Budapest - The Jewel in Hungary's Crown

1.Take the Funicular up to the castle district and visit the Royal Palace, home to the National Gallery. The Fisherman's Bastion and Matyas Church and Military Museum are also in the district. Grab an ice cream at the Ruszwurm cafe.

2. A tour of the Hungarian Parliament.

3. Heroes Square and the surrounding city park. Also nearby are Vidam Park (Amusement Park Hungarian style) and the Zoo and the Szechenyi Baths.

4. Vorosmarty Square (stop for a cake at the Gerbeaud Cafe) and Vaci Utca.

5. The City Market (nagycsarnok) - a real taste of Hungary.

6. Margit Island - in the middle of the Danube and oasis of calm in the heart of the city.

7. Gellert Hill for the Citadel and beautiful floodlit views of Budapest at night.

8. The West End Centre for shopaholics.

9. Take the lift to the gallery at the top of St. Stephens Basillica for panoramic views of the city.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Quick Tips:

Get hold of the Budapest Card for hassle free travel and free or reduced entries to the best museums and galleries.

For a real taste of Hungarian cuisine, visit the Karpatia, Apostolok or (if you have a reasonable budget) Gundel Restaurant. Or for something simple grab a Langos (a speciality bread) at the city market.

Budapest is well known for its outdoor cafes and restaurants along the Duna Korso (Danube Embankment).

Best Way To Get Around:

Public transport is excellent and will get you to all the major sites. The city has an extensive network of buses, trams and trolleybuses, supplemented by 3 metro lines and 5 suburban railway lines. Ensure you have a properly validated ticket though, as tickets are checked frequently by roaming inspectors. They will happily dole out fines to people abusing the system or travelling without valid tickets (use the Budapest card for hassle free travel).

Budapest is also a city to stroll in. Avoid driving unless you are familiar with Hungarian drivers!

The Taverna is a four star hotel with an enviable location on Budapests premiere shopping street, Vaci Utca. It is also 5 minutes walk from Deak Ter Metro station which gives you access to all three metro lines. There are 226 rooms in total, all with airconditioning. Facilities are fine, though the rooms could do with a fresh lick of paint (a redecoration programme was in hand last time I visited).

Buffet breakfast is normally included in the room price and is excellent. To be honest, you can skip lunch after you've tucked into the hot and cold fare on offer.

Service is pretty good and friendly, with a fairly young staff, most of whom speak either English or German.

The hotel is home to one of Hungary's best restaurants, the Gambrinus. Excellent Hungarian food, but a bit pricey (in Hungarian terms) if you have a tight budget. The Zsolnay Cafe (your coffee and cakes are served on the famous porcelain) makes a decent spot for a break. They also do an excellent all you can eat buffet lunch for around HUF 3000.

Normally, my budget does not let me stretch to a 5 star hotel. However, I was fortunate to take advantage of a special opening offer advertised on the Hilton website, which gave a 50% price reduction on the room rate along with two additional perks, a free Budapest card and a complimentary dinner. Things got even better when we arrived as we were offered a free upgrade to executive rooms.

The hotel opened in early 2001 and is integrated into the West End Centre shopping mall. Indeed the hotel has its own entrance into the mall.

The guestrooms are extremely comfortable and tastefully furnished, with all the facilities you'd expect from a Hilton Hotel.

The buffet breakfast included in the price was very substantial with a good selection of items, both hot and cold.

The restaurant is also of a high standard. Normally, we seek out local restaurants in preference to eating in the hotel. However, the complimentary dinner coupon allowed us to sample the fare on offer. The menu offers Hungarian and international dishes. I plumped for Hungarian whilst the rest of the family opted for international choice. Everyone was more than satisfied, but I think I got the better deal. My starter of Piritott Libamaj (Foie Gras) with toasted brioche was truly delicious and my main course of traditional Csirke Paprikas (Chicken Paprika) is the best I've eaten outside of home cooking. My desert of Tokaj mousse, while very nice, lacked a strong Tokaj flavour (perhaps the chef only held the bottle over the mousse :-)). We drank Chilean Chardonnay with the meal, a good choice.

Service was very good and efficient throughout our stay. I'd certainly return again if I could afford it.

N.B. The address of the Hotel is not the fashionable shopping street in downtown. That is Vaci Utca and not Vaci Ut as here.

