Grand, faded and dramatic, Budapest pairs thermal baths with the best-lit riverfront in Europe — the Parliament by night is pure opera. Soak together in the Gellért's art nouveau pools, walk the Fisherman's Bastion at dawn before the crowds, and end in a ruin bar or a tiny wine cellar pouring Tokaji. It delivers grandeur at prices that let you upgrade the hotel room.
Featured in Ten of Europe's most romantic city breaks · Romantic
The ruin bars remain one of Europe's great nightlife inventions: derelict pre-war apartment blocks reborn as labyrinths of mismatched furniture, fairy lights and dance floors. Szimpla Kert is the famous one; the surrounding seventh district hides a dozen quieter mutations. In summer the party migrates to open-air kerts and to sparty nights — DJs in the thermal baths.
Featured in Ten European party spots beyond the obvious · Nightlife
The ruin-bar capital remains staggering value if you sidestep the obvious: Szimpla Kert deserves its fame but charges for it, while the seventh district around it hides courtyard kerts pouring fröccs — wine spritzers at pocket-change prices — to a mostly Hungarian crowd. The Instant-Fogas complex handles the multi-dancefloor club shift under one roof. Sunday morning, return to Szimpla for its farmers' market and watch the hangover economy at work.
Featured in Ten budget party cities where your money goes further · Nightlife