City guide: Budapest

Published on Thursday 8 July 2010 12:50

Friday, 8pm Check in at Budapest Panorama Central (1052 Budapest, Károly Körút 10, www.budapestpanorama.net, double rooms from £40 a night), five minutes from St Stephen's Basilica.

Saturday, 10am Travel on the red metro line from Deak Ter to Kossuth Ter to see the Hungarian Parliament building (www.parlament.hu/parl, guided tours 14 for adults, 7 for children). Nearby is the memorial to the 1956 Hungarian Uprising.

12.30pm Head across to the other side of the River Danube, which can be accessed via metro (Batthyany Ter on the red line). Jump on the funicular railway up to Buda Castle (www.budapestinfo.org/castledistrict).

3pm Immerse yourself in one of Buda's Turkish baths. The Gellrt Hotel and Bath (Kelenhegyi t 4, www.gellertbath.com, 0361 466 6166) boasts neoclassical architecture.

7pm Eat in the Buda area. The restaurants cater to all tastes, but if you want traditional Hungarian cuisine Fenyogyngye Restaurant (Szpvlgyi t 155, 0361 325 5006) is a good bet.

Sunday, 10am Head to Deak Ter metro station and join the yellow line heading east. Alight at Hosok Tere, where you will emerge into Heroes' Square, home to the Museum of Fine Art (www.szepmuveszeti.hu, 0361 469 7100), the Palace of Art (www.mucsarnok.hu, 0361 460 7000) and the Millennium Memorial to the founding of the nation.

3pm Catch an afternoon concert in the Hungarian State Opera House (www.opera.hu, 0361 332 8197), just beside the yellow line Opera metro station.

6.30pm Enjoy a luxurious dining experience on a river cruise. These leave from Danube Palace (Zrnyi street 5, tickets around 27, www.budapestinfo.hu).

THE FACTS Flights from Edinburgh to Budapest start from around 188 return with KLM (www.klm.com).