When the word “Paris Boulevard” is spoken, everyone immediately thinks of the wide avenue in the city of love, which breathes space and freshness. But this idea will definitely stick around when you visit Budapest. The Paris of the East, as Budapest is nicknamed, really has vast streets and squares, almost everywhere. It really hits you in the eye.

Adding to the feeling of space is the fact that no building in Hungary should be taller than 96 meters. At the same time, only two beauties had grown this tall. Hungarian Parliament Building and St. Basilica The famous Stephen. The fact that they were both of the same height was no coincidence. Their equality symbolizes that no value they represent is more important than another. The chosen number 96 also has a magical meaning. The Hungarians founded the Kingdom of Hungary in 896.

Budapest is not only a very pleasant city, it is also mysterious and fun. It hides a cave under its foundation. The underground world here consists of more than two hundred cavities. Many of them are open to tourists. You can see with your own eyes where Vlad Tepes, known as Count Dracula, was imprisoned, where there was a command post during the Cold War with a military hospital, or where prehistoric people lived.

The Pauline monks operate a cave church on Gellért Hill, which was inspired by a similar stone structure from Lourdes, France. However, Paulans don’t always find peace and quiet here. In 1951, on Easter Monday, the entire order was arrested by state security and accused of high-level treason. The head monk was executed and the rest of the staff ended up in a forced labor camp. To get the job done, the Communists made an entrance. The cave church saw the light of day again only after the fall of communism in 1989.

A local rarity is the flood of bronze statues of all sizes, the historical value of which is not dizzying. Among the very popular official ones are, for example, the character of actor Peter Falk aka Detective Colombo with a signature cigar between his fingers and a hand on his forehead as a gesture of understanding. His loyal dog companion is also close to him.

Those who are interested in the world of film will also stop by Bud Spencer whose depiction is truly masculine. Even the fat, motionless cop, whose big belly speaks volumes for delicious Hungarian cuisine, acts like a nice guy. You will meet him on your way to the basilica. Before the opera, you will find the man with two more faces. On the other hand, the statue of Ronald Reagan faces the American embassy.

It’s a quick mention of the statues you’re guaranteed not to miss. Now we will stop at those that are only fifteen centimeters in size, but they really are the bronze treasures of the Hungarian metropolis. Dozens of guerrilla statues were placed in public entirely without official permission by an artist with Hungarian roots, Mihály Kolodka, who is from Uzhhorod in Transcarpathia.

She moved back to Budapest with her family a few years ago and has been decorating it systematically ever since. The first statue is a fifteen-centimeter worm Fokukac, which is located opposite the parliament building. This fairy tale character is personally very important to its creator, because he learned Hungarian while watching it on TV. His illegitimate collections include, for example, the dead squirrel, Lisa Simpson or the Rubik’s cube, which wanted to attract the attention of its discoverer, as well as Ernö Rubik from Hungary.

The reason for frequent visits to Budapest is its hot springs. Why not, because you won’t find a city in the world that has more healing water. Indeed it is. Underneath the city is a huge spring that produces hot water that even hippos from the local zoo wallow in warm baths.

If you want to admire UNESCO monuments, you will notice here. But behind one of them you have to go underground again. This is the M1 line of the local metro, which is the oldest continental line in Europe and has functioned flawlessly since its construction. Another European first that the Hungarian metropolis can boast of is the Jewish tabernacle. The Great Synagogue is the largest synagogue on the Old Continent.

If you want to see the city from above, choose the dome of St. Stephen’s Basilica. Before taking one of the lifts here, first check the interior. In addition to the beautiful Venetian mosaics, you’ll also see the mummy fist of the founder of the Hungarian state, Saint Stephen himself.

A thousand year old handle has traveled a lot in the past, as its owner changes frequently. He was first sent to storage in Dubrovnik. It is believed that it was then that the fist was separated from the arm. While the top went to Lemberg (now Lviv), the bottom went to Vienna. So that each branch of the church is not jealous of one another. Over time, the Holy Right was also located in Schönbrunn and during the war in Salzburg.

Those who travel a lot know that they usually have to prepare for higher expenses than at home. Sweets lovers will definitely not be as spoiled for choice in Prague as they are for the same money in a Budapest pastry shop. The sight of a freshly baked cake decorated with calligraphic precision is guaranteed to impress.

In the castle grounds on the Buda side, you can really enjoy a royal treat at the Ruszwurm pastry shop. Even Empress Sissi regularly threw herself out of her nails here. The utensils here have barely changed in nearly two hundred years, and it was here that Linnaeus’ cake was baked for the first time. Just a few steps away is Coffee House Korona, where everything tastes really good too.

There are indeed many floating villages in the world, but that is definitely not a characteristic of Central Europe. You’ll see an even more unusual spectacle at Lake Bokod, less than 80 kilometers from the metropolis. More than four hundred long wooden piers lead to typical fishermen’s stilt houses.

Not only the beautiful floating house is unique, but the entire lake, where the water never freezes. This is due to the nearby power plant, from which warm water flows into the lake. Therefore, this lake is ideal for year-round fishing. It’s not a small thing either. It is flanked by two villages. The first of the same name on the west side and Oroszlány on the east. This side is the most beautiful. Just watch out for the owner. They don’t like it when someone sneaks under their window.