Arrived Budapest early this morning and saw magnificent views as we sailed into dock. We had free time in Pest until 12 noon so walked a short distance to the Budapest Market Hall, an under-cover permanent market on 3 levels: Underground - fish, Ground Floor - fresh fruit, veggies and smallgoods and Upper Floor - souvenirs, leather goods, lace, household goods and other traditional craft goods. It is easy to spend at least 2 hours wandering the alleys of the complex.

After lunch we had a bus tour of the inner city and a stop at the Royal Opera House where we had a tour of the magnificent building, enjoyed a glass of champagne and a short recital from a resident male singer.

Back on the bus and up to the top of Fisherman's Bastion on the Buda side of town for magnificent views over the city.

Back on board we had an excellent traditional Hungarian Folk group and dancers entertain us before dinner and a city lights river cruise after our final dinner on the Amaverde.

Budapest is the capital and the largest city of Hungary, the largest in East-Central Europe and one of the largest cities in the European Union. It is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre, sometimes described as the primate city of Hungary. In 2011, according to the census, Budapest had 1.74 million inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2.1 million due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter Area is home to 3.3 million people. The city covers an area of 525 square kilometres (202.7 sq. miles) within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with a unification on 17 November 1873 of west-bank Buda with east-bank Pest.

The history of Budapest began with Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement that became the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Hungarians arrived in the territory in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241-42. The re-established town became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist culture in the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became a global city after the 1873 unification. It also became the second capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great power that dissolved in 1918, following World War I. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Republic of Councils of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust in 1944, the Battle of Budapest in 1945, and the Revolution of 1956.

Today's insights:

• There are 123 thermal springs in Budapest pouring out over 80 million litres of the thermal water every day.
• The "biro" or ballpoint pen was invented by a Hungarian, Sir Biro László József, born in Budapest.
• The animals at the Budepest zoo drink only mineral water and bathe in hot spring water. It is believed that this may account for the number of births in captivity at the zoo.