Travel review: Budapest

As the airliner zoomed low over the River Danube it was another breathtaking moment during our long weekend in Budapest.

We were lucky enough to be in this beautiful city for Labour Day – there was an air show with the Red Bull Display Team, army helicopters and planes; race car show with Formula 1 teams and WTCC touring cars racing along the Danube.

Stunning moments included a plane flying under Chain Bridge and others doing the loop the loop with the backdrop of the castle, Parliament building, and the river.

Culture greets you at every street corner whether it's the Hungarian Parliament, Castle, Opera House or St Stephen's Basilica.

And there are so much and so many ways to explore the capital of Hungary – by foot, boat, tram or even Segway.

We walked for miles and it was a great way to see the city, albeit a little tiring.

The city is split into Buda and Pest by the River Danube. The Buda side is very hilly and the Pest is quite flat.

An ideal way to get your bearings is a cruise along the Danube. We stepped aboard Duna Bella for a 1hr 10min cruise.

The audio guide helps you absorb your surroundings and there is so much to take in – the impressive Hungarian Parliament right on the banks of the river; Chain and Elizabeth Bridge; St Stephen's Basilica; Gellert Hotel and Baths.

As you pass the attractions with a glass of champagne in your hand, you are given a potted history.

The cruise also takes you to secluded Margaret Island, which is a perfect if you would like an escape from bustle of the city.

St Stephen's Basilica is visible from all over Budapest.

It's 315ft dome is exactly the same height as Parliament. Inside it is stunning with its gold, mosaics and it also houses the mummified arm of St Stephen.

The Opera house is equally impressive with its colonnades and balconies. A guided tour of the Opera House is impressive with its rich colours and decorations. The foyer murals painted by Bertalan Szekely and Mor Than are fantastic.

A mini concert was the icing on the cake.

Not to be outdone the Buda side of the river is equally as stunning with its buildings and architecture.

Towering about the city is the Royal Palace or castle, which is made up of various buildings. The Castle Hill Funicular takes you 95 metres up to castle.

One of the buildings is the Hungarian National Gallery, which has more than 40,000 works on display.

The gallery displays art from medieval times to the present day.

The views are wonderful from anywhere around Budapest but at Fisherman's Bastion its turrets offer the most picturesque views of Pest.

After all that walking, we relaxed at Szechenyi Baths. It is one of the biggest natural hot spring spa baths in Europe and has a wide array of both indoor and outdoor pools. You can even try your hand at a game of chess while bathing in one of the outside pools.

Again the baths are a wonderful example of the city's architecture – you also walk past Heroes Square with its statue of Archangel Gabriel and bronze statues of seven famous people of Hungarian history on each side.

You can't help but be mesmerised by the architecture of this grand city, but if that is not your thing there is so much more to do. Budapest was far more cosmopolitan than I was expecting with street cafes and bars along most streets. It was ideal to take the strain off your feet and sip a cool cocktail or beer.

In the 360 Bar, you take a lift to the highest rooftop bar in the city and have an incredible panoramic view of downtown Pest.

Sipping a cocktail looking at the skyline was incredible, as was the thunderstorm which followed and led to us abandoning the bar!

Hungarian food was also on our must do list with Langos with a cheese and sour cream filling and cheese and ham; Hungarian goulash and paprika chicken with dumplings. Duck seems to feature on most of the menus – I had duck in a wine sauce on one night and a duck burger another night.

For the weekend, we were staying at Hotel Parlament, which as its name suggests is just a stone's throw from Parliament and is in the business centre of Budapest.

The hotel has 65 rooms and a suite. It is run by the Continental Group, which runs two other hotels in the city. The latest one to open is Budapest Moments, which also has Bistro Fine – a Hungarian restaurant with a modern twist.

Hotel Parlament's decor is funky with bright coloured seating – more or less space age with bright oranges, reds, yellows and purple. It's contemporary, but felt homely with its log fire. Its rooms were renovated in January for the 10th anniversary of this hotel and were inviting. Buffet breakfast was served in a stylish atrium room with delicious cold meats, cheeses, hot food, fresh fruit and cereals.

It also offered both gluten and lactose free foods.

A really nice touch was that you could help yourself to complimentary tea, coffee and mineral water until 5pm every day in the Lounge Bar.

And after all that sightseeing you could relax in the spa pool and Swedish sauna.

Regional Marketing manager Bernadett Gyenei said that the group's hotels were all four stars, but liked to offer a five star service.

Its history of Communism and Soviet domination made me imagine quite an oppressed city, but instead we discovered a lively and vibrant city steeped in wonderful history.

English was widely spoken, so you never had to struggle with the phrase book.

A little bit of history mixed with a whole lot of great food and drink was the perfect combination.