B U D A P E S T
BUDAPEST OVERVIEW
Set along a gentle curve of the Danube, Budapest is one of Europe’s great old-world cultural oases—a city shaped by empires, revolutions, and artistic brilliance.
Famously known as the “Pearl of the Danube,” it is a captivating union of historic Buda and vibrant Pest, each side offering its own rhythm and perspective.
The city's skyline is a gallery of domes, spires, and neoclassical façades, shaped largely in the 18th and 19th centuries during the height of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Beneath it all lie thermal springs that have drawn visitors since Roman times, giving rise to the city’s ornate bathhouses—an enduring part of daily life and ritual.
Budapest is a city best explored on foot, and one of our hand-picked guides can lead you through its many layers with insight and ease.
From the ramparts of Buda Castle with sweeping views of Pest, to the gilded grandeur of St. Stephen’s Basilica, the experience of Budapest lies not just in its monuments, but in the stories they continue to tell.
Here's what we think should form the core of your experience:
Culture, Identity & the Hungarian Soul
Budapest is a city that wears its culture on its sleeve—and sometimes on its walls.
Walk through the city on any given day and you’ll find a vibrant dialogue between past and present: grand 19th-century façades alongside vivid murals and expressive street art, particularly in the Jewish Quarter.
This district, once a place of both tragedy and tradition, is now a cultural heartbeat of the city. Here, Europe’s largest synagogue stands beside ruin bars carved into the shells of abandoned buildings—unconventional, atmospheric spaces where Budapest’s youth reclaimed history through creativity.
Beyond this urban grit and rebirth lies the city’s more formal cultural lineage: the ornate Hungarian State Opera House, the dignified Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, and an ongoing celebration of artistic achievement through events like the Budapest Spring Festival, which draws talent from across Europe and beyond.
Hungarian culture is complex, often introspective, shaped by centuries of occupation, independence, and artistic expression.
Its literature is laced with melancholy; its music with longing; its language unlike any other in Europe.
And yet, in Budapest, this uniqueness finds confident expression—on the stage, in cafés, in quiet bookstores, and in the soulful strains of a violin echoing through the metro.
Try it out.
Hungarian Cuisine
Despite the distinctly international flavour of Budapest’s dining scene, let us encourage you to immerse yourself in at least a couple of authentic renditions of some of Hungary’s most famous dishes and culinary styles.
It would be positively regrettable to visit Budapest without having at least a couple of gulyás – the world-famous Hungarian goulash stew. Another local favourite is lángos, a deep-fried dough topped with sour cream, cheese, or garlic – sitting somewhere between a doughnut, a tarte-flambée, and a Neapolitan pizza on the spectrum of “flatbread with stuff on it”.
From chicken paprikash to kolbász sausage, the classic dishes of Hungary can be found at every turn in this former jewel of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Our expert tour guides have the knowledge and experience of Budapest to ensure you get to explore the true glory of this underrated culinary destination in Central Europe.
Hungarian History: From Celts to the Capital of an Empire
Budapest’s story is one of resilience and reinvention.
The area was first settled by Celts and later absorbed into the Roman Empire, which left behind fortresses and baths that still echo in the city’s foundations. After Rome’s fall, waves of migration and conquest followed—culminating in the arrival of the Magyars in the 9th century, who laid the foundation for the Hungarian state.
The modern city took shape much later, in 1873, with the official unification of Buda, Pest, and Óbuda. Separated by the Danube, Buda on the west bank became the stately seat of government and royalty, while Pest on the east side evolved into a thriving center of commerce, cafés, and civic life.
That duality still defines Budapest today.
The 19th century saw Hungary flourish under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a period marked by architectural grandeur, literary salons, and cultural blossoming—particularly in Pest, where avenues like Andrássy Út began to rival Paris in sophistication.
But the 20th century brought turbulence. The collapse of the empire after World War I was followed by Nazi German occupation in World War II and a harsh Soviet-backed regime. The 1956 uprising—brutally crushed—remains a defining chapter in Hungary’s national memory.
Yet through it all, Budapest endured.
Today, its streets are layered with the legacy of all these eras—from Roman ruins to Habsburg palaces, from bullet-scarred walls to world-class universities and buzzing ruin bars.
This is a city that still remembers.