Budapest

Budapest is one of those cities that earns its reputation without trying too hard. Split by the Danube into hilly Buda on one side and flat, bustling Pest on the other, the city has a layered, almost melancholy grandeur that sets it apart from Vienna's polish or Prague's fairytale prettiness.

There's something rawer here — Soviet-era apartment blocks alongside gilded opera houses, ruin bars spilling out of crumbling courtyards, thermal steam rising from century-old bathhouses at seven in the morning.

The thermal baths alone are worth the trip. Széchenyi in City Park is the most famous — an enormous yellow baroque complex where locals play chess in the outdoor pools year-round. Rudas, perched on the Buda side near the Danube, has a more atmospheric Ottoman interior and a rooftop pool with views worth staying in the water for. Go on a weekday if you want space.

Weekends attract younger crowds and the experience shifts accordingly.

For food, skip the tourist menus on Váci Street entirely and head to the Jewish Quarter around Kazinczy utca, where you'll find lángos (deep-fried dough topped with sour cream and cheese), honest goulash, and excellent Hungarian wine by the glass. The Great Market Hall near Szabadság híd is genuinely useful for picking up paprika, salami, and a proper sense of how the city eats.

Getting around is straightforward. The metro is cheap and efficient, the yellow Line 1 being the oldest underground railway in continental Europe. Trams run along both riverbanks and are particularly scenic at night. For accommodation, District VII (Erzsébetváros) puts you close to the ruin bars and the action, while quieter streets in District V suit those wanting to be central without the noise.

Come in spring or early autumn when temperatures are comfortable and the city feels most alive. Bring layers — the weather shifts quickly, especially near the river.