Enjoying your first coffee of the day on the green terrace of this smart design hotel is a great way to start the day. There are not many boutique hotels in Budapest, and very few in such an excellent location, just two minutes from the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. The Lánchíd 19 is a popular hotel and fairly small. Some of its suites come with views of the Danube and Buda castle, placing them among the city’s most attractive, and they are always booked years in advance for New Year’s.

Orange and brown are the dominant colors at this trendy retro eatery on busy Ferenc Liszt Square. The wallpapers with their tiny floral and diamond patterns contrast beautifully with the furniture, which tends to be on the dark side, and hip Hungarian sneakers by Tisza Cipő form part of the decor. The Menza serves an excellent breakfast, and the lively scene down on the square looks even better from the terrace.

Long ago, the ancient Romans already enjoyed the relaxing properties of the thermal springs beneath the city. The baths experienced another heyday during Ottoman rule (1541-1686) and some of the bathhouses erected in those days still survive. In 1934, Budapest was officially granted the status of “city of spas.” Today, more than 30 000 cubic meters of mineral-rich water flows daily from 120 hot springs into 21 public baths, ten of which are designated “health spas.” The most famous baths are Gellért, Király, Rudas, Lukács and Széchenyi, but one of the loveliest Turkish baths is the Rácz bathhouse, built in the 16th century and meanwhile restored to its former glory, which was incorporated into a luxury hotel in 2011.

Time for a little Hungarian culture? Then definitely don’t miss the “House of Terror.”

In the 1930s, the Neo-Renaissance building at Andrássy-Straße 60 that now houses the museum was converted into the headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis (Arrow Cross Party) under Ferenc Szálasi, with torture chambers in the basement. After the Communists came to power, the Hungarian state security service used the building and had the basement extended between 1945 and 1956. Since 2002, the House of Terror has been a museum and the subject of controversy.

Modern design & young fashions
Downtown Budapest basically has all the brands you will find in any pedestrian zone in Europe. Here’s a selection of Hungarian brands.

Mono Fashion: Young styles from Budapest’s own fashion designers, mainly trendy one-offs. facebook.com/monofashionbp/info

Eventuell: Lamps, cushions, and jewelry, all brightly colored and youthful: a smart self-help shop run by talented young designers from Budapest. eventuell.hu

The trip is worth making for fans of traditional Hungarian fare. This restaurant with its living-room atmosphere goes by the name of “Little Cuckoo,” has been going since 1913 and is located some way from the center of town. This has a positive effect on the prices, which are also affordable for locals. Definitely try the Baconbe tekert bélszin csikok, that’s strips of ham rolled inside sirloin steak – sheer poetry. The well-disposed gourmand should be aware that this is not the place to count calories.

Gödör means “pit,” and it’s also the fitting name for a club that really was not intended to exist here, in the heart of the city. Originally, this was the spot where the new National Theater was to be built. Construction work was already underway when the city ran out of money – to say nothing of the noise control problems.

Fifteen years ago, some young locals made the “ruin gardens” flourish once more. Inventive event organizers began renting demolition sites and inner courtyards in the city center for temporary use as bars and cultural workshops. The first was Szimpla Kert in 2001. The concept was so successful that ruin pubs began popping up all over the city. Many of them are only open for a few months, others for years, until someone comes along to develop the site. Still others, like the newly opened The Box, only pick up on the alternative-style ruin gardens and are intended for long-term commercial use from the word go – but they can still be good.

A funicular railway climbs from Chain Bridge to the palace atop Castle Hill, the grand residence of the Hungarian royal family. Housed inside this towering palace are some of Budapest’s most important cultural institutions, including the Hungarian National Gallery, displaying 500 years of Hungarian art.

The grandest church in Budapest, St Stephen’s is topped by a 96m (314ft) dome that soars over the surrounding streets. The interior of the dome is covered in glittering gold mosaics and Hungary’s patron saint is represented in the Holy Right Chapel by a mummified hand.

One of Europe’s oldest legislative buildings, the Hungarian Parliament rises dramatically above the Danube River in a cascade of Gothic spires. Tours lead through grand staterooms to the domed hall where the Crown of St Stephen – the official symbol of Hungary – is proudly displayed.

The stately avenue that links Erzsébet Square with Városliget Park is World Heritage-listed for its grand neo-Renaissance buildings, which still conjure up images of Budapest in its fin de siècle heyday. Along this grand thoroughfare are museums, theatres and upscale boutiques.

The largest synagogue in Europe, the Great Synagogue on Dohány Street was built to accommodate 3,000 worshippers in 1859. Fusing elements of Romantic and Moorish architecture, the synagogue contains moving memorials to the Jews killed in Budapest during WWII.

Budapest’s most famous square is dominated by statues honouring national heroes, including the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars, the ancient rulers of Hungary. Flanking this expansive space are the elegant neoclassical facades of the Museum of Fine Arts and Hall of Art, which display the city’s finest collection of international art.

History seeps like steam between the stones of this famous bathhouse, which opened its doors at the height of the Ottoman occupation in 1566. The central spa, with its octagonal pool and oriental arches is straight out of Arabian Nights.

A baroque fantasy of pools and towers, this is the Budapest spa experience as it was meant to be, with the grandest setting and the warmest thermal waters. People have been bathing in this stately spa since the 19th century, and floating chess games are de rigueur.

Not a carnival funhouse, but a thought-provoking museum exploring the brutal excesses of the Fascist and Stalinist eras in Budapest, set in the former offices of the Hungarian secret police. The rooms used for interrogations offer a harrowing glimpse of the methods of totalitarian systems.

The setting for royal coronations, Matthias Church is a grand Gothic construction that looms above the city streets. Topped by a dramatic, 60m-tall steeple, the church is famous for its stained glass, wall paintings and organ recitals.

Pioneer of the ‘ruin-pub’ craze, with an arty vibe, live bands and all sorts of cultural goings-on is the Szimpla kert.

Floating in the Danube by Petőfi Bridge, this atmospheric art and music venue fills the hold of a decommissioned Ukrainian barge.

Communist Budapest lives on in Bambi Presszó, a charming throwback to the 1960s, and a great spot for a pavement coffee or beer in summer.

Dance DJs and live bands rock through the night at this huge terrace club atop the former Corvin department store.

As glorious inside as out, Budapest’s graceful opera house is said to have the third best acoustics in Europe.

Famous chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa blends flavours from Japan and South America in this innovative fusion restaurant inside the lavish Kempinski Corvinus Budapest Hotel.

A Michelin star lures well-to-do diners to this elegant eatery, specialising in exquisitely presented modern European cooking with a subtle French flavour.

Elegant dining, a few blocks from Széchenyi Chain Bridge, bringing traditional Hungarian dishes deliciously into the 21st century.

A top choice for café dining in the Jewish quarter, with live music, theatre shows and a menu that mixes Hungarian and Mediterranean specialities.

A friendly student hangout, serving filling Hungarian meals at bargain prices, a short hop from the Hungarian Parliament.