Budapest for The Romantics: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

Cross at dusk as the lamps come on, Buda Castle glowing to your left and the Parliament dome behind you. The stone lions have tongues, contrary to the old joke.

An hour on the Danube with a welcome drink as the bridges light up one by one; sit on the open top deck and bring a jacket for the wind.

A candlelit courtyard under climbing plants in the old Jewish quarter, with Levantine mezze and grilled fish; the dining room is calmer than the ruin-bar crowd outside suggests.

White neo-Romanesque turrets with the whole of Pest laid out below. Come before the tour groups arrive and take the quiet far terrace by the Matthias Church.

A tiny Biedermeier pastry shop that has traded since 1827; order the cream slice or a Dobos torta and expect to share a table with strangers.

A Turkish dome from 1550 over hot pools and a rooftop pool facing the river; go at dusk and watch Pest light up from the warm water.

The one splurge: a Michelin-starred tasting menu with wine above the old Gerbeaud square, polished and quiet and built for two. Tables go weeks ahead, so book early.

Climb the zigzag path past the waterfall to the Liberty Statue and look back over every bridge at once; the walk down by the Cave Church is gentler.

A gilded fantasy of frescoes and marble columns that once held every writer in town; prices are for the ceiling, so share a cake and a coffee.

A tour of the 1884 auditorium, ending with a few bars sung from the stage; check the English times and book the slot, as groups are small.

Retro-chic Hungarian cooking on the café square, with paprikás chicken, duck breast and a terrace for the long evening walk back past the Liszt Academy.

Climb the panorama dome to see the city one last time; the nave is huge and cool, and the square outside is already good for coffee.

Hot chocolate and a slice of Dobos torta under the chandeliers, a farewell as old as 1858; the airport bus leaves from Deák Ferenc tér nearby.