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eCPaitrykGeHlliéllrtBSquarelaha LujzaBorhálóRákóczi SquareMarket HallGreat Market HallGerbeaudTilos A TilosVakVarjúHungarian NationalMuseumGellért BathsSzéchenyi BathsMenza¼ mileBUDAPEST
HUNGARY
GETTING THERE & AROUND
There are regular direct flights to
Budapest from 12 UK airports, including
Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool,
Manchester, Edinburgh and the main
London airports. Carriers serving the
route include British Airways, EasyJet,
Ryanair and Wizz Air. ba.com
easyjet.com ryanair.com wizzair.com
Average flight time: 2h20m.
Budapest is a compact, walkable city.
It also has a comprehensive public
transport system of buses, trolley
buses, trams, overground trains and a
metro. Tickets should be validated at
machines at station entrances or when
boarding vehicles.WHEN TO GO
Summer is high season (be aware that
temperatures can top 30C in July and
August), there are vibrant cultural
festivals in spring and autumn, the
Sziget music festival in August and
lovely Christmas markets in winter.WHERE TO STAY
Matild Palace Budapest. From £230,
B&B. matildpalace.com
Corinthia Budapest. From £175, B&B.
corinthia.com/budapestMORE INFO
Bradt Guide to Budapest. RRP: £9. 99
A private, three-hour food-tasting tour
with Nelli Hajba costs from £4 5 per
person. nellicioustravels.com
Andrea Wurmb runs a range of city
tours, starting at £95 per tour for a half-
day. [email protected]HOW TO DO IT
Tui offers a three-night city break
package to Budapest for two people,
starting from around £500, including
B&B accommodation at the Arcadia
Hotel Budapest and flights. tui.co.uk2. 30 PM
TRAWL THROUGH THE HUNGARIAN
NATIONAL MUSEUM
The big beast of the Eighth District is the
Hungarian National Museum, the largest in
the country. The building itself is famously
associated with the start of the 1848 uprising
against Habsburg rule, when a huge crowd
gathered on its steps, demanding reform,
while copies of the rallying poem ‘National
Song’ by Sándor Petőfi were distributed. Inside
are gorgeous frescoes, and finds dating back
to prehistory. Look out for the stunning 11th-
century coronation cloak of St Stephen, the
founder of the Hungarian state. mnm.hu
4 PM
TRY SOME WINE
Hungary has a tradition of wine production
that dates back to the Roman period. Things
turned sour during communism, when wine
was mass-produced and bull’s blood became
synonymous with vinegar, but since the fall
of the Iron Curtain the quality has returned.
There are various places to taste and buy. Just
outside Rákóczi Square Market Hall, Borháló
is part of a small chain of shops specialising
in Hungarian wines and pálinka, with
knowledgeable staff who can help guide you
through the options. borhalo.com/korut
5. 30 PM
GET SOAKED
After a day of shopping and sightseeing, ease
your aches with a wallow in a thermal bath.
Budapest sits on scores of thermal springs,
many of them with supposed medicinal
properties. The Romans, and later the Turks,
built bathhouses here, and Budapest now
has more than any other city in the world.
The Rudas Baths have Ottoman styling, the
Gellért Baths have stained glass and mosaics,
while the Széchenyi Baths are the largest
medicinal baths in Europe, with a range of
pools, both inside and out.
bathsbudapest.com8 PM
FINE DINE, SOCIALIST STYLE
Finish your day with a visit to Liszt Ferenc
Square, just off the broad Andrássy Avenue.
Surrounded by cafes, bars and restaurants,
this remains a popular place to spend an
evening, with diners and drinkers filling the
tables and chairs that spill onto the pavement.
This is where you’ll find Menza, a long-
established restaurant with retro decor that
plays on the styling of the socialist era and
serves some of the city’s best Hungarian food
— goulash soup, paprika chicken and more.
menzaetterem.huLeft: Playing chess at Széchenyi
Thermal Bath