Scenic, youthful, stylish. Top-notch classical music and steamy al fresco thermal baths . Buzzing ni

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Scenic, youthful, stylish. Top-notch classical music and steamy al fresco thermal baths . Buzzing nightlife. french quarter hotels new orleans Delightful Budapest , Hungary—the "Paris of the East"—is a gorgeous city nestled in the heart of Eastern Europe. With a dramatic past as a part of the Austro Hungarian Empire, french quarter hotels new orleans it's rich with history, culture, stunning french quarter hotels new orleans architecture and an exciting french quarter hotels new orleans variety of year-round family activities.
The city does feel like a low-key, mini Paris—and I mean that in a good way! With young kids, it's lovely to be in a spot that's not too overwhelming; you can take in the major sights in a few days and really feel like you experienced the best of Budapest. It's easy to get around with kids, with welcoming french quarter hotels new orleans locals, a pedestrian-friendly downtown and a very efficient tram system.
Our home base overlooking the River Danube, Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest , was never an actual palace. But when you step into the stunning art nouveau lobby (kids will be enchanted by the soaring gates with a peacock motif), you'll french quarter hotels new orleans find it's easy to pretend you're a royal family.
*The art nouveau design elements at Four Seasons' Gresham Palace. Built in 1906, the building recently underwent a loving five-year restoration and modernization . It features delicious details such as stained-glass floors, a wrought iron elevator, a huge glass dome within the building and a tile floor made up of two million mosaic pieces. My family will never forget staying in such an elegant Old  World setting.
*Value. Budapest is one of the most affordable of all European french quarter hotels new orleans destinations. While it's a member of the EU, it still maintains its own currency, the Hungarian forint , which has an attractive exchange rate  against the U.S. dollar.
*Honey tasting at the hotel's Gresham Restaurant . Hungary is a leading EU honey producer, and Gresham serves and sells a variety of delicious varieties from a local apiarist . The kids loved the Spring french quarter hotels new orleans Flower and Acacia flavors, while I preferred creamed honey, which spreads like butter.
*Coffee. Budapest is known for its coffeehouse culture . You even get your own in-room espresso maker. Stop in at the Coffee House at New York Palace Hotel , where artists and intellectuals past and present spend the day dining french quarter hotels new orleans and philosophizing.
*Culture/art: The Museum of Fine Arts  is a must. A lovely C é zanne collection, drawn from museums, galleries and private collections around the world, is on display until February 2013. Permanent collections include Greek and Roman antiquities, drawings by masters along the lines of van Gogh, Rembrandt and Manet; and post-1800 works by artists such as Chagall, Gauguin and Rodin.
Signs of the past. In the hotel lobby, see if you can figure out which area was used as an entrance french quarter hotels new orleans for horse drawn carriages. In the past, the building was an insurance company and upscale apartment complex before it was ravaged by the Second World War.
*Dine in —The hotel's Gresham Restaurant   has a scrumptious wiener schnitzel , among other delicious local cuisine. The chocolate torte was out of this world. There are kid-friendly options as well; my eight-year-old son was delighted to see a hamburger on the menu. We were hungry and weary when we first arrived, and the room service pizza was pretty amazing, too.
The Great Market Hall  has two storeys of stalls for meats, produce, french quarter hotels new orleans prepared food and souvenirs. A tasty, fried doughy cheesy treat called l á ngos  is not to be missed. french quarter hotels new orleans (Avoid the lunch crowd and get there by 11 am.)
2. Cycling. Rent four-wheeled "bikes" that seat four to get around Margaret Island . It's a beautiful, 1.6-mile island park in the middle of the Danube. Climb around on ruins of an old church or visit a tiny petting zoo. No vehicles are allowed (except for the kid cars, of course—one of the trip highlights for my son.) Photo #13 (family in red vehicle)
4. History lesson. Go back in time. In the area known as Castle Hill  you can visit icons such as the Royal Palace (also known as Buda Castle), the medieval Matthias Church, Fisherman's Bastion and the National Gallery . Take in an amazing french quarter hotels new orleans panoramic view of the city—that is, if you don't hit a foggy day as we did.
5. Castle tour. Explore castles… and get a little smarter. Vajdahunyad Castle is a series of buildings that were designed in 1896 to show off the variety of architectural styles from the past thousand years of Hungarian history. french quarter hotels new orleans A cloaked statue of an anonymous monk (little is known about him, except that he penned the first book of the history french quarter hotels new orleans of the Hungarians, the Gesta Hungarorum ,) faces the park. Touching the pen the statue holds is supposed to make you wise and help you with your studies.
*Babies: Snuggling with mom or dad on an hour-long boat ride on the Danube. Watching cool shadows on all the amazing architecture. Listening to classical french quarter hotels new orleans music. Looking at colorful stained glass windows. A dip in a thermal bath. The hotel pool.
*Toddlers: The Tropicarium , a 20-minute cab ride from the hotel, but well worth the visit to see the alligator and sharks french quarter hotels new orleans up close. Getting down with lively folk music. Munching on yummy pastries. Climbing fancy staircases. A park picnic. Cycling with junior in back. The hotel pool.
*Kids 5-10: A ride on the children's railway , a train run by children (and supervised by adults.) Drinking deluxe hot chocolate. Running, jumping and swinging at the abundant playgrounds. Watching baby animals at the zoo. The hotel pool. Try the hotel's new workshop for musically inclined kids—including french quarter hotels new orleans a short music education concert, then an instrument-making session and trip to the Hungarian State Opera House for a performance by classical violinists, guitarists, trumpet players and dancers.
*Tweens and teens: Splashing in the warm waters at the Szechenyi Baths   (ask the concierge for towels, slippers and soap). Checking out the trains and planes at the Transport Museum . Watching skateboarders and BMX riders at the huge Heroes Square . Shopping for souvenirs at the Great Market Hall. Try the hotel's new workshop for musically inclined kids—including a short music education concert, then an instrument-making session and trip to the Hungarian State Opera House for a performance by classical violinists, french quarter hotels new orleans guitarists, trumpet players and dancers.
Lee Rose Emery is an actress, writer and editor-in-chief of the award-winning blog, LA City Mom , "tips from the carpool lane…", based in Los Angeles, California. Lee is currently living in Prague, the Czech Republic, with her husband, eight-year-old son and daughter, 10. Stay tuned for more chronicles of her European family adventures.
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