Only two decades ago Budapest was trapped in a communist-era time warp, but these days it is a city seriously going places. It has moved from an Eastern European backwater to the capital of a European Union member state, and once again crowds of Europeans are discovering the charms of a city that not only boasts beautiful architecture, but also offers visitors first-rate attractions.
Even though the young in this city of almost 2 million are eager to adopt Western European values, they still retain a deep relationship with Hungary’s fascinating past and value the traditions and history of the Magyar people highly. This has made Budapest a wonderful mix of old and new, and the political, intellectual, commercial and cultural capital of Hungary.