Budapest is the capital and largest city of Hungary. It is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial and transportation center. Budapest is home to over 1 million residents as of 2008 and covers an area of 525 square kilometers. It became a single city on November 17, 1873 and occupies both banks of the river Danube with Buda and Obuda at the right bank and Pest on the left bank.

The city was initially inhabited around fifty thousand years ago but the name Budapest has been with the city for only 128 years. Before the unification in 1873, Obuda, Buda, and Pest were considered separate settlements. Budapest became the second capital of Austria-Hungary but dissolved in 1918. The city became the focal point of many political events namely the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust in 1944, the Battle of Budapest of 1945 and the Revolution of 1956.

Budapest is widely recognized as one of the beautiful cities in Europe with many World Heritage Sites such as the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrassy Avenue, and the Millennium Underground Railway. Budapest is also home to 80 thermal springs that supply 12 spas. Budapest is a place with a high regard for culture with 237 monuments, 223 museums and galleries, 35 theaters, 90 cinemas, 2 opera houses, and 12 concert halls. This is no wonder why the city attracts over 20 million visitors every year.