You already know that hitting the bath is a must-do activity in Budapest. But which to choose?

On our recent trip, we decided to go with the Gellert baths, since a Hungarian friend had told us they were the most beautiful. Had it been summer, though, we might have chosen the Szechenyi baths; they’re bigger, and a large portion of them is outdoors. And another time, we’d also go for the newly refurbished Rudas baths, which we were told on our last day we should hit up.

Anyway, back to the Gellert. The baths are indeed beautiful—a gorgeous main art deco pool, and lavish thermal sections off either side of it. The main pool is just a swimming pool, and is co-ed; people mainly swim seriously or do aqua aerobics and stuff in here. At the foot of it is a small, separate thermal section. This is also co-ed.]]> juliab 2012-02-01T15:41:38-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/30/131015/469

A night at the opera is normally one of the most expensive, OTT things you can do. Not so much in Budapest, though. A tour of the incredible opera house costs 2900 HUF ($13) per person, but show tickets start at just 300HUF—that’s right, $1.33. We know which we’d prefer.

On our recent trip, the cheapest opera ticket we could buy on the day was 4400HUF ($19.50) for a seat in a box. Luckily, we decided to shell out. Luckily because even though we’re not opera buffs, it was one of the most incredible productions we’ve ever seen (Mephistopheles, since you ask). ]]> juliab 2012-01-30T16:10:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/25/135234/793

There's nothing quite like the mixture of the old and new in Budapest. Art Nouveau and Communist architecture. Medieval cobbled streets, and fast-moving dual carriageway thoroughfares. Cutting-edge modern opera staged in a beautiful 19th century theater.

And a sex shop in a gloriously frothy old building. ]]> juliab 2012-01-25T16:00:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/23/125227/979

Budapest in winter: somewhere we've always wanted to go, but somewhere we've never quite dared—the snow! The biting cold! Could the beauty of winter really be worth getting frostbite for?

This year, we bit the bullet and booked. The good news: we didn't get frostbite. The bad: there was no snow! We found ourselves in a January so mild it was unheard of.

On the plus side, we got to cut our Budapest teeth without freezing, with barely any other tourists, and with that stunning stark winter sun lighting up our photos. Like this one from the Fisherman's Bastion next to the Matthias church in hilly Buda, looking down at the Hungarian parliament.

Now there's a sight that beats Capitol Hill.

[Photo: juliab]]]> juliab 2012-01-24T12:05:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/10/28/02643/018

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

Hold up your arm and look at your forearm. Imagine a twisted masterpiece of dough that's roughly the length of it, and about as wide. Sure, it's hollow inside, but the magic in a Hungarian Chimney Cake is that doughy diameter. It's like what would result if a pretzel and a cinnamon bun got romantic.

Of course if you're actually over in Hungary or Romania and hungry for this massive sweet—revered as the most historical pastry in Hungary—you should know it's called Kürtös Kalács. Cooked over an open-flame hearth, the sugar-crusted rings of yeast pastry are traditionally coated in sugar, but other topping options are coconut, cinnamon, walnut, almond, chocolate and sprinkles.]]> JetSetCD 2011-10-28T12:05:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/9/19/23758/9090

So last week, Japanese news reported that Apple CEO Steve Jobs wasn't allowed to take ninja stars onboard his private plane, but this week, the news is that Angelina Jolie's daughter Shiloh was allowed to bring her wooden sword toy onboard a commercial flight.

Angelina, with her daughters Shiloh and Zahara, were in Budapest, Hungary scouting locations for Jolie's next movie, reports The Daily Mail. When it came time to fly from Budapest back to Los Angeles (that's one heck of a long flight for two young children), Angelina bought the girls toys. Shiloh got the wooden sword and brought it onboard with her. The only people making a fuss about it are the tabloids.]]> JetSetCD 2010-09-20T08:58:15-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/29/44845/7471

Poor Wizz Air. What started out as a sweet little marketing idea to celebrate the Eastern European low-cost carrier's fifth anniversary turned nasty this week, and we feel bad for them.

The airline set up a press conference and speaking event in Budapest, and the final act of the day was going to be the release of 1,000 balloons, each with a 10,000 forint ($50) coupon attached which the lucky finder could redeem on a Wizz Air flight.]]> amandak 2009-06-29T08:47:19-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/