Stroll along the blue Danube, take a dunk in the thermal waters then feast on thick, meaty goulash on city breaks to Budapest.

The mighty Danube River slices the Hungarian capital into hilltop Buda and elegant, urban Pest. South of the brilliant white Parliament, the Chain Bridge gracefully links the two. A steep climb leads to Buda's Castle District, where medieval walls and cathedral towers stand guard over the shimmering river below. Back in Pest, locals chat in pavement cafés outside grand fin-de-siecle townhouses, sipping coffee or swigging hearty “bull's blood” wine.

Best of Budapest city breaks for...

• Romance: A 19th-century funicular lifts you up to the Castle District, where narrow, cobbled streets lead to the soaring Matthias Church. Toast romantic Budapest with a glass of sweet Tokaj wine at a café on Fisherman's Bastion nearby.
• Relaxing: Spa fanatics are spoiled for choice on Budapest city breaks. The Gellert Hotel's opulent, turn-of-the-century bathhouse is just one of the more recent - the Romans and the Ottoman Turks all enjoyed a good soak in Budapest's piping hot waters.
• Free & cheap: Walk the bridge to Margaret Island for a free afternoon exploration of 13th-century ruins, flower beds bursting with colour and a musical fountain that puts on a show every 20 minutes.
   
• Active types: Tired of the same old city tour? Leave tidy Budapest behind and get your jeans dirty crawling through the underground passageways of the Pálvölgyi-Mátyáshegyi cave system beneath the city. 
• Families: Children from around the world gaze and giggle at the characters in the Hungarian Puppet Theatre. And who cares that it's all in Hungarian? There's no translation needed for Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood, especially when the puppets are this animated.

Getting into Budapest from Ferihegy Airport

• Reasonably priced Zona Taxis whisk travellers directly to hotels in central Budapest in 30 minutes.
• Shared airport shuttles offer a cheap alternative into the city, but may take longer depending on each traveller's destination.
• City bus services provide the cheapest travel, arriving at the city's Metro line in about 1 hour.

Getting around on weekend breaks in Budapest

• Public transport Trams and the Metro are the best ways to get around on short breaks to Budapest. Travel by bus or taxi after 11pm.