Every street, every building, every touristy corner of Budapest is eye candy. Without even trying we saw some of the most beautiful Gothic and Renaissance architecture ever erected. Oh, sure, we went to the museums and the churches, but suffice it to say that a fair portion of our week was spent wandering around with ice cream cones and staring at the architecture.

It was crazy beautiful everywhere we went. We’d often walk around a building looking for more information about it, but there was almost never any indication about who built it or what it’s original use was.

Since Budapest was already built up by the time the Nazis and the Fascists came through it was blessedly spared the depressing Communist architecture that haunts many of the Balkan nations.

While the architecture was spared the horrors of the Nazis and Fascists, the people were not. A tour of the old Jewish Quarter is a must, as is a visit to the House of Terror.

The churches are magnificent, and rivaled (in my opinion) only by Italy’s. We were very impressed by the Matthias Church in particular.

The masterpiece of Budapest is definitely Parliament, a building that has been heralded as the “Cathedral of Democracy.”

I loved Budapest. It’s one of those rare gems where the commute from place to place is just as beautiful as the big attractions. I would return in a heartbeat.