Budapest abounds in exquisite Art Nouveau structures and interiors, the radical design style that swept across turn-of-century Europe within architecture, applied arts, and fine art. Hungary developed its own cutting-edge take on the movement, known as Hungarian Secession, exemplified in its founding father, Ödön Lechner, featuring the use of porcelain along with Asian motifs and elements. This 3-hour Art Nouveau walking tour of Budapest scratches the surface of a city filled with beautiful examples of this cutting-edge aesthetic, highlighted by an expert art/architecture historian as your guide.

Admire the 2 most important buildings, the Palace of the Royal Post and Gresham Palace. Fortunately, both buildings allow visitors into the entrance hall, so you can take in the wonderful details on the outside, and also enjoy a peek at the interior as your guide tells you about Art Nouveau design elements.

Other stops on this walk include a flower shop with its original interior, a department store, several bank offices, and a small but exquisite Art Nouveau museum and coffee house. Examine a series of ceramics from the renowned Zsolnay factory in Pécs, a town in the south of Hungary. The extensive use of such ceramics on buildings is a characteristic feature of Hungarian Art Nouveau.

Another typical Hungarian Art Nouveau feature is the use of Asian motifs and elements. This is in reference to the supposed eastern origins of the Hungarian nation, although you will also hear about the European-wide Orientalism that influenced Art Nouveau.

You will finish the tour with a new appreciation for the glamor, energy and radical design sensibilities of Budapest's Belle Époque.