The Panorama used to be called the Voros Csillag (Red Star) during the communist regime. Despite the name, it was always a comfy hotel, with an excellent location in the Buda hills. In addition to the hotel, the grounds also house around 70 Scandinavian style bungalows in a 2 acre park. I've stayed here around half a dozen times over the years, both in the hotel (which resembles a hunting lodge) and the bungalows. Both are fine, though the bungalows can be a bit stuffy when the weather is really hot. However, there is a heated swimming pool in the grounds in which to cool off.

Don't be put off by the fact the hotel is away from the town centre, as you can travel down each morning on either the Childrens railway (see seperate entry) or the Cogwell railway which is part of the City transport system. The 56 tram stops at the terminus of both railways and will whisk you to Moszkva Ter and its tram/metro connections.

The buffet breakfast that is normally included in the room price is substantial and the hotel also has a good first class restaurant serving Hungarian and international cuisine. The outdoor terrace is a nice place to enjoy dinner and as it gets dark, you can gaze down on the shimmering lights of Budapest.

One of the best restaurants to head for if you want to sample Hungarian cuisine, though international dishes are available too. Begin you meal with a traditional Gyulas (not a stew as served abroad, but a soup) then tuck into a hearty main couse such as Flekken (delicious belly pork) with onion potatoes. To round off your meal, there is nothing better than a selection of retes (strudel) with a choice of apple, poppyseed or Cheese (my personal fave). There is also a fine selection of underated Hungarian Wines to quaff or a Korso or two of Hungarian Beer. As well as the quality food on offer, the restaurant itself is beautifully decorated in traditional Hungarian style. This makes for an atmospheric setting, particularly if you are dining in the evening.

This small but historic cafe in the castle district is well worth a visit as it serves up some of the best cakes and ice cream in Budapest (I find that ice cream is far better outside the capital to be honest). You can either buy items to take away from the wooden counter or try and grab one of the small tables in the main room. Be warned though, the cafe is very popular and unless you arrive early or are visiting out of season, getting a table is near impossible. Even if you are lucky, service can be a little slow, particularly if the counter is busy. I would recommend traditional cakes such as Dobos Torta (alternate layers of sponge and chocolate cream nestling under a crunchy caramel top, Esterhazy Torta or Turo Torta (Hungarian Cheesecake, much lighter than its American counterpart). Ice cream flavours will vary from day to day. If you want a selection ask for "vegyes fagylalt". If you are buying an ice cream cone to eat outside, you'll need to specify the number of scoops (gombocs). Ruszwurm is well worth a visit while you are in the Castle district

The "Regi Voros Postakocsi" means old red mailcoach in Hungarian and is situated midway along the popular Raday utca. Raday utca is a pedestrianised street (apart from the odd bus) just off of Kalvin Ter that has become very trendy in recent years and is full of bars and restaurants with pleasant outdoor seating areas. The restaurant has space for approx 60 diners inside. However, in good weather, ignore the inside tables and instead bag one of the 10 or so tables on the terrace area.

The cuisine here is typically Hungarian with lots of meat dishes, particularly game. However, there are also options for vegetarians too. Menus are multiligual and the waiters understand a bit of English or German. The food here is very well prepared and nicely presented. They obviously have a good brigade in the kitchen at the moment that care about their food.

The wine list is good and will not burn a hole in your wallet. Beer drinkers may wish to try the rather nice local brew Dreher, which is available on draught.

Service here is also genuinely friendly and efficient (sometimes service can be a real let down in Budapest though, thankfully, things are improving), but you are allowed to linger over your coffee and not rushed out at the end of the meal.

Expect to pay around £15-£20 per head $25-$30 for a meal inc. taxes.

If I was asked to recommend a good Hungarian restaurant to people, this one would certainly be on my shortlist.

Towards the end of each trip I make to Budapest, I always head to the Central Market Hall (Nagycsarnok) to stock up on numerous food items that are not readily available or prohibitively expensive in the UK. Now that Hungary is finally in the EU, most of the restrictions on the importation of foodstuffs no longer apply, which has led to an increase in the number of painful choices I have to make over what I finally pack into my suitcase.

The Market is a joy to visit, not only to admire the sheer quality and range of food that is available, but also to see a shining example of what a bustling market hall should be. It certainly puts modern supermarkets to shame (visit the Match Szupermarket in the basement to make an instant comparison).

