As usual, the Rick Steves guide to Budapest was fabulous. Two great examples: (1) the Hilton Hotel in Buda incorporates the remains of a 13th century monastery, portions of which can be seen in front of, behind, and in the hotel; and (2) the Parliament building square contains the erected runner up and second runner up designs. Hilarious. What happened to simply handing out participation ribbons? Hits: There are so many similar examples of small finds that make use of the guide essential.
Miss: Buda. The visit to that hilly half of the city is played down in the guide as worth no more than a half-day. Respectfully, we disagree. It is a cobble-stoned charm and there are sights missed by the guide which are worth the traveler's time. Example: near to the last stop on the Buda walk and around the corner from the Vienna gate is a former medieval Jewish synagogue. It is now a small apartment building. Amazingly, the lobby, which is accessible through an unlocked front door, contains a collection of ancient Jewish gravestones able to be dated to the 15th and 16th centuries, and largely read, by the visitor through a handy plaque. They are kept behind an iron gate in the lobby but the gate is unlocked and allows closer inspection. I can't speak to what it means to be a tenant in such a building but to a Jewish traveler able through such sights to also travel back in time it was an amazing find. And it should be in the guidebook.