Insight Guides - Insight Guides Explore Budapest (Travel Guide with Free eBook)

How To Use This E-Book

This Explore Guide has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With top-quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the worlds most exciting destinations.

Best Routes

The routes in this book provide something to suit all budgets, tastes and trip lengths. As well as covering the destinations many classic attractions, the itineraries track lesser-known sights, and there are also excursions for those who want to extend their visit outside the city. The routes embrace a range of interests, so whether you are an art fan, a gourmet, a history buff or have kids to entertain, you will find an option to suit.

We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments options are shown in the Food and Drink box at the end of each tour.

Introduction

The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink, shopping and more, while a succinct history timeline highlights the key events over the centuries.

Directory

Also supporting the routes is a Directory chapter, with a clearly organised AZ of practical information, our pick of where to stay while you are there and select restaurant listings; these eateries complement the more low-key cafs and restaurants that feature within the routes and are intended to offer a wider choice for evening dining. Also included here are some nightlife listings, plus a handy language guide and our recommendations for books and films about the destination.

Getting around the e-book

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

Youll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Recommended Routes For...

Architecture buffs

Mikls Ybls buildings, like the Hungarian State Opera ().

Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications

Bars and nightlife

Stop by Szimpla Kert, Budapests first and most famous ruin bar ().

Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications

Families

Children can make friends at the Budapest Zoo ().

Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications

Foodies

Learn all about Hungarian produce at the Great Market Hall ().

Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications

Hikers

The Buda Hills offer a mixture of pretty villas and scenic woodland ().

Shutterstock

History lovers

Wander the historic streets around the Royal Palace ().

Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications

Off-the-beaten-track

Recent renovation works have turned the former industrial IX District into a lively cultural hub () to escape the crowds.

Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications

Shopaholics

Youll find all the top names on Andrssy Avenue ().

Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications

Explore Budapest

Split in two by the Danube River, Budapest is famous for its impressive Royal Palace, its octet of bridges, thermal baths and ruin pubs. Hungarys capital is one of Europes most beautiful cities, with a colourful history and a thriving cultural scene.

Budapest lies in the central-northern part of Hungary, towards the Slovakian border and just a few hours train ride away from both Vienna and Bratislava. Its name derives from two historically independent cities on either side of the Danube: Buda and Pest.

To the west of the city, Budas hilly topography is punctuated with medieval streets, Ottoman relics and grand villas, and youll even find Roman ruins in the district known as buda. In contrast, Pest to the east stretches out along a flat terrain that marks the beginning of the Great Hungarian Plain, set with grand tree-lined boulevards and imposing architecture.

South Pests Great Market Hall

iStock

In 1873, the three cities of Buda, Pest and buda unified to become one city. Lying at the heart of Central Europe, Budapest is no stranger to attack, from the 12412 Mongol invasion to its 150-year-occupation by the Ottomans before falling under Habsburg rule. On top of this, Budapest still bears the scars from two world wars and the 1956 uprising against the Soviet forces.

As a destination, Budapest has a lot to offer. Firstly, its a spa city, so you can take to the waters and luxuriate in wonderfully decadent surroundings. It is also a city of culture. The banks of the Danube and the Castle District of Buda, as well as Andrssy Avenue and the surrounding historical areas, are designated Unesco World Heritage Sites, and there are plenty of excellent museums and galleries to explore.

To top it all off, Hungarian cuisine has made great advances in recent decades, ushering in a new generation of chefs serving up innovative dishes and giving Hungarian classics a modern twist.