This grand, ornate market hall has been here for over 100 years (when it was first built it was the most advanced market in the world) and was painstakingly restored to its current glory in 1994, after many years of neglect. The range of produce on display is superb, with counter after counter of fresh local vegetables, sausages and other cooked meats, shelves of fiery (and not so fiery) Paprika in decorative tins or presentation packages.

In the basement, you’ll find stalls selling a wide range of pickles and spices (just follow your nose) as well as huge tanks of live freshwater fish. Indeed, when buying your fish, you’ll get a sturdy water-filled polythene bag in which to carry your live purchase home (you can then let the fish spend its last few hours swimming happily in your bath before cooking), ensuring it remains really fresh.

On the gallery level, there are a number of "fast food" stalls offering traditional Hungarian goodies such as Langos (fried dough), Fozelek (vegetable based stews) and Hurka (blood pudding). While these perhaps sounding rather unappetising, they are in fact delicious and very cheap. Langos in particular are fantastic accompanied drizzled in soured cream & cheese or simply rubbed with garlic.

The upstairs galleries are also home to numerous concessions selling various Hungarian handicrafts, including beautiful embroidery, though many items are pretty expensive. Having, you may wish to test your haggling skills to see if you can negotiate a more favourable price.

The castle district is always near or at the top of any visitor's must see list, and deservedly so. Many of the cities richest attractions are in the district, which is compact enough to cover on foot. Its hilltop setting also offers many vantage points for superb views across the Danube to Pest. The best ways to reach the central area are by the splendidly reconstruced funicular or the small minibuses (Var Busz) that start their journey from Moskva Ter (at intervals of approx 5 minutes). The most important attractions (for which I'll add seperate, more detailed entries) are the Fishermans Castle, Matyas Templom and Royal Palace, although almost every house is worthy of a photo or has some significant historical importance.

I would recommend visiting the Castle District early in the morning to avoid the huge numbers of tour groups or a lengthy wait to enter places like the Matyas Templom. It also has to be said that the place is particularly beautiful and atmospheric at night and the Hungarian genius for using flood lights really comes into its own. Coupled with the wrought iron street lamps, the castle district at night is a joy to behold.

In common with many cities elsewhere, most of the larger hotels in Budapest lay on lunchtime or weekend "all you can eat" buffets ranging in price from 3500 - 6000 forints per head (£9-15 or $13-20) dollars. These buffets are an excellent way of sampling some of the best Hungarian dishes in high class surroundings and with good service.

For example, a couple of years ago, I was told by one of my cousins that if I had a chance, I should try the weekend buffet in the Budapest Hilton. We visited on the saturday and were soon settling down in the main Hilton resturant, taking in a glorious view of the Parliament across the Danube.

The food was truly excellent, with a selection of around twelve starters (laid out Smorgasbord Style), 6 main courses and a similar selection of desserts including exquisite patisserie. We accompanied this with unlimited quantities of Hungarian sparkling wine (Peszgo) or orange juice. Coffee rounded off the meal. Service, primarily for drinks/coffee was attentive but unobtrusive.

It was particularly nice to notice that it was not just foreign visitors were taking advantage of the weekend buffet as many of the tables were occupied with locals.

We did not book beforehand but in order to bag one of the window tables, you'd be advised to make a reservation a few days in advance.

Details of the Buffets are normally advertised in the "Where in Budapest" monthly magazine, available in most hotels

Budapest is currently going through something of a hotel building boom. Lack of tourist rooms has always been something of a problem and this is now being addressed.

Many of the new establishments are at the higher end of the scale i.e. 4 and 5 star establishments.

If you are canny, when you research your accommodation, check out the Hotel chain websites as they often have special introductory offers to entice customers (particularly business travellers)to newly opened hotels.

I benefited from this last year when I looked at the introductory offers for the newly opened Hilton West End Center (see accommodation entry). They had a special weekend offer for a 3 night stay (inc. breakfast) that was 50% of the normal rate. Included in this price was a free Budapest travel pass and a complimentary dinner. Things got even better when I arrived as I was given an upgrade to an executive room and a discount voucher book to use in the shopping mall.

I really enjoyed my stay and got exceptional value for money. All this for around 1 hours worth of surfing. So if you are looking for a bargain and a bit of pampring for a good price, take heed!