3-day weekend in Budapest, a blend of the contemporary and the historic

After dropping off our bags at the Modern Downtown hotel, located in the heart of the city's modern district, we can begin our weekend in Budapest, discovering Hungarian traditions as well as the city's modern features.

To start the morning, we decided to head straight for Fashion Street to explore the area around the hotel. This is the street with the most chain shops. From luxury boutiques to more traditional ready-to-wear shops, there's something for everyone.

Since our afternoon plans include a visit to Andrássy Street, one of the most famous streets in the city, we head to Oktogon for lunch, the public transport hub. On the advice of a friend, we go to Belozzo, a pasta fast-food restaurant that only exists in Budapest. We recommend the excellent pesto pasta.

Once full, we'll head for Heroes' Square, at one end of Andrássy Street. To get there, we take metro line 1 from Oktogon, one of the oldest in Europe and a World Heritage Site. Once there, we discovered the site with its various statues representing several figures from Hungary.

Strolling around the square, we discovered the art museums that surround it, one of classical art and the other of contemporary art. Due to lack of time, we preferred to head for a third museum: the Museum of Terror, which is dedicated to the difficulties experienced by Hungary after the Second World War until 1956. Between the ruthless Soviet occupation and the Hungarian fascist allies, the museum is the most morbid in the city.

Just a few minutes' walk up the street, you can admire the city's distinctive architecture, with styles from completely different eras coming together to create Budapest's unique character.

After a not-very-happy but no-less-interesting visit, we decided to change the atmosphere completely by going for a drink in a ruin bar, a Budapest speciality, a bar in an abandoned or disused place. We chose the Szimpla Kert, the first of its kind in the city, opened in 2003. It has a very special and pleasant atmosphere, and the decor is reminiscent of your favourite post-apocalyptic films and TV series. We also decided to eat there, where the burger menu is appetising and rather inexpensive: for an average of £4 you can enjoy a well-served, hearty dish.

Once again, we end the evening in style with a night cruise on the Danube on a party boat. The party was in full swing with tourists from all over the world admiring the illuminated city. The lights highlight the must-see sights, such as Parliament and Buda Castle, providing a first glimpse of the city we'll be visiting the next day. There's plenty of alcohol on board and the crew let us continue the evening by taking us by bus to a nightclub in the city centre.

To get the morning off to a leisurely start after the previous evening, we ordered brunch in a café not far from the hotel. We had plenty of choice, as the modern district is full of restaurants, bistros, cafés, snack bars and so on. With our bellies full, we set off on our journey to Buda, the left bank of the Danube, heading for the nearest tram line which will take us across the famous Chain Bridge to the opposite side of the river.

After a good day's walking and sightseeing, a good meal awaits us! For our last meal, we chose a Hungarian restaurant to keep with the theme of the day: the "Hungarian Hell's Kitchen". Although it's in a rather touristy area, the food is very good and local. However, its location does mean that it's not as cheap as the other restaurants Hungarians go to. The menu offers the famous goulash and other local dishes.

Already our last day in the Hungarian capital. One of the must-sees in Budapest is the Parliament, the largest building in the country and almost a symbol of Hungary. It was with this promise of grandeur that we headed towards the building, taking the tram that dropped us off right in front of it. After a short wait, we got our tickets for the tour.

The building is indeed gargantuan, with dizzying numbers: 10 courtyards, 13 lifts, 29 staircases and 691 rooms. Of course, we didn't get to see all of it, but what little we did see lived up to its billing as a gigantic building, with gilding, red carpets, an impressive dome and so on. It was with stars in our eyes and more information about its history that we left the monument. We took advantage of the area's many cafés and restaurants for our lunch break.

It's a good thing we got our strength back, as this afternoon is likely to be a sporty one. The programme includes a mountain bike ride in the Buda hills, starting from the centre of Pest. The ride will give us a good overview of both sides of the city: the residential districts of Pest and the green expanse of Buda. The activity is accessible to all thanks to the cograil, the lifts that take our bikes up steep inclines.

After this exhausting afternoon, we head for the best-known street of bars to indulge in some well-deserved relaxation. Gozsdu Udvar is famous for its all-day party atmosphere. Dance events, bars you won't know where to look and restaurants serving specialities from all over the world. Its string of lights and aura of good humour make the place truly unique. A perfect place to start the evening.

Finally, we couldn't leave Budapest without a visit to the public baths. So we opted for the night-time version at the Széchenyi thermal baths, the largest neo-Gothic baths in the city. From 9.30pm to 2am, the spa is open with a DJ, light shows and a bar, the perfect way to round off an eventful weekend in the Hungarian capital.