• If time is short, go to the medieval streets of Buda. The Castle Hill district, is tailor made for walking around. There are stunning views of the river and of Pest from the turreted battlements of the neo-Gothic Fishermen’s Bastion. You can get there by taking the minifunicular railway from the bottom of the hill or the minibus service that runs very frequently from Moszkva Square.
• On the Pest side, visit the late 19th century Houses of Parliament where you can see the nation’s crown jewels and the Great Synagogue, the second largest in the world.
• The former Royal Palace on the south side of Castle Hill is now a complex of art galleries and museums, including the Hungarian Gallery with its art treasures spanning seven centuries.
• Take a tour and ask the English speaking guides to tell you the heartbreaking story of the Budapest ghetto and the deportation and murder of 500,000 Jews by the Nazis.
• Visit one of the city’s thermal baths. Built above more than 100 naturally hot mineral springs, Budapest is proud of its thermal baths. You have a choice ranging from baths unchanged since the 16th century to art nouveau places. Men and women are segregated; you can either choose wear a swimming costume or strip off completely, as the locals do. Treatments include mud baths and violent massages. Be sure to check opening times and availability.
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