Budapest, the Hungarian capital, shines through its three entities: Óbuda, Buda and Pest. Between the Danube and the hills lies the Óbuda district, the first location of Roman civil and military cities. Surrounded today by the HLM bars, it presents a striking contrast between beautiful stones and reinforced concrete. On the same shore, Buda, its youngest, stands out for its medieval and baroque beauties, its green hills and its wealthy villas. The hill of the Castle, crenellated by the Fishermen's Bastion, seems crushed under the weight of the building of the former Hungarian palatins
On its southern side, the statue of Bishop Gellert waved his stone cross towards Pest, which lay at his feet on the other side of the river. Pest was shaped to the taste of the 19th century. Strongly influenced by the Empire style, it aligns eclectic palaces and Art Nouveau buildings. Both sides of the centre have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, and in the middle flows the triumphal Danube. Buda la verte, the hilly, the bourgeoisie and Pest l'urbaine, the popular, the merchant: these contrasting aspects are in harmony with the eventful history of the country, of which each monument reveals a chapter. If the Chain Bridge, the city's emblem, is the first permanent bridge built, it is on the pillars of the Freedom Bridge (photo above) that the famous turul, a legendary Magyar bird, is perched.
Various architectural styles
Draped in their Renaissance decrepitude, Zopf (late Baroque) or Secession (Hungarian Art Nouveau), the old palaces are simply magnificent, as are the baths of a flamboyant Baroque and those whose green-grey domes, topped by the crescent, bear witness to the long Turkish domination in the Middle Ages. Having escaped the terrible restructuring of socialist realism and the ravages of the Second World War, their architecture offers a real enchantment
The baths are a real institution: architectural heritage, meeting place, art of living. From the Romans to the Hungarians, the city's various occupants have made the most of this exceptional asset, the dozens of underground thermal springs. The Turks, for their part, left about ten baths built in the 16th and 17th centuries that are still in operation today. The remarkable Rudas or Kirali baths date from this period
At the end of the 19th century, under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the reputation of the baths spread outside the territory and European tourists began to come to enjoy their healing properties. The Art Nouveau decoration of the Gellért baths is a real delight, but you will also have to discover the Széchenyi baths in a flamboyant neobaroque style. We come to relax there in summer and winter
A very intense cultural life
Budapest's cultural life is intense, as is its musical scene, which ranges from prestigious operas to concerts of gypsy music given in a corner of the basement. It joyfully animates the night life of the capital. The trend is towards the kert, literally "a garden" that looks like a guinguette. The very idea of investing courtyards in abandoned buildings to establish a temporary bar is in itself brilliant! Budapest's creativity and liveliness are best illustrated by the dozens of spaces that Hungarians often combine with romkocsma, or "ruined bars"
You can party, listen to concerts, dance, sometimes in the middle of an exhibition, until the early morning. Regularly, DJs and VDJs (visual DJs) also invade the city's baths. This gigantic celebration is called cinetrip or sparty. The baths are then open all night long and people do not come to swim in them, but to wiggle around in their bathing suits. A truly unique evening.
My coffee is my castle
From Vienna to Prague and Budapest, there is a tradition of great coffee houses as places for debate and creation. Beautiful as palaces ; admire the patinated luxury of the New York café, the Central Kavehaz which was one of the mythical places of the Budapest intelligentsia or the famous Gerbeaud pastry shop
Magyar specialities include the famous goulash, made from onions, beef, paprika and vegetables. As main courses, Hungarians enjoy meat, breaded vegetables and dishes in sauce and finish their agape with delicious pancakes filled with apples, nuts, chestnuts or jam. All this is accompanied by a good local vintage such as tokaj. The beautiful, still asleep, is a real celebration and offers a precious advantage for those who want to visit or live there: that of being a capital with a human face, the heart in addition..
Smart info
When? When? Budapest is to be discovered in all seasons with many festivals, exhibitions, concerts or evenings throughout the year. The summer will be hot, the winter is often harsh with snow, the mid-seasons are pleasant and sunny
Duration. It is a weekend destination par excellence. You can plan to stay a week without the risk of being bored. There are also many possible day trips in the surroundings around the Danube.
Getting there. Average price of a Paris-Budapest low cost flight: 45 € in low season and 120 € in high season. For classic companies, count between 150 € and 200 €
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Budget. We can still have fun without paying too much. It is necessary to be well organized in advance in order to benefit from the best rates. There is a high season with significantly higher prices between mid-June and early October
Formalities. Hungary is part of the European Union so a valid identity card is sufficient to access it. On the other hand, they do not have the euro, it will be necessary to get used to making conversions from the Forint (1 000 Ft = 2.98 €).
Public. Budapest appeals to a wide public with its thermal baths, historical monuments, quality museums... but also clubbing or trendy bars. The city is easy and pleasant to walk and use public transport
Useful. To prepare your trip as well as possible.
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