Budapest, Hungary — Where to Go
Budapest Sightseeing Overview
Despite its current contemporary outlook, the key to Budapest lies in its history, marked by alternate periods of great wealth and prosperity and devastating eras of political and social upheaval. The Magyars view their history not in black and white but in gold and silver. The first Golden Age coincided with the reign of Renaissance King Matyás (1458-90). The second Golden Age was symbolised by the 1896 millennium celebration in City Park and the Silver Age was the 20th-century inter-war period, when the likes of Evelyn Waugh and the Prince of Wales frequented Budapest's spas and casinos.
Balanced against the good times, however, there is the Hungarians' defeat against the Turkish in 1526 (with the ensuing rebuilding of Buda as a Turkish capital); the Hapsburg rule that continued to deprive Hungary of its autonomy until 1867; the devastation caused by WWII; and Russian control, only lifted in 1989. These significant events have turned the Hungarians into a flexible and resilient race, proud of their national heroes.
Modern Budapest was born in 1873, when Buda, Óbuda and Pest were officially joined. Today, the city is composed of 23 districts (kerületek), each designated on maps, street signs and addresses by Roman numerals (I to XXIII). Buda and Pest still remain distinct, however, creating a fascinating west bank-east bank contrast.
The Chain Bridge (Széchenyi lánchíd) is the central point of Budapest. Hilly Buda in the west is laced with narrow cobbled streets and packed with a mixture of medieval and neoclassical buildings almost totally reconstructed after WWII. Flat Pest lies to the east, its wide boulevards and art nouveau structures testimony to the boom Budapest experienced in the years before WWI. In between are remnants of Turkish and Communist occupation, creating a crazy mosaic of mismatching styles.
A steep climb in the Sikló, the 19th-century funicular, leads to Buda's Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where many attractions are clustered. Nearby is the mosaic-roofed Matthias Church, with the best views of Pest.
The busiest spots in Pest are the shop-lined Váci utca, the Vörösmarty tér square and the Gerbeaud pâtisserie. The most grandiose monument, Hosök tér (Heroes' Square), is reached via Andrássy út. The Museum of Fine Arts and Palace of Art border the monument and City Park is just behind it.
Warm vapors rising from underground hot springs swirl up into the square, which is much favored by teenage skateboarders. Moving closer to the Danube River lies the Dohány Synagogue, the second largest in Europe, as well as the small Jewish quarter (district VII).
Budapest Tourist Information
Budapest Tourism Office
1056 Budapest Marcius 15 tér 7
Tel: (01) 266 0479.
Website: www.budapestinfo.hu
Opening hours: Daily 0800-2000.
The main information office of the Budapest Tourism Office is located in Liszt Ferenc tér 9-11 (tel: (01) 322 4098). Other offices can be found in the main hall of Nyugati station, at the airport, and the Castle District.
IBUSZ tourist office, XI Dayka G utca 3 (tel: (01) 485 2765; www.ibusz.hu) and Tourinform, Sütő utca 2, (tel: (01) 438 8080; www.tourinform.hu) also provide tourist information.
Budapest Sightseeing
The Budapest Card (www.budapestinfo.hu/en/budapest_card) is simple to use and excellent value. It provides free travel on public transport, entrance to 60 museums and attractions, and discounts including spas, shops, restaurants and flights. The card is valid for one adult and one child under 14 years for two or three days. You can buy the cards at tourist information offices, hotels and at main underground ticket booths. Budapest Tourism Office provides online details of the discounts available at each location.
Budapest Sightseeing
The Budapest Card (www.budapestinfo.hu/en/budapest_card) is simple to use and excellent value. It provides free travel on public transport, entrance to 60 museums and attractions, and discounts including spas, shops, restaurants and flights. The card is valid for one adult and one child under 14 years for two or three days. You can buy the cards at tourist information offices, hotels and at main underground ticket booths. Budapest Tourism Office provides online details of the discounts available at each location.
Key Attractions in Budapest, Hungary
Budavári Palota (Royal Palace)
Dating from the 13th century, the Royal Palace, on Castle Hill, has survived many wars - the Turkish siege (1541) and invasion (1686), the 1848-49 War of Independence and the latter stages of WWII. Within the palace's partially reconstructed walls lies a vast museum complex which includes the Budapest History Museum (also known as Castle Museum) and the Hungarian National Gallery. Castle Museum, in the southern part of the palace, traces the city's history from Buda's liberation from the Turks in 1686 to the 1970s. The Hungarian National Gallery is situated at the core of the palace and its encyclopaedic collection of Hungarian art from the 10th century to the present day portrays battles, romantic rural scenes and religious medieval altar paintings, providing a valuable insight into the Hungarian national identity.
