Things to Do in Spiš Region

Budapest might just be Europe's most underrated capital, and honestly, that's part of its charm. The city straddles the Danube with surprising grace - Buda's rolling hills and royal castle on one side, Pest's grand boulevards and ruin bars on the other. What strikes you immediately is how lived-in it feels compared to other European capitals; this isn't a museum city, it's a place where thermal baths have been part of daily life for centuries and where you'll find some of the continent's most inventive nightlife tucked into crumbling courtyards. The architecture tells the story of a city that's seen everything - Gothic churches, Ottoman baths, Austro-Hungarian grandeur, and Soviet-era monuments all coexisting in ways that shouldn't work but somehow do. You'll likely find yourself doing double-takes at the sheer scale of things here; the Parliament building is genuinely massive, the thermal baths feel like Roman palaces, and even the metro stations have a certain faded elegance that's hard to find elsewhere.

Hungarian food is heartier and more interesting than you might expect, going well beyond the goulash that everyone knows about. The restaurant scene has really evolved in recent years, with a new generation of chefs putting modern spins on traditional dishes while keeping the soul intact. You'll find excellent value at traditional places like Frici Papa or Kádár Étkezde, where a full meal might cost 3,000-5,000 HUF. For something more upscale, places like Borkonyha or Costes offer world-class dining at prices that would be considered reasonable in most Western European capitals. Don't miss the market halls and street food - lángos, chimney cake, and proper Hungarian sausages are all worth seeking out.

May through September gives you the warmest weather and longest days, but honestly, Budapest has a certain melancholy beauty in winter that's pretty compelling. The thermal baths are particularly magical when there's snow on the ground, and the Christmas markets are genuinely charming rather than just tourist traps. July and August can get surprisingly hot and crowded, so if you want warm weather without the peak-season chaos, late spring or early fall might be your sweet spot. That said, hotel prices drop significantly in winter, and you'll have those famous sights largely to yourself.