Architectural Digest
Architectural Digest embarked on a quest to find out why Budapest is considered the Hollywood of Europe. As they put it, “Innumerable major films and TV shows have been filmed in and among Budapest’s soaring façades”, citing elaborate New York Café as the backdrop for 2012 movie Bel Ami, starring Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman. They also suggested we look for scenes filmed at Nyugati Railway Station for 2001 Robert Redford and Brad Pitt thriller Spy Game. “A profitable Hungarian tax rebate for film productions is attractive, but so are a slew of distinct locations,” said the article.
BBC
The online journal of the British publication guided readers around Buda’s Hospital in the Rock Museum. The secret subterranean cavern provided refuge for war-wounded patients and medical staff during World War II, and then again over the 1956 Revolution. Now, life-size wax figures evoke the historic scenes. The article featured stories of those who found shelter there during turbulent times.
Bloomberg
There are 26 best-date destinations around the world, according to Bloomberg and one of them is no other than the Hungarian capital. Featured in the top section of the list after Dubai and Cape Town, Budapest was selected because of its romantic sites such as Chain Bridge, “the most beautiful crossing over the Danube River”, the historic funicular, the cobblestoned streets of Castle District, and Michelin-starred eatery Borkonyha, “specializing in Hungarian wines and local cuisine”.
CNN
In a summertime feature, CNN contemplated the term ‘ruin bar’. “It’s funny that they call them ruin bars because for their founders, it has generally led to good fortune,” they wrote, while featuring some of the most prominent of these stylishly dilapidated Budapest hangouts. Filled with plenty of insider information and surreal illustrations, the article took you to iconic hangouts such as Szimpla and Instant, which later moved to a new location after merging with Fogas Ház.
Condé Nast Traveler
One of the world’s most prestigious travel magazines counted up the piles of votes from globetrotters who helped it select the best annual worldwide destinations. In the 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards survey, Budapest ranked among the 40 best cities in the world, finishing ahead of destinations such as Singapore, London and Bangkok. The Hungarian capital was also cemented among the best wintertime destinations, as featured by Condé Nast Traveler. “Today’s Budapest is a place to toss aside the map and get lost among the castles, palaces, parks, and lookout points lining the Danube River (and to pop into clandestine lounges on side streets to sample Hungarian wines, of course).”
Evening Standard
This London-based city paper plunged into Budapest’s spas. Visiting four of the city’s thermally heated havens, the Széchenyi, Gellért, Rudas and Lukács baths, ES highlighted the century-old history, unique facilities and main house rules of these soaking spots, going on to explain why Budapest was a must-visit destination for 2017 thanks to these thermal spas.
Forbes
Forbes decided to feature handy Budapest travel tips from luxury hotel staff. András Csákvári, concierge at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest, pointed out what made the Hungarian capital a go-to location for visitors from around the world. This trusted local source highlighted the city’s more recently unveiled urban landmarks, including the Budapest Eye, revealed his favorite eateries and provided guidance around attractions such as the Great Market Hall.
The Guardian
Margaret Island makes a great destination for a cost-free day out in the heart of Budapest, according to The Guardian. Described as “an eye-shaped haven in the centre of the Danube”, Budapest’s sprawling public parkland was featured with many of its alluring attractions, including its fragrant orchard, the dancing musical fountain, medieval church ruins and the soothing Japanese Garden up by the island’s northern tip.
The Huffington Post
Upon his return to Hungary’s capital last winter, author John Mariani was amazed by how the city had changed since his first visit here 17 years ago. “I found Budapest now to rank with the most beautiful and sophisticated cities in Europe,” said the award-winning writer in his city guide published on Huffington Post. In another article on the same website, Mariani also praised Budapest’s culinary scene as he ate his way through fine-dining destinations found at deluxe hotels, including Bock Bistro and Kollázs.
The London Economic
Uncovering Hungary’s Communist past, The London Economic evoked the deadly scenes of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, when the Magyars rose up against Soviet-backed forces. “The ruin bars were once a meeting place for creatives and counter-revolutionaries plotting against the regime… when visiting, take the time to dig under the idyllic surface, and you’ll find a world of terror and intrigue hailing from just over half a century ago,” suggested the article, before pointing readers to landmarks honoring this tumultuous period in Hungary’s history. Enlisted sites included the House of Terror Museum, Hospital in the Rock and Memento Park.
Matador Network
In a trio of amusing articles, Matador Network straightened out a few things related to Budapest. A not-to-do list warned visitors to the city to keep their shirts on and keep their voices down, while in another feature, the magazine gave 13 reasons why everybody should move to Budapest. And those who have already settled down here are now sure familiar with one or many of the excruciating side effects of living in Budapest, including eating chocolate snails and becoming an architecture snob.
National Geographic
Choosing one city for food lovers on each of six continents, National Geographic named Budapest as Europe’s most fascinating location for gourmets. “Budapest often flies under the radar, but its food scene is starting to cause a stir,” stated the article. This global report went on to highlight District VII as the best neighbourhood for a food frenzy thanks to its abundance of international eats and lively bars, while the Castle District was the place to go for fancier dining.
The New York Times
Listed alongside more than 50 destinations around the globe, Budapest also earned a ranking among the world’s hottest hangouts, according to the New York Times. “An appealing, youthful energy increasingly arises in the city, at new restaurants like Szimply and Márga Bisztró,” it stated – although the latter closed down after the article was published. The Gray Lady suggested Velvet Chemistry and Szimpla Design Shop for browsing Hungarian-made merchandise and led readers to Hotel Rum for the night.
The Telegraph
Budapest was "great for goulash and a whole lot more”, declared journalist Sophie Pither in The Telegraph, who journeyed into Hungary’s capital to discover its unexpected food scene. Here, “even the vegetables are filled with something else… and that something else is usually meat”. Pither, in her article, revealed where to devour a decent goulash, pointed out stellar street food and highlighted hangouts treating guests to Michelin-starred fusion meals. In another story published in The Telegraph, British writer Anthony Horowitz explored Budapest's ruin bars and the world’s most beautiful baths in the city, admitting, “I can’t believe I waited 62 years to discover Budapest”.
Vogue
The fashion magazine praised Budapest’s grand cafés, “the ones with layered sponge cakes on display and gilded backdrops for their caffeine fixes”, but Vogue staff were equally lured by the city’s more modern spots for java specialties. The magazine gave the thumbs-up to My Little Melbourne, a trendsetter for new-wave cafés, as well as applauding hangouts such as Espresso Embassy, a place where “most patrons order their drinks with freshly baked goods like chocolate babka, and some walk away with bags of beans from local roaster, Casino Mocca”. The article also commended Kelet Café, Bruberi Coffee and Bakery and Fekete as more offbeat places for chilling.
