Budapest is the capital city of Hungary. With a unique, youthful atmosphere, world-class classical music scene, a pulsating nightlife increasingly appreciated among European youth, and last but not least, an exceptional offer of natural thermal baths, Budapest is one of Europe's most delightful and enjoyable cities. Due to the exceedingly scenic setting, and its architecture it is nicknamed "Paris of the East".

Budapest has direct flights to most major European cities. Many of these are operated by the budget carrier Wizzair ,which is based here and is now in effect Hungary's national airline. Other budget operators include Easyjet, Ryanair, Jet2, Norwegian and Vueling. This competition holds down prices on the traditional airlines such as KLM and Lufthansa.

Direct destinations around the fringes of Europe include Reykjavik, St Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Kutaisi, Baku, Astana, Tel Aviv and Agadir. Gulf carriers connect via Doha and Dubai to the Far East, Australasia and Africa. There are no direct flights between Budapest and North America: connect via London, Amsterdam or Paris

The modern-day Budapest results from the amalgamation of two historic cities lying right opposite each other over the Danube river. Buda is the western (left) bank side, with the high hill atop which the Buda castle sits. Pest is the relatively flat eastern (right) bank side, with the Parliament, numerous other stately buildings, and busy streets retaining all their 19th century architectural heritage.

It even aimed at rivalling with Vienna, the Millennium in 1896, marking a thousand years of Hungary, offered the perfect excuse for large-scale projects such as the Parliament, Vajdahunyad Castle, or the Grand Boulevard (Nagykörút) the first electric underground railway in the world (now Metro yellow line). Budapest was transformed to a world city during these decades, enriched by Austrian, Jewish, Slovakian, Serbian, Croatian, Roma and other cultural influence. This age is remembered as the 'Monarchia' (or as 'K. u. K.', abbreviation for Imperial-Royal in Austria and other parts of the Empire) and associated with the rule of Franz Joseph I. (I. Ferenc József) who died in 1916 after 68 years on the throne.