Budapest came into being by joining Óbuda, Buda and Pest in 1873.

Interestingly, that anniversary is marked on November 17, but, in reality, the city was formed on October 25. The November date was when the city council took over the management of affairs.

Gergely Karácsony, the Mayor of the Hungarian capital, said that Budapest was "unshakable in its Hungarianness," but is also European.

"Some cities are forever, like Rome, and some cities always rise again, like Budapest," he added. And it seems that foreign travelers also share this sentiment.