I Budavári Palota, Szent György tér 2
Tel: (01) 487 8800 (Castle Museum); (01) 439 7325 (Hungarian National Gallery).
Websites: www.btm.hu; www.mng.hu
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800 (until 1600 Nov-Feb for the Castle Museum).
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Dohány Zsinagóga (Central Synagogue)
Europe's largest synagogue (and the world's second largest) was designed by Lajos Föster, in a Byzantine-Moorish style, and completed in 1859. Desecrated by German and Hungarian Nazis, its two Moorish domes gleam afresh after a 10-year restoration project financed by the Hungarian government and Tony Curtis' Emmanuel Foundation. Some 724,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and their lives are remembered in the Jewish History Museum, annexed to the synagogue, and at Imre Varga's memorial to the side of the synagogue.
VII Dohány utca 2
Tel: (01) 342 8949.
Website: www.dohany-zsinagoga.hu
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 1000-1700, Fri 1000-1400 (mid Apr-Oct); Sun-Thurs 1000-1500, Fri 1000-1400 (Nov-mid Apr); closed Jewish holidays.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Fishermen's Bastion
Behind the sanctuary of the Matthias Church, the Fishermen's Bastion offers a splendid view of the Danube and Pest. At the end of the 19th century, Frigyes Schulek designed a graceful system of stairs running from the Danube to the hilltop, and the current structure, which has been embellished with turrets, scrolls, arcades, curved stairs and statues, was intended to be the end point. Schulek imagined the bastion section defended by the fishermen's guild, hence the name. Many felt his vision was of a more austere, defensible and less decorated piece of architecture, but his original plans were later altered to the delight of today's visitors.
I Szentháromság tér
Hősök Tere (Heroes' Square) and Millenniumi Emlékmű (Millennium Monument)
Heroes' Square was built in 1896, to celebrate the millennial anniversary of the Magyar conquest. Here, the Archangel Gabriel, at the top of a 36m (118ft) column (winner of the Grand Prix at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900), is half-encircled by statues of the seven victorious Magyar tribal chiefs on horseback and Hungary's most honored rulers, from King Stephen to Kossuth.
VI Andrássy út, corner of Dózsa Dyörgy utca
Hotel Gellért and Thermal Baths
Many regard the thermal baths attached to Hotel Gellért as the finest in the city. A bathhouse has stood on the site since the 1500s, when its waters were valued for their medicinal qualities by the Turks, but the current art nouveau building dates from the turn of last century. Bathing in its soothing waters, surrounded by flower motifs, columns and delicate wall designs, is one of Budapest's highlights, but even if you're not up for a dip, stop by to drink in the glorious foyer. A huge array of treatments and massages are offered, so read the display board carefully before approaching the normally grumpy staff.
XI Szent Gellért tér 2-6
Tel: (01) 889 5500.
Website: www.danubiusgroup.com/danubius/gellert
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0600-1900, Sat and Sun 0600-1700.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Mátyás Templom (Matthias Church)
The Zsolnay pyrogranite tiles of Matthias Church are as colorful and richly patterned as snakeskin. Inside is a melange of styles from the 13th to the 19th centuries. It is thought that a church was first built on this site in 1015, by King István. When the Turks occupied the Castle District in 1541, the church was turned into a mosque and the walls painted with extracts from the Koran. In the 20th century, the church was used as a kitchen by occupying German forces, and later as stables by the Russians. Mass takes place on Sunday at 1000, when it is free to enter the church. There are frequent concerts throughout the year.
I Szentháromság tér 2
Tel: (01) 355 5657.
Website: www.matyas-templom.hu
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0900-1300, Sun 1300-1700.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Országház (Parliament)
Imre Steindl's design for Budapest's parliament, inspired by London's Houses of Parliament, won first prize in a competition to celebrate the 1,000th year of the Hungarian nation. Work commenced in 1885 and was finally completed in 1902. The edifice, with its elegant neo-Renaissance dome, topped by a pointy neo-gothic spire, stretches for over 250m (820ft) along the River Danube. It was here that the crowds assembled on 23 October 1989, when Mátyás Szurös declared the Hungarian People's Republic from the balcony on Kossuth Lajos tér.
