{"id":125803,"date":"2023-04-01T12:26:27","date_gmt":"2023-04-01T09:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timeskuwait.com\/news\/?p=125803"},"modified":"2023-04-01T12:26:27","modified_gmt":"2023-04-01T09:26:27","slug":"budapest-150-years-old-city-still-young-in-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timeskuwait.com\/news\/budapest-150-years-old-city-still-young-in-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Budapest, 150 years old city still young in heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Noura Khan<\/strong>
\nSpecial to The Times Kuwait<\/strong><\/p>\n

For two weeks in spring of this year, Budapest, the capital of Hungary, will be celebrating a birthday bash like no other. The annual \u2018Budapesti Tavaszi Fesztiv\u00e1l\u2019 or the Budapest Spring Festival, will this year celebrate the storied city\u2019s 150th anniversary, with multiple cultural events and experiences across genres and arts, held at various venues across the city from 20 April to 2 May.<\/p>\n

To be a part of this colorful celebration in a colorful city, visit the Hungarian capital this spring. With Kuwait Airways now flying direct to Budapest, traveling from Kuwait to Hungary has become that much easier. Often called \u2018Little Paris in the middle of Europe\u2019 and the \u2018Pearl of the Danube\u2019, this beautiful city with its old heritage buildings and charming streets is still very much young at heart, and offers visitors the vitality of modern cities while retaining the allure of an old town.<\/p>\n

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The best time to travel to Hungary is during the months in spring from April to May, or in the autumn from September to October, when the country enjoys a mild climate with much less tourist arrivals than during the summer or winter months, allowing you to explore the country and its myriad attractions at a leisurely pace<\/p>\n

My first visit to Hungary was in winter, when the beauty of wintry Budapest heightened the Christmas atmosphere and made it very special for me. The cold winter weather did not pose a problem for me, and on the contrary, I found that the capital city is wonderful even in winter.<\/p>\n

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There are many beautiful places to visit in Budapest, just make sure that your stay is in a strategic location that makes it easy for you to move around to all the tourist places. I chose to stay in the Kempinski Hotel Budapest and my room had a direct view of the famous Budapest Wheel<\/p>\n

As I love photography, one of the most beautiful places I loved was \u2018Fisherman’s Bastion\u2019. Visiting this place is a must on a trip to the city. The construction of this neo-Roman monument ended in 1902 and the fishermen who protected the neighborhood were honored. The seven turrets of the bastion represent the seven Hungarian tribes who founded present day Hungary in 895.<\/p>\n

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To take some of the most beautiful pictures in Budapest, you need to visit the bastion which provides the best panoramic views of the city from its turrets and balconies.<\/p>\n

The Budapest Parliament is also another iconic building to visit. Located on the eastern bank of the Danube River, the Parliament is amazingly large and is among the largest buildings in Europe. Designed in neo-Gothic style and opened in 1902 the largely symmetrical building is truly imposing, with large ornamental stairs leading up from an enormous sixteen-sided central hall and beautiful frescoes adorning the ceiling of its vast dome.<\/p>\n

Adjoining the central hall are two huge chambers, the Lower House and the Upper House, with the Lower House currently serving as the country\u2019s National Assembly, while the Upper House is used for ceremonies and conferences. The Holy Crown of Hungary, which is displayed in the central hall, is also known as the Crown of Saint-Etienne in French (Crown of Saint Stephen in English), was the coronation crown used by Hungarian kings since the 12th century. The Parliament is most picturesque at night as the building lights up in a beautiful golden color that is reflected on the Danube River flowing by.<\/p>\n\r\n