You are here: Home > Information > Information Home (Click here to print this page)
Budapest General Information |
Any visit to Budapest reveals a city that is going places. Communism is well and truly history - the young are eager to adopt Western European values, while remaining in an obsessive relationship with Hungary's fascinating past. The traditions and history of the Magyar people are still vitally important, as is the ubiquitous mobile phone.
Hungary's capital gives you two towns for the price of one, divided by Eastern Europe's greatest waterway. Elegant, historic Buda occupies the western bank of the river and looks down from a series of hills on the more prosaic businesses, shops and government buildings of Pest that spread over the plains to the east.
The key to Budapest lies in its history, marked by alternate periods of great wealth and prosperity and devastating eras of political and social upheaval. Repeated warfare was inevitable due to the strategic location of Budapest, spreading out on either side of the River Danube (Duna) in the heart of Europe.
Paris on the Danube
Budapest was established in 1873 when hilly, upscale Buda on the right bank united with the more level, working class Pest on the left.
Sometimes called the "Paris of the East," since the Communist system expired, Budapest has experienced a new surge of dynamism. Luxury hotels and malls, restaurants, bars and clubs have all proliferated.
In 1988, UNESCO protected the historic cityscape by placing it on the World Heritage List. 16 years after the fall of Socialist Eastern Europe, Budapest is no longer a gray, dour capital . It's a lively, friendly, and exciting city, one of Europe's most popular destinations.
Our top 10 things to do in Budapest
|
|
Staggeringly good Budapest stag weekends at StagWeb™ |
 Fun-filled Budapest hen weekends at GoHen™ |
