Tóth on living in the city of Budapest: “It’s a really nice mix between the natural side and city life”

László Tóth gives his local insight into the city of Budapest, life growing up there and the best place to go racing.

Where do you consider to be your hometown and how would you describe it to people who have never been there?

“It is obviously Budapest. I lived here for my whole life and grew up here. Describing it, I would say you could call it a beautiful city because it’s got all the views and it’s got a really nice mix. Buda, which is a really nice natural side with all the hills and everything. And you’ve got Pest, which is more the city life, part that you can call a really nice city. Mixed together, they create this beautiful city Budapest. Which is really a fantastic thing, you can just cross the bridge and basically have a different city. It is still all one together, but you’ve got really fantastic views on one side, the other side is also beautiful but with more buildings while the other is a bit more nature.”

What was it like to grow up there?

“I think it’s not different at all from any other city. I think the best thing for example is the food. Lot of meat, vegetables, paprika, all of these things. Having these growing up is a really nice thing. Also, here in Budapest it is also quite international. If you go round the corner you’ll find an Italian, Chinese - you can find anything here that you’d find in a normal European city, it’s just that you can really enjoy everything quite easily. The people are really friendly here and I think it’s a great place to visit.

Is there anywhere you’d recommend to go to and eat?

“There are some really nice places along the River Danube. Also, once you go a bit more over to the Pest side, you have some really nice restaurants around Basilica for example.

“Obviously you have goulash, that’s one that everyone knows. We also have some things with fish as well, like a traditional fish food. It’s quite thick and similar to goulash with all the paprika and everything, but it’s the fish version without as many vegetables.”

What are the main sights in Budapest that you think people should visit?

“I think the best way to start is obviously around the river. You have some really nice walking streets around there, in front of the parliament and from there you can take a tram and move a bit further inside.”

Where can people go karting if they want to do some driving?

“They have some different places for normal rental karts which you can find underground. There are more karting places which are in garages and things like this. There are some really nice spots where you can have fun there.”