Things to see in three days, or, Which way to turn?

Dear Visitor, we hope you will be charmed and captivated by Budapest, and that you will manage to spend at least three days here. If you have already seen the Castle District, the banks of the Danube and Andrássy út, fear not, for there are still many sights to choose from. Here are just a few ideas:
1. Architecture
The Parliament building is the single most imposing structure on the Pest side of the city. Behind the stunning neo-Gothic exterior is an equally lavishly designed interior, where the royal Hungarian crown, orb and sceptre can be seen. Another item of the coronation insignia, the opulent thousand year-old gold-embroidered coronation robe, is kept in the Hungarian National Museum. It's not far from here to Saint Stephen's Basilica, which is the largest church in Budapest and in which you can see the Holy Right Hand, relic of the first Hungarian king. You can also go up to the dome and enjoy a fantastic panorama of the city. In nearby Andrássy út stands the Opera House, one of Budapest's most beautiful historic buildings. It's worth a visit, not just for the wonderful performances, but also for the radiant interior decoration, especially the magisterial staircase.
2. Transport
To those interested in the history of transport, and would like to revive fascinating memories and see rare examples, we recommend a visit to the Transport Museum. This can be found in the City Park, where there are exhibits from the earliest horseless carriage to the age of space travel. The museum's model collection is world famous, and contains faithful scale models of locomotives and railway carriages, as well as boats. There are also authentic vintage trains that have been preserved and remain in full working order; indeed at certain times you can ride on some of them in the Open Air Railway Park, where you'll find around a hundred working museum pieces. Several times a year the legendary Orient Express makes a stop here too.
3. History
Budapest's Roman remains are to be found at Aquincum in the northern part of the city. This was the one-time provincial capital, and looking around we can easily imagine the bustling town filled with its baths, amphitheatres and soldiers. Treats from a much later age await you at the Nagytétény Castle Museum (in the southern part of the city). Here the rich furniture exhibition will take you back to the Renaissance and Baroque eras, through Classicism and Biedermeier.
There are unforgettable sights from a more modern time in the Statue Park. Giant statues and monuments from the communist era were transported here from all over the country, but mainly Budapest, to form an astonishing collection probably unique in the world.
4. City of spas
As early as the 1500s travellers to Budapest were mentioning the special thermal waters. One of the Turkish baths dating from that period - the Rudas - is still in use today in its original form. The most elegant is the Gellért, whose effervescent baths, outdoor wave pool, separate thermal pools and medicinal treatments are of the highest order.
5. Dining in style
In Budapest there is a restaurant called the "Százéves" (One Hundred Years Old) that is already quite a bit older than that. There are others, such as the "Apostolok" (the Apostles), which has just passed that landmark, or the "Kárpátia" (Carpathian), which is also "of a certain age". In the "Mátyás pince" (Mathias Cellar), as in all these places, authentic Hungarian food is served in beautiful surroundings. Then there are the cake shop coffee houses. The once famous "Hauer" has finally reopened on Rákóczi út, and the "Mozart" on Erzsébet körút offers ever finer creations. "Gerbaud" on Vörösmarty Square and the "Zsolnay" coffee shop in the Béke Hotel are elegant and evocative; in the latter the sweetmeats are served on Zsolnay ware, the produce of one of the famous Hungarian porcelain factories.
We are confident that as you wander about our beautiful city, you will join the ranks of those who are captivated by Budapest.