Budapest, Hungary

Photo credit: PhotoDisc

Budapest's extraordinary atmosphere can be felt everywhere. From old women selling boxes of raspberries in the heart of downtown Pest, cars careening by on all sides, to young boys playing soccer in the green foothills of Buda, where the air is fresh and clean, this city and its people will take you in and hold you tight. Budapest is a remarkable and wholly unpretentious place. Explore it fully. Turn off any of the main boulevards and you'll quickly find yourself in a quiet residential neighborhood where the rich scent of a hearty gulyás (stew) wafts from a kitchen window, a woman with a brightly colored kerchief tied around her head sweeps the sidewalk with a homemade broom, and cigarette smoke fogs the cavelike entryway of the corner pub, where the sign on the door states that beer is served as early as 7am. You will spy rows of salamis hanging in the window of the grocery store next door. In the park across the way, men play chess in the shade of chestnut trees, young lovers kiss on a bench, and the famed Hungarian pedigree dog, the vizsla, can be glimpsed darting through the trees. Below, you'll find our personal take on the best experiences that the city has to offer.

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