Budapest, the capital of the Hungarian Republic, lies in the centre of the Carpathian Basin, on both sides of the river Danube. It is a meeting point of North and South, East and West. The intercrossing cultures are blended into a unique synthesis, while remaining characteristically Hungarian. It's population of about 2 millions is 20 per cent of the country's total.

Budapest is very rich in historical buildings and monuments. With its multifarious history, incredible architecture and rich cultural heritage, Hungary's capital has the justly deserved sobriquet of ’the Paris of Central Europe'. UNESCO has added the Danube panorama, with the Castle of Buda, to the World Cultural Heritage List.

Budapest provides maximum relaxation with its parks, esplanades, the promenade on the Danube Embankment - and it offers maximum refreshment with its medicinal baths - including Europe's oldest indoor thermal-water swimming-pool, its lidos and sporting facilities.

Due to a fault line shaping the course of the Danube valley, a great number of thermal springs came to the surface at Budapest. Budapest's reputation as a spa is based on these wells. Budapest is the world's only metropolis, where there are more than 130 thermal springs and wells. Budapest's twenty public baths from Turkish and wave baths, over open-air swimming-pools and hydrotherapeutic establishments to spa hotels, offer a wide range of services.