"Budapest" a Budapest Travel Page by littlesam1

Much has been written about Budapest both here on Virtual Tourist and in many guide books. Its almost required to tell you that Budapest is in reality a combination of three ancient cities. It seems most guide books mention that its called the Pearl of the Danube. And there is much written about the communist occupation of Budapest after World War II. I have also read many people comparing Budapest to Prague. Its more beautiful than Prague,its not as beautiful as Prague, its not as touristy as Prague, etc. But to compare it to any other city is unfair to Budapest itself. It has its own idenity and does not need to be compared to any other cities.

I spent eight days in Budapest. I walked the streets, explored the alleys, visited the churches, ate the food, and met the people. I found it a challenge to get to know Budapest. But I found it worth the effort. I found everything in Budapest to be beautiful from a distance and yet up close everything seemed to have an edge to it. This is not a criticism. This made Budapest more interesting to me. I found that I could take nothing at face value. For every beautiful monument spot lighted on a hill top, I had to get closer to see the age and damage done to the monument over the years. From the decaying outward appearance of the Ruda baths I had to go inside to see the beauty of the ancient Turkish bath house with the colorful glass tiled ceilings. Nothing was quite as it appeared in Budpest. It was a wonderful challenge.

So grab your baseball cap. Place it firmly on your head and follow this guy in the hat through the streets of Budapest.