1. Castle District

Budapest is a marriage of two cities: Buda on the west bank of the River Danube, and Pest (pronounced 'pesht') on the east side. Buda is the older of the two: a raised ridge called Castle Hill (Várhegy) was the site of a fortress built in the 13th century to fend off the Mongols. Much of the city's turbulent history was enacted here - including a total of 31 sieges. The Turks conquered it in 1541, and were eventually ousted by Christian armies after a devastating 75-day siege in 1686. After this, the citadel was rebuilt in Baroque style, only again to be devastated in 1945, when the Nazis held out against the Soviet army for almost a month. Much of what is to be seen today in the Castle District is a mixture of remnants and rebuilding; but it is an excellent place to wander, have a beer, and to admire the spectacular views across the River Danube and the city, especially at dusk. The funicular railway (Budavári Sikló, also referred to as a 'cable car') offers an enjoyable way to climb Castle Hill with minimum effort. It leaves from the western end of Chain Bridge (Széchenyi lánchid), the most beautiful of Budapest's seven bridges. The Royal Palace (Király palota, or Budavári palota) is the most important building; built in Baroque style, it was never in fact a royal residence, and had to be massively restored after the Second World War. Today it contains the Castle Museum and the Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria, or MNG), which focuses on Hungarian painters. This includes impressive work by celebrated painters who are little known outside their homeland, such as Károly Lotz (1833-1904), Mihály Munkácsy (1844-1900), Pál Szinyei Merse (1845-1920), László Paál (1846-79), and Károly Ferenczy (1862-1917). Among a clutch of other museums in the Castle District is the comprehensive Military History Museum (Hadtörténeti Múzeum) at the northern end. The main church is the Church of Our Lady, better known as the Mattias Church (Mátyás Templom), after the beloved 15th-century King Mátyás. Although originally built in the 13th century, it is primarily 19th-century neo-Gothic; the richly decorated interior includes murals and stained glass by Károly Lotz. The Mary Magdalene Tower is a remnant of another 13th-century church: the nave was destroyed in the Second World War. The complex of white towers, terraces, steps and walls called the Fisherman's Bastion (Halászbástya) is a late-19th-century architectural fantasy inspired by medieval castles. It earned its name from the fact this segment of the wall was close to a fishmarket and, apparently, defended by the militia of the fisherman's guild. It offers wonderful views over the city. Castle Hill also contains a dark secret: beneath it lies of warren of natural caves, and subterranean tunnels, chambers and dungeons originally excavated by the Turks. During the Second World War they were used as an air raid shelter for 10,000 people. The 'Buda Labyrinth', and its exhibitions, can now be visited by the public (entrance at Úri utca 9).
www.mng.hu (Hungarian National Gallery; website in Hungarian only)

2. Museum of Fine Arts

The Museum of Fine Arts (Szépmüvészeti Múzeum) is where Budapest displays its international art treasures - an impressive collection of artefacts from ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, plus European art from the 13th to the 20th century. This includes excellent work by Dutch, Flemish and Italian masters, but the museum is particularly celebrated for its Spanish collection, the largest outside Spain, with work by El Greco, Velasquez, and Goya. It also has work by French 19th-century artists such as Corot, Boudin, Manet, Monet, Cézanne and Gauguin. The museum is housed in a splendid neoclassical building (1900-6) on Heroes Square (Hösök tere), one of Pest's grand landmarks, with the Millennium Monument (a colossal column with the Angel Gabriel on the top, erected 1896), and colonnades sheltering statues of great and worthy Hungarians.
www2.szepmuveszeti.hu

3. Hungarian National Museum

Come here for a fascinating insight into the forces that have shaped modern Hungary. The Hungarian National Museum (Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum, or MNM) is in itself a spectacular building, constructed in neoclassical style in 1837-47. The massive collection is divided into five sections: Archaeological (ancient treasures), Mediaeval (jewellery, church plate), Modern History (i.e. post-mediaeval: arms, clocks, musical instruments, costumes), Contemporary History (20th-century), and the Historical Gallery (paintings). Through artefacts and images, it gracefully lays bare the high points and low points of Budapest's turbulent history.
www.mnm.hu

4. St Stephen's Cathedral

Also known as the Basilica, after its Hungarian name Szent István Bazilika, this is the most important church in Budapest, and its soaring dome and twin bell towers form a major landmark. Designed in neoclassical style, it took 55 years to build (1851-1906). The ground plan takes the form of the Greek cross. The interior is richly decorated with mosaics; those of the dome ceiling were designed by Károly Lotz. Its most treasured possession is a jewel-encrusted reliquary containing the right hand of St Stephen (c.975-1031), the King of Hungary who did much to convert his country to Christianity, and became its patron saint. The outer rim of the dome - accessible by lift, or by a climb of 302 steps - offers splendid views over the city.

