Budapest Travel Guide

Travel guide to Budapest, Hungary with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Budapest sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.

Budapest Overview

The City of Budapest is the historic capital of Hungary, and is the most important tourist destination in the country. An enchanting city boasting monumental architecture, cobbled streets and ancient spas, Budapest rejoices in an exotic beauty, a lively history and maintains a fast paced modern life.

Budapest has something to offer for anyone, whether they are looking for the historic and cultural side of the city or to have fun in the bars, Budapest is a truly unique city, and is becoming one of the most short break destinations in Eastern Europe. Budapest has a history that rivals that of Prague and Vienna as one of the cultural hot spots of Europe, and it practically guarantees that tourists to this beautiful city have plenty to interest them during their stay.

Budapest has some great nightlife with has something for pretty much any taste on offer. You can get cheap flights to Budapest at almost any time and the low cost of living in comparison to similar cities means that it is always a good value choice for a city break.

Top Budapest Attractions

Two cities in one, Buda lies on the west bank of the Danube, and its main attractions are the castle and the Hapsburg Palace, along with most of the residential areas. The east bank city, Pest is more interesting for tourists, and is where you find most of the attractions. Make sure you spend time seeing St Stephen's Basilica, the National Museum, and Budapest Zoo.

Aside from the many well priced bars and nightclubs where the entertainment is all about dance music and people watching, Budapest offers some great attractions for culture vultures. The Hungarian National Opera is every bit as good as its Vienna equivalent, and tickets cost a fraction of the price. The Municipal Circus is also well worth a visit - although not for animal rights fans, as the circus features some four legged performers.

Shopping in Budapest

With a low cost of living in comparison to western Europe, and a population increasingly keen to get themselves decked out in the latest fashions, Budapest is developing a reputation as a place to go for cheap clothes and designer goods, as well as great value Hapsburg era antiques.

The main shopping area is in Vaci Utca, home to a number of department stores of varying quality. If you prefer things a little more earthy, head to Nagy Vasarcsarnok, where there are a collection of markets selling crafts and second hand goods.

Budapest Sporting Events

Football fans are in for a treat in Budapest, as there are no less than 8 Hungarian first division teams that call the city home. The standard of football is not the highest, but the fans are fanatical, so the atmosphere at matches is worth experiencing.

The other major event in the sporting calendar of Budapest is the annual Formula 1 grand Prix at the historic Hungaroring circuit. This annual event is widely described as the dullest in the calendar, and features almost no overtaking.