Everything a nice, well organized home can offer - you will find here. Like in a classy hotel and much more - that only small entity can offer; customized arrival, departure time, city walking tours, sight-seeing with car to surrounding destinations /day-tours/ - bring your swimming suit for thermal-bath relaxation.Many holiday specials, festivals, opera/concert events, dinners with music...

1.get your best walking shoes to discover the city... 2.a nice outfit for theaters, concerts, elite dining places to visit3. swimming-suit, for a day of wellness/thermal baths... Budapest has so much to offer in culture, history, outdoor wonders, sports... always unforgettable memories to take home.

History of Budapest “the Pearl of the Danube”

Budapest – is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Gellért Hill on the bank of the Danube River, as it flows majestically through the centre of the modern city, offered a natural protection against invasion with the combination of the relative ease of crossing the river, provided an ideal place to build a town. The Eravisci, a tribe of highly cultured Celts, had already settled at Gellért Hill in the third and fourth centuries B.C. Later, the Romans built a settlement at today’s Óbuda. They called it Aquincum (City of water) and it was an important station along the limes, which ran alongside the Danube.

The advantages of staying here were equally obvious at the time of the Magyars’ settlement. The Magyars (Ancient name of Hungarians) built a centre on both sides of the River. Interestingly, both parts came collectively to be known as Pest. The Royal Charter dating from 1232 appears to confirm it. The name Buda came somewhat later, during the reign of King Béla IV. when Hungary was invaded with tragic results for the kingdom by the Mongols (1241-1242).King Béla commissioned new castles and fortresses to rebuild his kingdom. He provided a good example, for he built the first Royal Palace in Buda on what become known as the Castle Hill. Buda became the royal seat around the turn of the fifteenth century under the rule of Zsigmond (also elected Holy Roman Emperor), and the Royal Palace grew ever larger until its zenith was reached under King Matyas (ruled 1458-1490). Pest also prospered at this time, and Matyas raised it to equal rank with Buda. Between the two towns, records show that Margit Island was home to a castle built by the crusaders and also several monasteries. Following the Turkish (Ottoman Empire) invasion and Hungarian defeat at the Battle of Mohács (1526), the Turks sacked and burned Buda. The city suffered dreadfully by the century-and-a-half Turkish occupation. The Ottomans however, built baths fed by the abundant hot springs. Their legacy, some of them are still operating today – the most visible monuments of that period. Buda was freed from Turkish yoke on September 2nd, 1686, and so began the Hapsburg period. Outside the capital markets were held in many places and social development blossomed. A printing press was established at Buda by 1724 and in 1777 Empress Maria Theresa had the country’s only scientific university moved from Northern Hungary, Nagyszombat (today Trnava in Slovakia), bringing with it an influx of professors and open-minded students. Emperor Joseph II later moved it again from Buda to Pest, which promoted growth in Hungarian-language literature and the theatre, in contrast to the Hapsburg policy of German as the only official language. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Kisfaludy Társaság (association), and the National Theatre together played a pivotal role in the social development of the city. This was also the age when newspapers began to be published, among them the groundbreaking Pesti Hírlap founded by Lajos Kossuth. The next daring undertaking was the building of the first permanent bridge across the Danube – the Chain Bridge, today still the most recognizable symbol of the city – and the logical conclusion of that was the legislative unification in 1873 of Buda, Pest and Óbuda into one city – Budapest. Council of Public Works was formed; whose direction determined both the future shape and the enduring beauty of the city. The great avenues were laid down – most notably Andrássy Boulevard and the körútak or ring roads – and the transformation of Budapest into a modern world-class city took on a new meaning. There was an even greater motivation at the end of the nineteenth century as Hungary celebrated the millenary anniversary of the Magyars establishing their home in the Carpathian Basin in 895/6 AD. The first underground railway was built on the continent, the streets were paved, streetlights were introduced, the waterworks at Káposztásmegyer was constructed (it is still in operation today), and a public sewerage system was developed. The first street trams began service. The political Compromise between Hungary and the Hapsburgs in 1867 led to the beginning of the industrialization of Budapest. Agricultural industries, milling and food industries all moved into the capital, and engineering industries grew. The railway system was built, and as with the major roads, made Budapest as the hub. The city did not suffer particularly in the First World War, so after a brief period of conflict, the process of development resumed. As the city continued to grow, neighboring suburbs were absorbed into four new administrative districts. The Second World War, however, had a catastrophic effect. Apart from the horrifying cost in terms of human casualties, the architectural splendor of the city was brought to ruin. The retreating German forces while the Soviets were bombarding everything from the East blew up every one of the bridges over the Danube River. By 1950 as more suburbs were absorbed; the city comprised of 22 districts (more recently this increased to 23, as boundaries have been redrawn). The city’s buildings and transport network suffered again in the 1956 Freedom Fight against communist oppression, but once again the industrious population tried to restore the damage. Large-scale construction of low-cost flats (whole city blocks and neighborhoods) took place in the 1960’s, followed by construction of two new underground lines. The Lágymányosi Bridge, the new National Theatre and the National Concert Hall have all appeared since the fall of Socialist era. There are further developments, current constructions or planned projects, including the fourth Metro line. Budapest possesses a rich and fascinating history as well as a vibrant cultural heritage. Recognizing the unique value of its traditions it has managed to maintain its magic and charm, and is rightly known as the Pearl of the Danube. It has also been called the City of Spas, as there are over a dozen thermal bath complexes served by over a hundred natural thermal springs. The Hungarian gastronomy and wines are first rate and have been enjoyed by millions of visitors throughout the centuries.