5. Parliament Building

Rising from the Danube, crowned by its dome and multiple spires, and rippling with flying buttresses, the Parliament Building (Országház) is Budapest's most famous and most photographed monument. It is held by many to be the greatest neo-Gothic building in the world. Built in 1884-1904, it was inspired by the Houses of Parliament in London, which had been more or less completed some 25 years earlier. But Budapest's Parliament is apparently one metre longer and wider, making it the largest parliament building in Europe. The impressive interior can be visited by guided tour only. Here you can see the famous Crown of St Stephen, dating originally from the year 1000; it was returned by the USA to Hungary in 1978, having been spirited out the country in 1945 to save it from the German and Soviet armies.

6. Museum of Ethnography

Just behind the Parliament Building, in a building just as grand, is the Museum of Ethnography (Néprajzi Múzeum). The reason for its grandeur is that this neo-Renaissance palace was formerly the Supreme Court, built 1893-96. It contains one of Europe's largest ethnographic collections, with masks, clothing, jewellery, tools, musical instruments, sculpture, photographs and a lot else from all around the world - but it is particularly strong on Hungarian ethnic artefacts.
www.neprajz.hu

7. Museum of Applied Arts

In the late 19th century, new architecture in Budapest was injected with a vigour and originality inspired by designers of the Eclectic movement, the Vienna Secession, and Art Nouveau. One such building houses the Museum of Applied Arts (Iparmüvészeti Múzeum, or IMM). A splendidly fanciful building, completed in 1896, it was designed by Ödön Lechner (1845-1914), an Art Nouveau architect who combined controversial industrial techniques (such as exposed steel columns, glass roofing) with historic and exotic styles, to exhilarating effect. The extensive collection, originally inspired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, includes glassware, ceramics (including early Böttger porcelain), textiles and clothing, jewellery, clocks and watches, musical instruments, leatherwork, dolls, and Art Nouveau figurines. Among its antique furniture are exceptional pieces from 18th-century France and England, plus classic examples of Thonet bentwood furniture from Vienna.
www.imm.hu

8. Margaret Island

This is where the people of Budapest come to relax - an island on the Danube that has been made into a public park. Margaret Island (Margit-sziget) is joined to the city by two bridges, the Árpád Bridge at the northern end, and the Margaret Bridge at the southern end; it is also accessible by river boat. On the island, you can walk along the river banks, hire a bicycle, swim in a public pool, have a picnic. On a hot day the 10,000 mature trees offer precious shade. There is plenty of space for children to run around, and a small zoo to visit.

9. Coffee and Cakes

The tradition of drinking excellent coffee accompanied by sumptuous cakes and delicate pastries stretched right across the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and remains alive and well in Budapest. It can be enjoyed in cafés across the city. Few are as palatial as Gerbeaud House, in Vörösmarty Square (close to one of the main shopping streets, Vaci utca). It was founded in 1858. The neo-Baroque New York Palace Kávéhaz, also in Pest, is due to reopen in 2006 after lengthy renovation. Other famous names in Pest include the Centrál and Müvésc coffee houses. In Buda, look for the Ruszwurm Cukrászda, and the Angelika, in the crypt of St Anne's Church in Buda.

10. Spa-bathing

Budapest has no fewer than 130 hot and mineral-rich springs, and bathing is one of the great treats of visiting the city. Many hotels have spas attached to health and fitness centres, and there are numerous public baths to suit all tastes and persuasions. Some date back to Turkish times, when the tradition was established, such as the Rudas Medicinal Baths and Swimming Pool, in southern Buda, which have recently undergone thorough renovation. Close by is the famous and grand Gellért Baths. Both lie at the foot of the Gellért Hill, with its 19th-century Citadella, Liberation Monument and fine views out over the river and city. The Széchényi Baths were built in 1909 and are located in the City Park in Pest; with its large open-air pools, as well as indoor areas, this claims to be the biggest thermal bath in Europe. Baths usually follow a pattern that begins with a warm soaking pool followed by showers, a sauna, and a plunge in the cold pool - perhaps rounded off with a vigorous massage.