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Take a bath With 123 thermal springs running beneath the city , you can soak amid impressive architecture in Budapest ’ s thermal baths . Spending a half day at Széchenyi or Rudas baths will ease your tired touring feet . |
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images : KAROLINA WEIRCIGROCH ; GETTY |
Go on a scavenger hunt Rent a BuBi bike ( or walk ) and see how many mini-statues you can find — guerilla artist Kolodko has put them all around the city . The tiny statues placed in public spaces can be as small as a half a dozen cm and range from whimsical figurines to pieces of historical commentary .
See famous graves Head to the Fiumei Road Cemetery to visit the graves of poets , artists , politicians , writers and even Zsa Zsa Gabor . Here , you can see the elaborate tombs and mausoleums of those interred here over the last 170 years .
Above : Dohány Street Synagogue
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Bastion , a decorative fortification with seven turrets and spectacular views of the Danube . It marks the spot where the Mongols gave up on conquering Europe .
Learning about the city ’ s more recent history includes many moments of profound sadness , a difficult but important endeavour . Just a few minutes ’ walk from Parliament , along the riverbank , are the Shoes on the Danube Promenade . The statues sit as a memorial to the approximately 20,000 Jewish victims of the fascist Arrow Cross Party , murdered along the banks of the river in the winter of 1944-45 . The Jewish Quarter , in Pest , is the former Jewish Ghetto . At the entrance sits the Dohány Street Synagogue , the largest outside of Israel . This building , built in the mid-1800s , is unusual ; its Moorish revival style brings elements of Islamic decor from North Africa and Spain and it holds a cemetery in the courtyard . Traditionally , graveyards are not built near synagogues , but after the city ’ s post-war liberation , there was a need for mass burial space .
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HOTELS
Choosing your stay in Budapest all comes down to your neighbourhood of choice — each of the city ’ s districts offers travellers a different experience . If you ’ d prefer to stay closer to the calm cobblestones of Buda , sleep at the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest . The regal hotel is a stone ’ s throw from the parliament building , and a short walk away from many of Buda ’ s best sites . For fans of historic hotels and immaculate architecture , the Corinthia is the obvious choice . Its 19th-century facade is grand , its domed interior even more so .
TRANSPORTATION
While Budapest is a very walkable city , visitors can also rely on its trusty public transport . Budapest ' s underground is UNESCO-designated — the oldest underground railway in continental Europe . In summer , Budapest ' s official transportation company offers public ferry boats along the river , and you can just hop on Tram # 2 for a tour along the waterfront .
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SPRING 2023 • 63 |