"Budapest" a Budapest Travel Page by elPierro

Budapest is not Eastern European. It's just a westernized city. With prices to match. Something that cannot be matched though is the vibe. Budapest is huge, it has no real centrum, so all of the city, is city.. and takes some time to loose the feeling of being in a big city.

If you think of going to central Europe, Prague and Budapest are the first 2 cities that come to mind visiting. The 2 are a bit like each other. Both are capital cities, both are very big and popular tourist destinations. It's easy to get around with English and they have extensive tram networks.

Both have a river, on one bench hills with a castle on to of it, and on the other is the main part of the city with the center. And there'se the nightlife.

So what's different to Budapest? It's more modern, that means no medieval buildings and small streets. But large heavily decorated buildings with broad streets open to traffic. A slightly less interesting bridge (though budapest has 3 landmark bridges), no main square. It's more expensive but also much more convenient for tourists as it's not packed. The central area is much bigger (Prague is quite compact), cleanerand better organized.

Okay, what is absolutely mandatory when you visit Budapest.

1. The old town in Buda. On top of the hill next to the castle is the old part of the city, with the most important church (Mathias Church) and old houses.

2. The old chainbridge, the most famous bridge of Budapest. The other 2 bridges are the modern white chainbridge and another old iron chain bridge.

3. CityPark. In the North of Buda, you will find the large citypark with the famous Turkish Baths and also some replicated buildings. You can find a transilvanian castle and austrian palace for instance.

4. Parliament, the most imposing building of the city.