Budapest Accommodation & Cheap Lodging

Budapest – one of the world's most beautiful cities - has succeeded in preserving its soul, although the city has been rapidly modernised in recent years. Today the Danube, the old Art Nouveau palace and the wide boulevards have been joined by gourmé restaurants and trendy bars. Those who are interested in history and likes to party comes here - and anyone who wants to relax in the city's many steam baths.

You are either on route to – or have just arrived in – a city which is not only beautiful and full of historical monuments and dramatic memories. It is also a city which is excellent for both walking around in or exciting expeditions. The River Danuber flows right through the heart of Budapest and thus creates a point of reference for visitors who are either on the old cobbled streets on the Buda side, or in the 19th century boulevards on the Pest side. Your interests will decide on which side of the Danube you spend most of your time. Anyone interested in history will find it difficult to tear oneself away from Buda, where the Palace summit creates an atmosphere of mediaeval Budapest. Shopaholics will very soon be enticed by the other side of the river where the shops and nightlife compete for everyone's attention. Budapest is really the fusion of three towns, Buda, Óbuda and Pest. Back in 106 AD, the Romans founded the city of Aquincum in the north-east corner of the Danube. Several changes of population later, at the end of the ninth century, the Magyars arrived. They were descended from a Finnish-Ugrian tribe with roots in Siberia. The Magyar city, with its palace and ring-wall, came to be called Buda, and Aquincum was later called Óbuda. The other side of the river was also settled, in the area which would later be called Pest. Having been invaded by the Turks - and later by the Austrian army - in 1869 Hungary was elevated to an equal partner in the Austro-Hungarian double monarchy. Budapest became one of the most important ports on the Danube and soon also an industrial centre.

The Scéchenyi Baths Budapest is famous for its baths, the hot water of which flows from a hundred streams. Scéchenyi are Budapest's most famous outdoor swimming baths. These beautiful baths, in New Baroque style, are open all year round.

The Main Synagogue / Nagy Zsinagóga The Jewish quarter on the Pest side is one of the largest in Europe, although the Jewish popoulation declined greatly during World War II. This is where the Main Synagogue is located, the largest in the world outside of New York.

Castle Of Buda The palace on Buda Hill contains several museums, including the Ludwig Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery and the Budapest Palace Museum. There are also narrow alleys and magnificent churches. The walled Catle Hills (Várhegy) is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Hungarian State Opera Budapest, together with Vienna, is an international capital of opera. The beautiful State Opera, completed in 1884, is worth a visit even if you are not interested in listening to opera.

Buda Hills On a clear day you should take the tram or bus to Buda Hills, via the cog railway. Here you will find peace and calm high above the city, with a magnificent view from János-hegy.

Szoborpark (the Statue Park) Here you will find one of Budapest's most remarkable attractions. When the proletarian dictatorship's enormous monuments and statues were no longer politically correct – after 1989-90 – they were moved from their conspicuous locations in the centre to a suburb of Buda. Here – in this "Communist theme park" – among other things, there is the gigantic statue of Lenin and Cubist statues of Marx and Engels.

Budapest Restaurants
In the old days, Hungarian food was honest but heavy. These days, influences from all over the world have poured in, but they are being careful not to impoverish their traditions. Modern Hungarian cuisine is among the best in Europe. Not only that, it is not expensive. You will find most restaurants, and the best ones, on the Pest side.

Budapest Bars & Nightlife Budapest has all kinds of nightlife, from smoky beer halls to Bohemian artists' clubs and expensive champagne bars. There was actually a very active nightlife scene even before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Budapest Stores and shopping streets
Budapest is famous for its moderately priced antiques which you can find in places such as the Falk Miksa utca quarter. One of the most popular Hungarian souvenirs is handmade Herend pottery, which has been in production since 1828. The beautiful, hand-painted vases, dishes and porcelain have won many gold medals at various world exhibitions. The factory's own shop is on József Nádor square. Around the corner is Vörösmarty Square where you can either recover over a cup of coffee and a cream cake at the city's most famous patisserie, Café Gerbeaud, or carry on to Luxus – the department store with the international fashion houses' most famous stores. The Vaci utca pedestrian street between Vörösmarty square and the Market Square is Budapest's largest shopping centre. This is where you will find the international fashion houses' own stores, souvenir shops, wine shops and several galleries. Do not miss the small cross-streets with their sweet little shops and upscale wine merchants. Many Budapest residents think that the prices in this area are too high and instead do their shopping in Pest's gigantic Westend or in the shops in the Great Ring, which is what they call the boulevard around the city centre. The new, young shops are scattered around the centre on the Pest side. Király Street is being transformed into a design centre. Do not miss Nagycsarnok on Vámház street, Budapest's great market hall built in 1896, which has everything that Hungary can offer in the way of food. Here you can buy Hungarian specialities such as, for example, the world-renowned Tokay wine Tokaji Aszú. "The wine of kings, the king of wines" – its special flavour is of sweet, overripe and shrivelled grapes. A dessert wine which complements cakes and desserts perfectly. On the first floor, they sell high quality Hungarian souvenirs such as cloth, garments etc.