"This is the place where Budapest comes to chill out," Laszlo, a banker in Pest, tells me. "many people come here to relax, but some come to do business deals, discuss politics, socialize, or meet members of the opposite sex - I even met my wife here!" he says with a glint in his eye. A visit to Budapest is not complete without a visit to one of its many marvelous bath houses. A leftover 'gift' from the time of the Turkish occupation, most Budapestite...

Centre of Europe, grand old dame of the Habsburg Empire, inventor of 'goulash communism' and now emerging in the 21st century as one of central/eastern Europe's major weekend getaway destinations, Budapest is a city which demands your attention. A heady mixture of Vienna's elegance and coffee-house culture and Berlin's rough-edged, hip archness, Budapest packs a massive punch and leaves you dizzy with the sheer number of options available. One week is barely enou...