The Buda and the Pest sides not only give Hungary’s capital its name, but also define the varied lifestyles and character on each side
Hungary's capital is a tale of two cities, split by the Danube river. The Buda and the Pest sides not only give the city its name, but also define its different lifestyles and personalities.
"Pest is very fast, as most of the things happen there. There [are] a lot of bars, restaurants, meeting points, but also many companies have their offices on this side of the river," explained Wiktoria Skiba, originally from Poland and founder of Budapest blog The Spoiled Queen.
"Buda is much calmer, surrounded by beautiful hills. You can find a lot of green areas there, and the air is fresher than on the Pest side."
Regardless of side, however, all residents take pride in their city.
"We like and we are proud of our city’s culture and history," said G. Nóra with the Budapest tourism centre. "We like exploring new places in our city, but we like to take care of our heritage too."
Residents are known to be friendly and laid-back with foreigners, and new opportunities are attracting more and more expats to the area.
"Besides average professionals, Budapest is an ideal place for digital nomads, with a very vibrant start-up scene," said Gabor Bihari, originally from Los Angeles and editor-in-chief of expat publication Budapest, Inc.
While older residents tend to keep to themselves, the up-and-coming generation of Hungarians tends to be open-minded and friendly, making it a more welcoming place for expats than ever before.
Where do you want to live?
The Buda side is favoured by families, while the Pest side is popular with young professionals and has more of a party scene. The city is further defined by its 23 separate districts, each with their own vibe.
"As much as I loved to live in the VII district, which is the party hub, I much more appreciate my current address in Újlipótváros [the XIII district]," Skiba said. "It's a more residential area, but has many restaurants, coffee places, little shops nearby and also co-working spaces like Mozaik, the tech hub of start-ups in Budapest."
The V district, located around Fővám tér and Kecskeméti streets on the Pest side, is also a popular choice for well-heeled expats. Though more "posh", according to Skiba, it also is very well connected with two metro lines, trams and buses, as well as lots of cafes and bars near the river where people can hang out.
Once quite dangerous, the VIII district, also on the Pest side, has lately been transformed into a "cultural melting point", according to F. Eszter, who also works for the Budapest tourism centre. "It has a wild romantic feeling, anything can happen, basically."
Locals also recommend the XII and II districts, both on the Buda side, for families and those who prefer a calmer pace of life as they tend to be cleaner and greener.
Where can you travel?
Locals have plenty of getaways right within the city itself, and take advantage of them at every opportunity. Margitsziget (Margaret Island) on the Danube is a popular hiking destination, located 3.5km up the river from the city centre.
Located 7km west of the city in the Buda hills, Normafais also popular year round for short excursions. "It has fantastic panorama to the city," Nóra said. "In winter you can ski there, and in summer, you can go for a picnic in the fields.”
The island of Obudai Sziget, 5km north of the city centre on the Danube, is home to August’s popular Sziget Festival, one of Europe’s largest cultural and music festivals.
Further afield, the Hungarian countryside has plenty of popular holiday spots. Lake Balaton, 100km southwest, draws swimmers and boaters as well as cyclists who take advantage of the bike lanes around the lake.
