Things to do in Budapest

Three to four days. One day in Buda — Castle Hill, the Fisherman's Bastion, Matthias Church. One in Pest — Parliament, St Stephen's Basilica, the Jewish Quarter. One on the thermal baths — Széchenyi outdoors, Gellért for Art Nouveau, Rudas for Ottoman authenticity. A fourth day for the Danube Bend.

Bathing in the Széchenyi thermal baths at City Park — bright yellow neo-baroque palace surrounding outdoor 38°C pools where Hungarians play chess on floating boards. Go on a Saturday evening when the sparty atmosphere is loud, or a weekday morning for a quiet soak.

District VII — the old Jewish Quarter — has the ruin pubs (Szimpla Kert is the prototype) and the bulk of the late-night bar scene. District V (Belváros) is the more polished side. Bartók Béla út on the Buda side has the indie cafés. Margaret Island for park escape.

Goulash (gulyásleves) — a soup, not a stew — at Kispiac Bisztró. Hortobágyi palacsinta (pancake with veal). Lángos (deep-fried dough with sour cream and cheese) at the Great Market Hall. Pálinka (fruit brandy) shots between courses. Sweet Tokaji wine after dessert.

Four metro lines including the M1 (Földalatti) — the oldest underground in continental Europe, still using the original 1896 yellow tile stations. Trams 2 and 4-6 run along the Pest bank and the Grand Boulevard. The funicular and bus 16 climb to the Castle. Single ticket covers all.

The Memento Park — outdoor museum of communist-era statues on the city outskirts, relocated here after 1989. Lenin, Marx, the bombastic Soviet liberation monument, all in one slightly absurd field. Buses 101B, 101E or 150 from Kelenföld. Eerie and educational, mostly empty.