Even if you don’t know much about Budapest, you may be aware of its beauty. It is a city of lavish art nouveau architecture, churches with onion-domes and spires, and grandiose bridges strung along – and across – the Danube like a glittery charm bracelet. Much of Budapest’s opulence dates to its turn-of-the-century golden age, when the city came into its own as one of two dual capitals of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, alongside the Hapsburg’s original seat of power in Vienna .
Read Next The no-fly mini-break where you wake up to the twinkling Christmas lights Budapest is also a train ride of just two hours and 20 minutes from Bratislava, in Slovakia, which was once part of the same empire. Bratislava is captivating in a less conspicuous way than crowded Budapest. Pair them together, and the duo make for a fuss-free, culture-filled twin city break .
I start in Budapest, basing myself at W Budapest – a mashup of old-world neo-renaissance architecture and electric jewel tones – on Andrássy Avenue. The street is named after Hungarian statesman Count Gyula Andrássy, who was said to have had an affair with Empress Sisi (Elisabeth) of Austria-Hungry while she was married to Habsburg monarch Franz Joseph. Across the street from my hotel is the Hungarian State Opera House .
Visitors can take a tour to see the marble-decked, imperial interiors – or see a show. They might also try an atmospheric Friday night organ concert at the nearby St. Stephen’s Basilica, named .
