Hai.. Me and 16 of my families are going for a holiday in budapest from 28/11/2008 until 6/12/2008.

Please advise or give me some idea on what to do and places that we should go and visit during our stay there..

Thank You

If you put 'Budapest' into the searchbox top right of the page you will find all the VT Budeapest pages, which are full of information and tips on what to see and do in the city written by both visitors and people who live there.

Buda Castle, Fisherman's Bastion, the Chain Bridge, the Parliament building, St Stephen's Basilica, Mathias Church, the architecture of Pest around Andrassy Ut, Heroes Square....and the thermal baths, of course: Gelert, Szechenyi and more (pack your bathing costumes and towels).

All baths information here:

http://www.spasbudapest.com/tartalom.php

Slightly out of the city, Statue Park is well worth visiting:

http://www.szoborpark.hu/index.php?Lang=en

Lots to see and do, but pack clothes for chilly weather.

Leics has just about covered everything - may be you might want to do the zoo by Heros square - the Sczehni baths is in the zoo but was filthy when we saw it a couple of years ago

Try a trip further afield Danube Bend, Godollo etc. all can be booked in advance via the web - www.viator.com We had excellent service.

Don't forget the indoor market and coffee houses - shops close at mid day Sat. You could also do a day trip to Vienna and Potsdam

You will have 7 full days and that will be enough to see a lot in Budapest and even some neighbouring towns. The main attractions that you should see/visit : Heroes Square, Castle Area, Chain Bridge, Citadel, St Istvan Basilica, Szechenyi, Rudas or Gellert Furdo (at least one of them), Margit Island, National Museum and National Gallery. Shopping : Vaci utca, Andrassy utca, Westend Shopping Center. Cafes: Liszt Ferenc Ter, Kiraly Utca, Raday Utca. Restaurants : You need to check my tips I have so many favorites. These are just some highlights from Budapest. Besides that you can visit close towns such as Szentendre, Visagrad, Esztergom and Godollo. My Budapest page can give you a lot of ideas and options. Enjoy your stay there. I will come on 18 December to Budapest to visit my parents in law and to make another wedding celebration with our friends who couldn't come to Singapore :)

The first think I recommend is to obtain central accommodation, preferably near the river then you will be able to walk to many attractions. The city has 2 sections, Pest is the city side where most attractions, Buda is the other side of the city where the Palace sector is located.

Standout locations are the Palace sector, the Parliament , the Market, the House of Terror museum, the hot baths, Peoples Park etc etc. You are welcome to view my pages which have many photos/tips.

Good Luck,
Mike

The first think I recommend is to obtain central accommodation, preferably near the river then you will be able to walk to many attractions. The city has 2 sections, Pest is the city side where most attractions, Buda is the other side of the city where the Palace sector is located.

Standout locations are the Palace sector, the Parliament , the Market, the House of Terror museum, the hot baths, Peoples Park etc etc. You are welcome to view my pages which have many photos/tips.

Good Luck,
Mike

Some great tips already,here are mine:
1. You may want to buy the bus/train/tram/trolley pass to get around
2. Do not go to the Parliment for a tour (unless you can get in free) about 3/4 of it is closed off to the public, so you get to see only 1/4 of it but the price is steep.
3. Go to OBUDA, on the Buda side and visit the Varga Museum and Vaserally(sp)museum, well worth the trip.The Varga museum is excellent.
4. I know you have tour books, but buy the DK Eyewitness Top 10 travel Guide: Top 10 Budapest. It has the top 10 best of everything.
5. Definitely stop at the Markets, they sell everything
6. Everyone goes to the Gellert Baths or the Szechenyi Baths - so don't you go, sometimes the lines are long. When you visit Margaret Island, and you should, stop in the Danubius Margitsziget. We stayed 3 weeks at the SPA twice and it was great. I would definitely spend a day at the Baths but not at one I had to stand in line for.
7. We liked the Central Market Hall and liked to go upstairs for something to eat, lots of nick nacks also to buy. But I heard it may be closed/under construction however, when your walking down Vaci Utca (and you should) the Market is at the end of that street - so its not like making a special trip.
8. We also liked going to the Mosslen Belgian Beer Cafe - great beer and great mussels.
9. We took the train to Szentendre (nice little town to visit) and took the boat on the Danubue back - that way we got three things out of the way. Train trip,Szentendre and a cruise on the Danubue. (if you go, check the boat times back right away when you get there, It doesn't run all the time.
10. The tour book says its a glorious walk up Gellert Hill to see the view - the view is great, the walk is not glorious - I think there is a bus that can take you up. the walk is NOT glorious. I wrote two bad things about the Gellert, it really is a nice place, especially the Hotel, we did have drinks there, it is a real nice place.
11. Another drinking/eating place. Not too far from the Parliment is the Iguana. Its a Mexican restaurant and makes great Mojito's.
12. If your into tea, you can't go wrong with 1000 Tea, Vaci Utca 65.
13. One last tip - do not take the train/tram/trolley/bus if you do not have a ticket - sounds strange, but many do. Most of the time - alot of the time, no one checks you when you get on but if they do check and you do not have a ticket, there is an immediate fine. Not worth the hassel.
Budapest is a great place - lots of things to see - try to Bundle them. Plan the day, like (walk Vaci Utca - stop for tea - go to Central Market) or Go to Margaret Island - walk around, spend time at SPA). Have a great trip.