Insider Guide: Best of Budapest

More than just the merger of Buda and Pest, the Pearl of the Danube is also the cultural crossroads of Europe's east and west

Budapest usually comes as a sweet surprise to travelers, who don’t quite know what expect before visiting this city of 1.7 million.

With the wide Danube winding through its center, one of Europe’s most stunning skylines and plenty of fabulous architecture lining the Buda and Pest sides of the river, Budapest can justly claim to be one of Europe’s prettiest cities.

In many ways it’s still in transition.

It has made so much progress over the past two and a half decades since the fall of the Iron Curtain, yet everywhere there are unmistakable signs that still better things are yet to come.

The din of major construction and restoration projects is ever-present.

The local fashion and design scene has taken off, and of course there’s the food.

Hungarian cuisine is worth traveling for, and the restaurants in Budapest -- from the traditional to the Michelin-starred -- are still a relative bargain.

Luckily the country also produces equally fine wine to pair with the food.

There’s no better place to start than with the best of Budapest.

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