多瑙河畔的雙面城：布達佩斯
- 2016年 9月 21日
匈牙利的首都布達佩斯（Budapest）演繹的是多瑙河左右岸兩座城的故事。布達（Buda）和佩斯（Pest）不僅賦予了這個城市一個名字，也詮釋了不同的生活方式和個性。
「佩斯的生活節奏很快，因為城市的重心就在此處。 這裏有很多酒吧、餐館和活動場所，許多公司也在這邊設立了辦事處。」布達佩斯博客「被寵壞的女王」（The Spoiled Queen）創始人，來自波蘭的維多利亞·斯基巴（Wiktoria Skiba）如是說。
「對比之下，布達群山環繞，靜謐了許多。 綠化覆蓋率很高，空氣質量也優於佩斯。」
無論是來自河的哪一岸，人們都以這座城為榮。
「我們喜歡這座城市，也為它的文化和歷史而感到自豪。」布達佩斯遊客中心的諾拉·G（G. Nóra）說， 「我們喜歡在這裏探索新的去處，但是我們也要保護好歷史留給我們的財富。」
當地居民以友好著稱，他們悠閒的與外國遊客相處。越來越多的僑民正在被吸引而定居於此。
GETTY
「除了攝影專家外，布達佩斯也是隨手拍人群的理想去處，到處都是充滿活力的取景素材。」僑民出版物布達佩斯公司（Budapest, Inc.）主編，來自洛杉磯的伽柏·比哈爾（Gabor Bihari）說。
老一輩的居民與世無爭的生活在自己的小世界裏，而匈牙利的新一代年輕人則思維更加開放友善，僑民可以深深體會到這座城史無前例的熱情。
你想住在哪裏？
已經成家的人們喜歡布達，而年輕人則更加鐘意佩斯的派對風。 整個城市進一步劃分為23個不同的區，每個區都有自己獨特的範兒。
「我喜歡七區，那裏是派對的中心地帶。但我也喜歡我目前居住的十三區的『Újlipótváros』。」斯基巴說， 「這裏很宜居，附近有許多餐廳、咖啡廳、小商店以及Mozaik這樣的工作場所，新人創業伊始會來這裏。」
五區位於佩斯的 Fővám tér 和 Kecskeméti 街附近，也是上層僑民趨之若鶩的區域。 雖然這裏略「豪」（按照斯基巴的說法），也有兩條地鐵線、多趟電車和巴士可以到達，在河岸附近也有許多平民化的咖啡館和酒吧。
八區也位於佩斯，過去曾是一個高風險的地界，如今已經成功轉型為「文化交匯點」。同樣在布達佩斯遊客中心工作的伊斯澤特·F（F. Eszter）說： 「在這裏，你可以體驗到狂野的浪漫。說實話，任何事都可能在這裏發生。」
當地人也推薦位於布達的十二區和二區。對於那些喜歡相對安靜的生活環境的家庭來講，這兩個區的整潔和綠化會讓他們滿意。
你能去哪裏遊覽？
當地人在城內就有很多度假的選擇，而他們也最大限度的利用了這一天賜良機。多瑙河中的瑪格麗特島是一個著名的健行勝地，距布達佩斯市中心3.5公里。
諾瑪法酒店位于城西7公里處布達的群山之間，全年接待短途旅行的遊客，幾乎天天爆滿。 「在這裏可以一覽城市的美景。」諾拉說， 「冬天呢，可以滑雪。到了夏天，可以野餐。」
多瑙河上的舊布達島位於市中心北部5公里處，著名的西蓋特節是匈牙利在歐洲最大的文化和音樂節之一，每年八月就在這裏舉行。
更遠一些，匈牙利的鄉村也有很多廣受歡迎的度假勝地。 比如，很多人會去西南部100公里處的巴拉頓湖游泳、划船、或是沿著湖四周的綠道騎單車。
多瑙河北部的小鎮也是久負盛名的旅遊地。包括聖安德烈，位於北部20公里處，以其博物館和美術館著稱；維謝格拉德，位於北部45公里處，中世紀城堡的發源地；還有埃斯泰爾戈姆，位於北部50公里處，匈牙利最大教堂的所在地。
乘火車或飛機去鄰國奧地利、克羅地亞和羅馬尼亞逛一逛也不會花銷太多。
物價可以承受嗎？
食物、飲料和住宿都很便宜。但是由於銷售稅很高，像筆記本和其他電子產品會比歐洲其他地方貴些。
不過，當地居民一致認為，和其他西歐國家首都相比，布達佩斯的物價在可承受範圍內。
「從生活質量來講，這裏是全世界最具性價比的城市。」比哈爾說。
請訪問 BBC Travel 閱讀 英文原文。
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