in time. The castle today is the home of the National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum.

If you wish to learn more about Hungarian history, the Hungarian National Museum with a collection covering the Stone Age all the way to Communism might be a good place to continue your journey. You can learn a little more about 20th-century Hungary

at the House of Terror, which helps you get a sense of the Nazi and Soviet occupations with videos and artefacts.

Cruising along the Danube is a great opportunity to just sit back and relax while enjoying Budapest’s marvellous architecture, the Parliament and the Buda Castle (public transport in Budapest offers boat services too, or you can hop on a sightseeing cruise). If the weather fails you, just take tram 2, along the river bank on the Pest side.

We cannot emphasise enough how great Budapest spas are, even Vogue featured them: the mineral water will soothe both your soul and body, and it is purely up to you if you wish to soak yourself outside or indoors (many spas offer both options), or enjoy the elegance and in-pool chess at the Széchenyi Bath or the sparties on Saturdays.

Where to stay

It is recommended to try and find a hotel or hostel inside the city, along the main public transportation lines. If you are looking for a budget-friendly place, the Independent recommends Wombat’s City Hostel with dormitory bunks. If you want to feel like royalty, book a room at Corinthia Budapest, the once Grand Hotel Royal, opened in 1896 (it also has a spa and a pool built in Budapest’s most characteristic style – art nouveau), or at Hotel Clark, next to the Chain Bridge.