Budapest & the Danube 2026-27

The gem: "Hungarian Art Nouveau", which at the beginning of the last century took shape as a distinctive national variant of international Art Nouveau. In those years a number of architects introduced Hungarian folk motifs, forms of oriental derivation and typically Art Nouveau elements into the ornamentation of the facades of urban buildings, creating an architectural style that was at once modern and unmistakably Hungarian. In Budapest, one of the most distinguished examples of Art Nouveau architecture is the building of the Geological Institute, built in 1897-99 to a design by one of the style's greatest exponents, Ödön Lechner, with a facade inspired by oriental art and rich in Art Nouveau details, and a steep roof of glazed tiles with white motifs on a blue background. Inside, too, magnificent wrought-iron decorations and elegant skylights echo the motifs of Hungarian Art Nouveau. Alongside this building, other splendid examples include the Gresham Palace, which today houses a luxury hotel, the Gellért Hotel and Baths and the former Savings Bank building.

The Danube.

Budapest is undoubtedly one of Europe's most beautiful capitals. Many call it the "Paris of the East" for its architectural similarities, but those who call it the "Queen of the Danube" are probably closer to the mark. For this is the city of the great river, which is not only its most important landscape feature and its oldest communication route, but almost a living being for its inhabitants. The Danube is a friend that seems to smile when you look at it, a silent witness to major historical events, the setting for young people's romantic strolls along its banks, a true queen silently watching over the life of her city. For visitors to the capital it is also the main point of reference, the starting point for discovering a city divided in two: the hill of Buda, famous for its past, and the plain of Pest, livelier and more modern. Nine bridges link the two banks of the river and the two cities, with Margaret Island, the city's green lung, in the middle. At night, from the top of the Citadel or from the Fishermen's Bastion, the view of the illuminated Chain Bridge is unique.

The Budapest Metro. The capital's underground system consists of four lines, each identified by a number and a colour, with a fifth at the planning stage. Budapest's is the second-oldest underground railway in the world and the first in continental Europe. The famous Line 1, dating from 1896 and known as the "Földalatti", has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.