Historic East, Budapest

One of the most fascinating cities I have ever been to has to be Budapest, the capital of Hungary. It’s a beautiful eastern city that is divided in two (Buda and Pest) by the Danube river. Buda is the “rich side”, with the castle on its side up high on the cliff overlooking the river. Pest is the “poor side”with the Parliament building opposite the castle.

There is a lot to do in this capital:

• there are many big and amazing buildings to visit that show the true Hungarian spirit and history (even the normal city buildings, some still remaining after the communist period);
• take a cruise on the river;
• see a show at the opera house, there are loads of shows, or if you just want to see the magnificent theatre;
• in the winter, they have a beautiful ice-skating rink in the centre of a park with a castle (it’s full of them);
• go to the spas, although you want to get there early or find yourself in a very long queue, but it is worth it;
• visit a museum, there are so many, my personal favourite was the castle’s museum which had many really interesting artefacts and where you could admire the old architecture and rooms.
• go to Heroe's square! It's really beautiful, surrounded by gardens and museums.

The food in Budapest can be very good, but you need to know how to look for it: ask some friendly person and they’ll be able to guide you. Of course you cannot go to Hungary and not try their delicious Goulash soup! There are also many little adorable restaurants and coffee shops that are true Hungarian, but you must walk in there with an open mind. It is possible to find a coffee shop in someone’s garage, after they  transformed the room in an antique’s shop, with lots of old stuff scattered around or you may find yourself in a restaurant with a similar setting with live traditional Hungarian music. Wonderful experiences for  any traveller. The only thing I would warn any person that suffers from the cold: do not go there in the winter, it can get so cold that the humidity in the air freezes and it starts snowing without any clods!