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Budapest and Womex: Tune in to this cultured capital
As Budapest gears up to host the biggest international festival of world music, John Gottfried doesn't miss a beat
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Your support makes all the difference.The Hungarian physicist Edward Teller, the so-called “father of the hydrogen bomb”, once said that to be a genius it is not enough to come from Budapest. No, one had to have been in a certain master's class in a certain school in the 1920s (Teller wasn't exaggerating, much: an astonishing number of the 20th-century's Nobel prize-winners were in that class). Hungarians take talent seriously and with good reason: they invented the colour television, the hologram and the Biro.
No one in Hungary is taken more seriously than talented musicians. For fans of world music, this month is the time to travel to Budapest, as the capital city hosts the biggest international festival of world music, Womex (womex.com). Running from 21-25 October, it brings together artists from the worlds of folk, roots, ethnic and traditional music. This year's line-up includes musicians from as far afield as Mali, South Korea, Haiti and Brazil, as well as from the UK.
The beautiful Hapsburg city provides the perfect backdrop: when in need of psychic recalibration, just take a stroll by the glorious Danube river which flows between the twin cities of Buda, to the west, and Pest, to the east. Womex takes place on the Pest side of the Danube, at Mupa, the Palace of Arts (00 36 1 555 3001; mupa.hu).
The man behind the building, Gabor Zoboki, studied music and conducting before becoming an architect, which is perhaps part of the success of his masterpiece. It is also the venue for Budapest's annual Wagner Festival, which takes place in June. The extraordinary acoustics of the concert hall make every singer soar above the loudest orchestral playing.
Budapest has one of Central Europe's largest Jewish communities, with a population of 80,000. Pay a visit to the Dohany Street Synagogue (00 36 1 462 0478; dohany-zsinagoga.hu); it is the largest in Europe, with striking, Moorish-style towers.
Unpack
Just around the corner from the synagogue is the Astoria (00 36 1 889 6000; danubiushotels.com/astoria). It's full of old-world charm, with doubles from €75, with breakfast.
Fans of the film The Grand Budapest Hotel should spend a couple of nights at the Corinthia (00 36 1 479 4000; corinthiahotels.com). Confusingly known to locals and taxi drivers as the Royal, it's a dead ringer for Wes Anderson's fictional hotel, and flaunts a stupendous atrium. The luxurious Royal Spa, dating from 1886, was recently modernised. Doubles from €125, room only.
Think local
One of Budapest's more extraordinary recent claims to fame is the phenomenon of escape games – rooms where two to five players seek to escape by performing games of skill and intelligence – and these can now be enjoyed in English. The first such, ParaPark, was created in 2011 in one of the city's “ruin pubs”.
Reminiscent of The Crystal Maze, escape games have now spread all over the city: there are more than 60 to choose from, including some which allow children to take part (00 36 20 494 9957; exitgames.hu; €30 for a team).
Eat
For fine dining, the hot tip this autumn is Emile (00 36 30 585 0602; emile.hu). Situated in the quiet hills of Buda, Emile is the newly opened sister restaurant to the grand and splendid Café Gerbeaud (00 36 1 429 9000; gerbeaud.hu), a sweet spot in central Pest since 1858. Emile is set in a restored villa and offers a new take on Central European classic dishes such as beetroot and goose liver. The restaurant manager used to work at Heston Blumenthal's three-star The Fat Duck in Bray and the delightful service reflects that high standard. This is not the sort of goulash you are used to.
Drink
Seek out the famed ruin pub scene for late-night drinks. I enjoyed Szimpla Kert (00 36 20 261 8669; szimpla.hu) downtown. It is celebrating its 15th anniversary – quite a feat for a junkyard venue so seemingly temporary. Sitting on chairs made of old car tyres, I caught a great three-piece folk-funk band.
The Danube – twice the breadth in Budapest than in Vienna, less than 200 miles upriver – is a fine sight, and how better to see it than at dusk from one of the decks over three floors of the groovetastic venue, the A38 (00 36 1 464 3940; a38.hu). This ship-nightclub, which used to be a Ukranian stone carrier, is moored near the Petofi Bridge and offers music for all tastes, as well as drinks, meals and dancing; make-up on, clothes off being the local style.
Spend
Budapest is renowned for its markets, selling everything from antiques and local crafts to artisan produce. One of the city's oldest and most authentic flea markets is Pecsa Bolhapiac (Zichy Mihaly ut 14; weekends 8am to 2pm). An entry fee of around 35p allows you to browse through numerous stalls selling antiques and vintage items.
Those in search of something a little more up-to-date should head to the aptly-named Fashion Street (Deak Ferenc utca). This 500ft-long cobbled street was created in 2007 as a result of huge investment aimed at attracting top international retailers. The plan worked and Fashion Street is now home to a host of luxury brands and fashionable restaurants (10am to 8pm).
Don't miss
The Romans were the first to take advantage of Hungary's hot springs, and that medicinal bath culture famously persists today. Budapest's thermal baths include a hidden delight – the Veli Bej Bath (00 36 1 438 8641), the oldest and largest Turkish spa in Central Europe. It's sited in a beautiful building in north Buda. The small capacity and friendly prices – around £6 for three hours – mean it's best to get there before it opens at 3pm and join the locals queuing.
Getting there
Wizz Air (0906 959 0002; wizzair.com) flies to Budapest from Luton, Birmingham and Glasgow; Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com) from Stansted, Manchester and Bristol; Jet2 (0800 408 1350; jet2.com) from Edinburgh, Manchester, East Midlands and Leeds/Bradford; British Airways (0344 493 0787; ba.com) from Heathrow; Norwegian (0843 3780 888; norwegian.com/uk) from Gatwick; and easyJet (0843 104 5000; easyJet.com) from Gatwick.
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