V Kossuth Lajos tér 1-3
Tel: (01) 441 4904.
Website: www.parlament.hu
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1800, Sat 0800-1600, Sun 0800-1400. Guided tours in English 1000, 1200, 1400.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Széchenyi Lánchíd (Chain Bridge)
Nine bridges link Buda to Pest but the Chain Bridge is the first and most famous, with its solid arches and lion statues. Completed in 1848, the bridge was inaugurated in 1849, allowing for the integration of Buda, Pest and Óbuda in 1872. After suffering considerable damage at the hands of the Nazis, the bridge was repaired and re-inaugurated in 1949.
I Clark Ádám tér
Szent István Bazilika (St Stephen's Basilica)
St Stephen's Basilica, Budapest's largest church, was designed by József Hild and begun in 1851, although not consecrated until 1905. A storm destroyed the original dome in 1868 and much of the building required rebuilding. The Basilica also suffered damage during WWII. The building seats 8,500 and is currently undergoing restoration, which began in 1980 and is set to continue for the foreseeable future. Inside, Gyula Benczúr's painting of Szent István offering the Hungarian crown to the Virgin Mary symbolises the alliance between Hungary and Western Europe. The basilica's tower offers excellent views of the city.
V Szent István tér 1
Tel: (01) 338 2151.
Website: http://bazilika.biz
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1900, Sat 0900-1300, Sun 1300-1700. Opening times for Stzent Jobb Chapel and for the cupola vary, phone ahead. Tower: daily 1000-1800.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Further Distractions
House of Terror Museum
For an insight into Hungary's turbulent recent history, pay a visit to the House of Terror Museum. Featuring the grim decades of Nazi and Communist repression, this museum is housed in the former headquarters for the secret police of both the Nazi and Communist governments, an address that filled the heart of the average Hungarian with dread for the best part of 50 years.
Andrassy út 60
Tel: (01) 374 2600.
Website: www.terrorhaza.hu
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Iparművészeti Múzeum (Applied Arts Museum)
Budapest is filled with fine examples of art nouveau architecture, but the Applied Arts Museum is arguably the city's finest example of the style. The roof is tiled in green and gold Zsolany ceramics and decorated with Hungarian folk-art and oriental motifs, while the collection housed inside is a breath-taking array of furniture, metalwork, ceramics, and glassware, much of which was purchased at Vienna's World Exhibition in 1873.
IX Úllői út 33-37
Tel: (01) 456 5107.
Website: www.imm.hu
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800 (open until 2200 on Thurs).
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Margitsziget (Margaret Island)
Wedged in a loop of the River Danube and linked by Árpád híd and Margit híd to Buda and Pest, the 2km (1.5-mile) Margaret Island is one of the calmest and greenest spots in Budapest. No cars are allowed or needed - the island from Margit híd to Árpád híd can be crossed on foot in 20 minutes. The island is named after the devout daughter of King Béla IV, who lived here in a Dominican convent in the 13th century. In summer, Margaret Island is bursting with people heading for a swim at the Hajós Alfréd swimming pool or Palatinus pool.
Margaret Island
Művészetek Palotája and Ludwig Múzeum Budapest (Palace of Arts and Ludwig Museum)
The Palace of Arts, in the southern reaches of the city on the banks of the Danube, is Budapest's latest offering to the arts. The modern building is of little interest to most, but the performance halls inside are of the highest standard. The Ludwig Museum, housed within the complex, showcases the city's contemporary art collection which includes works by Picasso, Warhol and Lichenstein.
IX Komor Marcell utca 1
Tel: (01) 555 3001 (Palace of Arts) or 3444 (Ludwig Museum).
Websites: www.mupa.hu; www.ludwigmuseum.hu
Opening hours: Daily 1000-2200 (Palace of Arts); Tues-Sun 1000-2000 (Ludwig Museum).
Admission charge: N.
Disabled access: Y.
Szobor Park (Memento Park)
Just as Lenin Boulevard and Marx Square no longer exist in Budapest, so their statues and monuments have been sent into exile in Memento Park. Buses leave from Deák Square for the short ride to this eerie and increasingly popular outdoor attraction.
XXII Balatoni utca, corner of Szabadkai utca
Tel: (01) 424 7500.
Website: www.mementopark.hu
Opening hours: Daily 1000-dusk.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
