Margitsziget (Margaret Island)
Wedged in a loop of the River Danube and linked by Árpád híd and Margit híd to Buda and Pest, the 2km (1.5-mile) Margaret Island is one of the calmest and greenest spots in Budapest. No cars are allowed or needed - the island from Margit híd to Árpád híd can be crossed on foot in 20 minutes. The island is named after the devout daughter of King Béla IV, who lived here in a Dominican convent in the 13th century. In summer, Margaret Island is bursting with people heading for a swim at the Hajós Alfréd swimming pool or Palatinus pool.

Margaret Island
Free admission.

Szobor Park (Memento Park)
Just as Lenin Boulevard and Marx Square no longer exist in Budapest, so their statues and monuments have been sent into exile in Memento Park. Buses leave from Deák Square for the short ride to this eerie and increasingly popular outdoor attraction.

XXII Balatoni utca, corner of Szabadkai utca
Tel: (01) 424 7500.
Website: www.mementopark.hu
Admission charge.

House of Terror Museum
For an insight into Hungary's turbulent recent history, pay a visit to the House of Terror Museum. Featuring the grim decades of Nazi and Communist repression, this museum is housed in the former headquarters for the secret police of both the Nazi and Communist governments, an address that filled the heart of the average Hungarian with dread for the best part of 50 years.

Andrassy út 60
Tel: (01) 374 2600.
Website: www.terrorhaza.hu
Admission charge.

Iparművészeti Múzeum (Applied Arts Museum)
Budapest is filled with fine examples of art nouveau architecture, but the Applied Arts Museum is arguably the city's finest example of the style. The roof is tiled in green and gold Zsolany ceramics and decorated with Hungarian folk-art and oriental motifs, while the collection housed inside is a breath-taking array of furniture, metalwork, ceramics, and glassware, much of which was purchased at Vienna's World Exhibition in 1873.

IX Úllői út 33-37
Tel: (01) 456 5107.
Website: www.imm.hu
Admission charge.

Művészetek Palotája and Ludwig Múzeum Budapest (Palace of Arts and Ludwig Museum)
The Palace of Arts, in the southern reaches of the city on the banks of the Danube, is Budapest's latest offering to the arts. The modern building is of little interest to most, but the performance halls inside are of the highest standard. The Ludwig, housed within the complex, showcases the city's contemporary art collection which includes works by Picasso, Warhol and Lichenstein.

Palace of Arts
IX Komor Marcell utca 1
Tel: (01) 555 3001.
Website: www.mupa.hu
Free admission.

Ludwig Museum
IX Komor Marcell utca 1
Tel: (01) 555 3444.
Website: http://www.ludwigmuseum.hu/
Permanent collection free admission; temporary exhibitions admission charge.