Budapest is a European city that has several identities. Most importantly it is the capital city of European nation Hungary. Located just on the heart of the country on the bank of river Danube, Budapest is also known as the 'Queen of the Danube'. It is also the largest city of the country and the most important political, cultural, commercial industrial and transportation of the country. The Parliament of Hungary is situated in Budapest. For its unique geographical location and facilities, Budapest is the most densely populated city of Hungary. According to 2005 census the city is home to 1,697,343 people. For its several industries and busy commercial activities the capital city of Hungary is also the biggest contributor to its economy. Apart from these, Budapest is also a major tourist destination of Hungary and entire Europe. The natural beauty of the city, several museums, ancient buildings, castles attract large number of tourists around the year. So if you are planning a trip to this wonderful city you must take a note about some important points. Those are given below:

• Best time to visit and general climate:

  Budapest is popular as a place that gets 2000 hours of sunshine a year. The city is located in the temperate climatic zone and has influence of three climatic regions-oceanic, continental and the Mediterranean. That’s why the weather keeps changing from time to time. In summer the temperature sometimes crosses even 38 degrees and during the winter it often goes down below the freezing point. However the average temperature remains quite friendly through out the year and so there is no bad time to visit Budapest as such. But the best time to visit is during the spring when the weather is finest in the region.

• Area and Location:

  For its unique geographical location Budapest has got several names- Queen of the Danube, Heart of Europe and Paris of the East. The capital city, situated right on the heart of Hungary is located on the bank of river Danube. Covering a huge geographical area of 256,16 square kilometers, Budapest is the largest and the most densely populated city in Hungary.

• Delicacies of Budapest:

  Budapest is one of the major tourist destinations of Hungary. Apart from several historical places, natural beauty of the city and museums, another thing that attracts international tourists in large numbers to the city is the unique Hungarian cuisine. There are large numbers of restaurants in Budapest that serve all kinds of Hungarian delicacies to the food lovers. Cuisine of Budapest and other parts of Hungary is a prominent feature of the culture of the country as well. You will find traditional Hungarian dishes like goulash, paprika, goose liver, a wide variety of stew cooked with meat, different preparations of pork, beef, various desserts and pastries. But remember one thing… you may get rude behavior from the waiters of the restaurants on refusing foods.

• Government:

  In Hungary the regions are divided and sub-divided into cities, town and counties and are governed by respective municipalities with a mayor in the topmost position. At present there are 19 counties in Hungary. Being the capital of Hungary, Budapest is the seat of both the municipal government and the Central government. It is the responsibility of the municipal government to look after certain things like maintenance of law and order in the city, education in primary, secondary and higher secondary institutions, environment of the city and making arrangements for water supply in all parts of the city. More importantly it is the duty of the local or municipal governments to solve all kinds of social problems faced by the people of the city. At present Budapest comprises of 22 districts that are governed by the Budapest municipal government. Since the year 1990, liberalist Gabor Demzky is being working as the mayor of Budapest.

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