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Hungary’s capital Budapest is one of those grand old cities oozing with bygone opulence and vibrating with life.

There’s the Váci Utca, possibly Budapest’s most famous pedestrian street, with its fancy shops and restaurants right next to old-fashioned market halls and street vendors. The covered markets offer everything you could possibly need and they’re a great source for authentic Hungarian food – I just hope you like paprika, because you can buy it in any conceivable form.

Getting around Budapest is child’s play. The underground and trams are very easy to navigate, even if you do not speak or read Hungarian. The M1 or Millenium Underground (which is the yellow line running the length of Andrássy út) is continental Europe’s oldest underground railway and still in use today. And even if you get lost in the city, you’ll always find your way back if you orientate yourself on the river Danube, which runs right through the city.

Paprika Vendor in Budapest. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

Váci Utca in Budapest. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

Budapest Great Market Hall. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

One of the things Budapest is famous for, is its thermal baths. Arguably the best-known one is the Gellért Bath, a gorgeous bath in Jugendstil architecture, although there are  21 baths in total in Budapest, some of them several hundred years old.

The big pool of the Gellért Baths. The glass roof can be fully opened. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

Outside Wavepool of the Gellért Thermal Baths. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

Detail in the Gellért Baths. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

The front of the Gellért Hotel & Thermal Baths. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

Budapest’s history, from the Osmans to the Habsburg rule and part of the Soviet Union can be seen everywhere. Grand buildings like the Buda Castle, the Parliament building and Halászbástya (Fishermen’s Bastion) are a part of Budapest as are Hungary’s “Champs-Élysées” Andrássy út, Hősöktere (Hero’s Square) and various museums ranging from the Kunsthalle and Museum of Fine Art to the House of Terror.

Fishermen’s Bastion. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

Detail at Fishermen’s Bastion. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

Gellért Hill on the Buda side of the city. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

Statues at Hero’s Square. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

On warm days, locals and tourists alike flock to Danube Island Margit-sziget (Margaret Island) with its parks, World Heritage Water Tower – which offers great panoramic views – and an open air theatre.  Nearby Óbudai Sziget is home to the Sziget  Music Festival every August. Music lovers should check it out, as it has repeatedly been voted Europe’s best festival.

The Parliament Building in Budapest. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann

Water Tower on Margaret Island. Copyright Cornelia Kaufmann