Budapest, Hungary

Budapest is recognised as one of Europe's most breathtaking cities. This could be due to its remarkable surroundings, the Danube River that splits the city, the Buda hills to the west and the Great Plain to the east, or perhaps its diverse and stunning architecture: Renaissance, Byzantine, Neo-Classical, and Art-Nouveau buildings coexist in perfect harmony. Its extensive World Heritage Site includes: the banks of the Danube, Buda Castle Quarter, Andrassy Avenue, Hero’s Square, and the Millennium Underground Railway. To top it all off, the city boasts 80 geothermal springs, the world’s largest water cave system where visitors can enjoy a relaxing soak. Budapest became a unified city in 1873, straddling both banks of the river Danube, with Buda to the west and Pest to the east. Both sides of the city have very distinct personalities. Buda is the quieter part of the city. As you wander around Buda, you'll have the chance to explore the Castle Quarter and navigate the narrow cobbled streets that lead to the Fishermen’s Bastion with its fairytale towers, representing the 7 tribes that existed in the city in the 9th century. This ornamental fortification is perched atop the Buda Castle Hill and offers the best panoramic view in Budapest. The eastern side, Pest, is where all the action happens. This part of the city has a fin-de-siècle feel to it and nearly every building has some intriguing or unusual detail. Visitors are encouraged to take leisurely walks on its wide boulevards brimming with all sorts of shops or enjoy a well-earned coffee in its grand coffee houses. Pest is home to the parliament building and the Dohari street synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe. The scars of WWII are still evident in the city, bullet holes and shrapnel damage from the Second World War and the 1956 Uprising are still visible on some of the facades, painful reminders of this dark period of history. There are several tributes honouring the Hungarian Jews that lost their lives, such as the poignant Shoes on the Danube memorial or the Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park. This side of the river is also considered the cultural heart of the city with numerous art galleries and more opera, concerts and ballet performances than there are days in the week. The capital’s best restaurants are located in Pest too, and it’s here where the nightlife thrives until the early hours as well. For a unique drink, try a Ruin Pub, part of Budapest’s network of bars in disused buildings that include former tenement houses, factory buildings and community centres. Budapest has amalgamated all its influences and overcome its complex history to shape its own character, and it certainly did it right.