Budapest
is the capital and the largest city of Hungary, a metropolis which leaves the visitor thirsting for more. It has the largest thermal water system in the world, and the first underground on the European continent has been built in Budapest more than 120 years ago. The Buda Castle Hill, with the 700-year-old Matthias Church, the Royal Palace and the Fishermen’s Bastion, is among the most charming World Heritage Sites, from where one can look down at the downtown and the Danube River, with her many bridges, among them the beautiful Chain Bridge – the first one throughout the history to permanently connect Buda and Pest.
Regarding the topic of water, the city’s number one reference is the Danube River, which splits the city into the hilly Buda and the flat Pest. Besides, Budapest is a city of spas, with a unique composition and temperature of the waters, where visitors can reinvigorate in one of the 19 different thermal baths, including classical and even Turkish spas.
The city already hosted many aquatic events, like for instance the first edition of the European Aquatics Championships back in 1926, which was later followed by numerous other continental aquatics championships (in 1958, 2006, 2010 and 2014) and the FINA World Championships in 2017. Budapest has already been named European Capital of Sports for 2019, hosting 365 sporting events throughout the year, highlighted by the European Maccabi Games in July and the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in August.