Budapest is the capital city of Hungary, made up of Buda and Pest, with the Danube River flowing past them, along a stretch of 28 kilometers. The two previously independent cities together with Óbuda were united in 1873, and became a single city occupying both banks of the River Danube. The famous public buildings, the green hills of Buda, the wide avenues and shopping centers of Pest, the connecting bridges over the river really make Budapest one of the most enjoyable cities in Europe.

Eight bridges span the Danube in Budapest linking Buda and Pest, each with a fascinating tale to tell.

Lake Balaton’s prestigious Blue Ribbon sailing competition attracts huge crowds every summer. It’s Europe’s longest round-the-lake sailing event and sees competitors navigate a 93-mile route in the fastest time possible within a 48-hour period.

Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe.

Around an hour’s drive southwest of Budapest, Lake Balaton is Central Europe’s largest lake. Its shoreline is dotted with popular ‘beach resorts’ and the area is home to rolling hills, vineyards and lavender fields.

Known as the ‘Hungarian Sea’, Lake Balaton attracts landlocked sun seekers from across the country to swim, sail, walk and cycle, and to eat and drink at its top notch restaurants and wineries.

You can explore Lake Balaton on bike. A wide path encircles the entire lake along a route that encompasses 93 miles of coastline. There are rental shops in the major resorts and plenty of pit stops along the way to pick up drinks, ice cream.

Sports like sailing and windsurfing are at their finest.

Considered the Hungarian inner sea, Lake Balaton is home to picturesque landscapes surrounded by ancient fortresses, underwater cave galleries, vineyards and historic towns.

Romans came here to bathe more than 2,000 years ago. Since then it has been a hotspot for relaxation and mineral treatments in all of the Balkans and Central Europe. Scattered over the area of Lake Balaton, the wonderful springs number more than 1,000 and are famed for their medicinal powers. Héviz is one of the most popular and offers a whole range of different treatments and programs.

Healing Thermal Waters

Heviz is Europe’s largest thermal lake. The healing sulphuric waters are naturally heated to around 30°C (86°F) and are said to help promote relaxation and ease ailments like rheumatism. You can spend your time floating in the waters around the historic bathing house or book a soothing massage. There’s also a hospital in the area for treatments based around water therapy.

Buda Castle

Rising 48 meters above the Danube, the Castle Hill dominates the city. This hill is the place where Budapest was founded. It is a small, densely built rock, with the Buda Castle as the most prominent building.

The Castle area consists of two distinct parts: the Old Town and the Royal Palace. On bright spring days people invite friends for a “walk in the Castle”, i.e. to wander around the Castle Hill quarter. The most exiting way of getting to the Castle is by taking the Funicular, a little cable car up the Castle Hill.

The Fisherman’s Bastion is the favourite attraction of locals and tourists alike when it comes to seeing the Budapest panorama, or to feel the romance of the city.

The building of the Parliament is 268 m long and 123 m wide, it has 691 rooms. This is the third largest parliament building in the world. The length of all the stairs together measures about 20 kilometers. The most impressive is the grand staircase. The central dome’s height reaches 96 m. The building has 27 entrance gates.

The Chain Bridge was the first permanent stone-bridge connecting Pest and Buda, and only the second permanent crossing on the whole length of the river Danube. It is one of the symbolic buildings of Budapest, the most widely known bridge of the Hungarian capital.

Budapest is often called the “Queen of the Danube”.

A night view of the Danube riverbanks with the lit up Budapest palace in the foreground. Reflections of the structure can be seen in the river.