Budapest
July 17-20
Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is Hungary's primate city with 1.7 million inhabitants and its greater metro area has a population of about 3.3 million, representing one-third of the country's population and producing more than 40% of the country's economic output. Budapest is the political, economic, and cultural center of the country, among the ten largest cities in the European Union and the second largest urban area in Central and Eastern Europe. Budapest stands on the River Danube and is strategically located at the center of the Pannonian Basin, lying on ancient trade routes linking the hills of Transdanubia with the Great Plain.
The historic center of Budapest along the Danube is classified as a World Heritage Site due to its numerous notable monuments of classical architecture, from the 13th-century Matthias Church and Buda Castle to 19th-century landmarks such as the Hungarian Parliament, the State Opera House, the Museum of Fine Arts and St. Stephen's Basilica. Budapest has been a popular spa destination since Roman times and is considered the spa capital of Europe, with more than 100 medicinal geothermal springs and the largest thermal water cave system. The city is home to the second-largest synagogue and third-largest parliament building in the world, over 40 museums and galleries, ten Michelin-starred restaurants, and named among the 50 best food cities globally for its focus on distinctive Hungarian cuisine.
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