All About Budapest & Hungary

The capital of Hungary, Budapest, is divided by the river Danube. In the XIX. The Chain Bridge, built in the 16th century, connects the hilly Buda side with the flat Pest. You can reach the Old Town of Buda by cable car running on the side of Várdomb, where the Budapest History Museum presents city life dating back to Roman times. Holy Trinity Square is home to the 13th century. The Matthias Church and the shooting towers of the Fisherman's Bastion, from which we can enjoy the city from afar.

Budapest is the capital of Hungary, the largest and most populous city, the ninth most populous city in the European Union. Budapest is the political, cultural, commercial, industrial and transport center of the country. It is also the seat of the dedicated Pest county, but it is not part of it. Its registered population in 2017 exceeded 1.7 (including 2.5) million people.

History of Budapest

The history of Budapest dates back to the Celts, as the city was originally a Celtic settlement. Created by the Romans, Aquincum on the right bank of the Danubius River and Contra-Aquincum on the left bank were the provincial capitals of Pannonia. The Hungarians came to this area in the 9th century. The first settlement they established was completely looted and destroyed by the Mongols between 1241 and 1242 during the Tartar invasion. In the 15th century, the restored city became the center of Renaissance humanism in Hungary. After that, one hundred and fifty years of Turkish occupation became his fate, and only in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was enhanced by the fact that, after the compromise, Vienna was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Buda, Pest and Óbuda were united in 1873, when Budapest was established. It was during this time that the city’s most famous buildings were built, and it was then that it grew into a world city.

City Tourism

Budapest is also a popular tourist destination, with 4,821,600 tourists visiting in 2012, making it the 27th most visited city in the world and the 7th most visited in Europe by Euromonitor International. There are several World Heritage Sites in Budapest, including a view of the Danube bank, the Buda Castle District, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest in the world after London. The city’s Danube bridges and spas are also important for tourism, as Budapest is the capital with the most spas in the world. It is also home to the world’s largest thermal water cave system, Europe’s largest synagogue (Dohány Street) and the Hungarian Parliament, the world’s third largest parliamentary building and the current home of the Holy Crown.

Budapest is one of the financial centers of Central Europe and the 100th largest GDP-producing city in the world. According to the American magazine Forbes, Budapest is the 7th "most idyllic city in Europe". UCityGuides ranks it as the 9th most beautiful city in the world. According to the 1.3 million people surveyed by the influential American travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler, "Budapest is the second best city in the world". According to the research of Economist magazine, the Hungarian capital is also one of the 10 most popular shopping cities in Europe, as it is home to most of the shopping centers in Central and Eastern Europe.

Hungarian Kitchen

The ingredients of the traditional Hungarian dishes are meat, fresh vegetables, fruits, fresh bread, dairy products and honey. Grilled soups, fruit soups, tender vegetables, hot noodles, meatballs with vegetables, many variations of tasty sauces, as well as the wonderful richness of Hungarian, beef, pork, lamb, poultry, fish and game dishes . The most well-known Hungarian national dishes are stew, goulash, fish soup, stuffed cabbage, paprika chicken, paprika potatoes, pork chop, bean soup and cottage cheese. The special feature of fish soup is that while in Europe one person eats 22–24 kg of fish per year, in Hungary the same annual figure is less than 4 kg / person. This small amount is due to our Christmas fish-eating traditions and our fish cooking gastronomic heritage on the Danube and Tisza.

If you go to Hungary I can't miss it:

  • Goulash Soup
  • Lángos
  • Chicken paprikash
  • Sponge Cake of Somloi Style
  • Halászlé