2 Best Sights in Óbuda and Beyond, Budapest

This fascinating complex comprises the reconstructed, extremely evocative remains of a Roman settlement dating from the first century AD. Careful excavations have unearthed a varied selection of artifacts and mosaics, providing a tantalizing inkling of what life was like in the provinces of the Roman Empire. A gymnasium and a central heating system have been unearthed, along with the ruins of two baths and a shrine once operated by the mysterious cult of Mithras. The Aquincum múzeum (Aquincum Museum) displays the dig's most notable finds: ceramics; a red-marble sarcophagus showing a triton and flying Eros on one side and on the other, Telesphorus, the angel of death, depicted as a hooded dwarf; and jewelry from a Roman lady's tomb. There are reconstructed Roman board games, interactive video games, and a reconstruction of an ancient Roman musical organ in the basement level. The museum also manages the Thermae Maiores or 'Great Bath' complex as part of the Roman Baths Museum, an ancient spa now incongruously located in a pedestrian underpass by Flórián tér station. It's free to visit.

Weather-beaten but beautifully baroque with a pleasingly pink second-floor facade, the 18th century Zichy Mansion is deep in a courtyard at the exalted if neglected-looking address of Fő tér 1. A little cluster of museums in this historic spot make it a de facto cultural center. Permanent exhibitions at the cheerful Óbudai Múzeum include a popular tribute to toys, as well as an immersive tour through Óbuda's history. The mansion is also home to the Kassák Múzeum, which honors the literary and artistic works of a pioneer of the Hungarian avant-garde, Lajos Kassák. Completing the trio, the Vasarely Múzeum is a rambunctious collection of the work of the grandfather of 'op art', Victor Vasarely, who pioneered the funky, geometric patterns that trick the eyes and raise the spirits. The museums host gallery talks and other cultural programs.

Keep an eye out in the adjacent square, Szentlélek tér, for a group of sculptures by Imre Varga, one of Hungary's leading sculptors. If the group of slightly concerned-looking women with umbrellas whets your appetite, the Imre Varga Collection is just behind the square.