Viator Travel Blog

It’s that time of year again, when music concerts swap sticky dive bar floors for well-tramped grass and enormous open-air stages. 2012’s festival season is finally upon us and to get in the mood, here are 10 of the world’s best. From America to Australia via Europe and Japan, just about every artist you can think of, is bringing their music to the great outdoors this year and the only question is, which one do you go to first?

There are different ways people bring in the New Year around the world.

Let’s take a trip, shall we?

There are plenty of Budapest tours you can do by bus, foot or bike. Most give no more than a quick stop on the Buda side of the river, the rest of the time navigating flatter and more compact Pest.

Going beyond a stop at the Fisherman’s Bastion and Buda Castle can give you a glimpse of Budapest most foreign visitors don’t see, but it’s an area quite popular with locals looking for fresh air and a view.

Meet Márta Pitti, one of Viator’s local experts in Budapest, Hungary with a license to provide private tours.

In many ways, Budapest is a perfect city break destination. Like many perennial favourites, it is pretty – there are numerous spots for the postcard shot – but there’s also plenty to do. The city has two distinctive characters, split by the River Danube.

On the western bank there is staid, leafy and traditional Buda. This is where a lot of the eye candy – such as the Castle District, Matthias Church and Citadel – can be found. Pest, on the eastern bank of the Danube, is where the city’s action and life is to be found. There are some pretty impressive tourist attractions here too, but it’s shopping, eating and drinking that give Pest its hugely enjoyable edge.

Considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest is rich in culture and heritage in a way that puts many eastern European cities to shame. From the 10th century St. Stephens Basilica to the Vajdahunyad Castle, travelers will get more than their fill of Hungarian culture. However, on the days where you just can’t take anymore, Budapest also has a plethora of activity sites where people can just relax and get some well deserved downtime. Below are our top 5 mini-escape destinations.

What is a Szekszárdi Kadarka supposed to taste like? Or a Borpalota Szürkebarát? What kind of a grape is a kéknyelű? It was in Hungary, at the Hungarian House of Wine (now closed), in the cellar of a small building a few cobblestone-blocks away from Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest. A few signs offered clues about the various regions and a helpful cellar master swooped in to offer a life raft.

I found Hungary lurking off down by Serbia and Croatia, spreading its little bit of happiness around with language that had more in common with Finnish (14 declinations anyone?) than any of its neighbouring-country cousins. Thought a few days down in Budapest could be just the thing – bit of time by the water, plenty of old buildings to get around and a bit of nightlife too.