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Hungary : Budapest - August 2009

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Budapest sizzles in August. As the city gears up for the Sziget Festival (12-17 August), locals head to the Danube islands, where there are shady spots for picnicking, swimming pools for cooling off and open-air bars for mingling. Carolyn Bánfalvi reports

Getting around

Ferihegy International Airport

Bus: The No 93 bus leaves Terminal 1 and takes about 20 minutes, leaving every half hour from 4.55am to 8.50pm. Tickets cost €1 /HUF 230. A travel card gives you unlimited use of Budapest’s buses, trams, metro and cog-railway. A one-day card costs €5/HUF 1,350, a one-week card costs €15/HUF 3,600.
Taxi: A taxi from the airport to the city will take about 30 minutes and there’s a fixed price of €17/ HUF 4,200. Go to the Zona Taxi window at arrivals.
Tourist information: Located at 7 Március 15 tér (tel. , www.budapestinfo.hu).

ANDRÁSSY ÚT

Budapest’s grandest boulevard is home to some of the city’s flashest boutiques and lovely sidewalk cafés.

Sleep soundly – Recently renovated, Mamaison Andrássy Hotel (111 Andrássy Út, 8, andrassyhotel.com, rooms from €101/ HUF 28,000) is one of Budapest’s few boutique hotels. K+K Hotel Opera (24 Révay Utca, 2, kkhotels.com, rooms from €91/HUF 25,000) sits behind Operaház. Ask for one of the executive rooms, which have recently been refurbished.

Culture vultures – Visit Terror Háza (60 Andrássy Út) for a grim look at Communist-era life in the city. Check out the collection of Old Masters at the museum of fine arts, Szépmuvészeti Múzeum (Hosök Tere).

Must eat – Bistro-style Klassz (41 Andrássy Út) doesn’t take reservations, so plan for an early dinner to ensure a table. Try the pink duck if it’s on the menu. Baraka Restaurant & Lounge (111 Andrássy Út, 5) serves Asian food and fantastic desserts, plus really good seafood, which is rare in Budapest.

Must drink – Muvész Kávéház (29 Andrássy Út) has a new look, but is an old favourite with coffee or drinks. The newly renovated Lukács Cukrászda (70 Andrássy Út) offers excellent but pricey confections made from topnotch ingredients.

Shop til you drop – While the tailored facials at Omorovicza (2 Andrássy Út) are expensive, you’ll also get products of the same value included in the price of the treatment. Make sure you book in advance as there’s only one treatment room.

VIZIVÁROS

Water Town, below Buda castle and next to the Danube, is packed with pretty cobblestone streets and steep staircases.

Culture vultures – Szent Annatemplom (Batthyány Tér) is Budapest’s prettiest baroque church. Király Fürdo (84 Fo Utca) is a 16thcentury Turkish bathhouse that’s topped with an octagon-shaped dome.

Must eat – Horgásztanya Vendéglo (27 Fo Utca, 0) specialises in paprika-spiked fisherman’s soup. Dunaparti Matróz Kocsma (1 Halász Utca, 7) serves dishes from regions that border the Danube.

Must drink – Andante Borpatika (2 Bem Rakpart) is wine bar with a rather formal feel, showcasing wines from the Tiffán family, which partially owns the place. The tiny Coffee-Inn (2 Apor Péter Utca) has a nice little wine list and games such as Scrabble and Uno.

Shop til you drop – Mester Porta (8 Corvin Tér) stocks traditional folk arts.

MARGIT-SZIGET

Families spend weekend days on Margaret Island, while drinkers arrive to check out the open-air bars, each with a different flavour.

Sleep soundly – Danubius Health Spa Resort Margitsziget ( 0, danubiushotels.com, rooms from €117/HUF 32,000) has a spa that uses the island’s own thermal water.

Must drink – Grab a Dreher beer, like the locals do, at Sark-kert and soak up the views of the Danube. Holdudvar has an art gallery and cinema, Sziget Klub Terasz has a hot tub and ChaChaCha Terasz is the place for dancing.

HAJÓGYÁRI-SZIGET

Shipyard Island, also called Óbudai Sziget, is best known for the annual Sziget Festival (sziget.hu) from 12 to 17 August, which features dozens of bands from around the world.

Sleep soundly – During Sziget Festival, there’s camping on the island. More upscale accommodation lies across the river at Ramada Plaza Budapest (94 Árpád Fejedelem Útja, 0, ramadaplazabudapest.hu, rooms from €88/HUF 24,100), which has its own thermal spa.

Dance the night away – Dokk Beach (122 Hajógyári-sziget) is a see-and-be-seen place, while Bed Beach regularly hosts theme parties, and has a more luxe vibe.

Compiled by Carolyn Bánfalvi