Bohemia in the backstreets: how to make the most of your trip to Budapest

There's an eccentric side to Hungary's ravishing capital.

This is my seventh visit to Budapest and I don't think I've had a warmer, more magnificent welcome than this. The sun kisses the open-top deck of our cruise ship as we sail into Hungary's capital, a flurry of domes and spires gleaming from both banks of the River Danube, including those of the giant neo-Gothic national parliament building. Further boosting our mood is a gang of workmen, in hardhats and high-vis jackets, giving us a hearty wave from the wrought-iron Chain Bridge, another mighty city icon.

Whether you're a first-time or repeat visitor, and whether arriving by river, rail or plane, Budapest quickly has you under its spell. While some places here never fail to enchant - say, the panoramic castle ramparts on the hilly Buda side of the river, and the toasty thermal baths and Viennese-style coffeehouses that proliferate on the other, flatter Pest side - there's always something new and quirky to discover in this wonderfully walkable city.

Our vessel (Viking Egil) docks centrally, by the Elizabeth Bridge, so pretty much everywhere in Budapest is reachable on foot or via one of the efficient street trams or subways. Twenty minutes after disembarking, we're admiring the zany, ever-changing street art of the 7th district. It's among the trendiest of the city's 23 districts, spanning the historic Jewish Quarter, its bohemian backstreets stretching behind the huge Moorish Revival-style Great Synagogue (one of the world's largest synagogues, seating 3000 people).

It's an increasingly cosmopolitan neighbourhood, home to everything from kosher delis to cool-chic haunts like Sao, which does zesty pan-Asian fusion fare, with mostly Vietnamese and Chinese flavours. Then you have neat spots like Macesz, a modern bistro serving classic paprika-spiced central European stews, traditional Jewish offerings like matzo ball soup, plus wines from Hungary and beyond.

It's a bit early for lunch, but we're hankering for some caffeine, so we call in at My Little Melbourne, a cafe founded by Hungarians who fell for artisan coffee while travelling in Australia. We sip satisfyingly punchy flat whites beside local creatives, who chat and tap away on laptops in a cosy interior decorated with surfboards and koala photographs. There's a street-side terrace made for people watching.

Later on, the 7th district will really crackle to life, especially at its so-called "ruin bars". Occupying previously derelict apartment buildings, eccentric venues like Szimpla and Instant-Fogas boast a warren of rooms, gardens and courtyards where a mixed crowd drink, eat, dance and mingle into the early hours. DJs, live bands and film screenings add to the congenial atmosphere, while the offbeat decor raises eyebrows. And, trust me, the recycled junk, mismatched furniture and whimsical wall and ceiling displays become rather mind-bending after a few Budapest-brewed ales or shots of Unicum (a popular Hungarian herbal liqueur).

Another beguiling enclave is City Park. I love wandering through this 122-hectare green lung at the northern tip of Andrassy Avenue, an elegant Parisian-esque boulevard lined with coffeehouses, luxury stores and theatres. Most tourists come to bathe at the park's neo-Baroque Szechenyi Baths, arguably the most Instagrammed thermal spa in a city whose hot springs have been relished by all manner of people, including ancient Romans, Ottomans and Habsburg royalty.

Strolling the shaded paths, the park's other striking architecture is sure to captivate, from a fairytale French-style lakeside chateau to the shiny new House of Music, a concert hub and music museum, crafted by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, with trees growing through its ceiling. Also new to the park is a candy-striped hot-air balloon, which soars 150 metres into the sky, promising 360-degree vistas.

The most exciting ride I have on this visit, however, comes from behind the wheel of an old Lada police car. Foot on the accelerator, I drive haphazardly around a Soviet-era housing estate. Not for real, mind you. It's just a video game - a screen is embedded in the parked car's windscreen - and it's one highlight of the new Budapest Retro Museum. Located in downtown Pest, it bills itself as an "interactive time travel experience", transporting you back to the second half of the 20th century, when Hungary was behind the Iron Curtain, under the yoke of Communism and the Soviet Union. Blending hands-on fun and games with antiques and memorabilia, the museum intrigues and entertains nostalgic Hungarians and curious tourists alike, touching on topics as varied as political propaganda and domestic humdrum, the space race and espionage.

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I spy more thought-provoking exhibits at the Ludwig Museum, a riverside arts hub in the 9th district, about two kilometres south of downtown Pest. Its galleries showcase everyone from Communist-era avant-gardists and up-and-coming Budapestian talents to pop-art legends like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Having walked to the museum on a promenade flanking the Danube, we rattle back the other way on tram No. 2.

Getting there: Emirates flies to Budapest from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane via Dubai. Book through emirates.com

Staying there: Centrally located in downtown Pest, the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus has double rooms from about $302. See kempinski.com

Cruising there: Viking has River Danube cruises between mid-March and late-December, starting or ending in Budapest, including a night in port here. An eight-day trip from Budapest to Regensburg (Germany) is priced from about $2595. See vikingcruises.com.au

Explore more: budapestinfo.hu

The writer was a guest of Viking Cruises.