Top Attractions
BUDA
Castle Hill
Castle Hill – home to what you might call Buda’s ‘old town’ – has been a cultural and strategic focal point of the city for centuries and was also the site of over 30 sieges. The inevitable damage resulted in several episodes of rebuilding, often re-using stones from the rubble and lending to the district a fascinating mix of architectural styles. The showpieces are the square of Szentháromság tér, the spectacular Mátyás Church and the Buda Royal Palace to the south. In addition, the views over Pest from the Fishermen’s Bastion will take your breath away.
Buda Royal Palace
The enormous building at the southern end of Castle Hill has been the royal palace, in various styles and guises, since the 14th century. It was rebuilt 400 years later and required major reconstruction work after World War II. It now houses the Budapest History Museum, the Hungarian National Gallery and the National Széchenyi Library. Every September, it plays host to the Budapest International Wine and Champagne Festival, the top event on the wine calendar.
Fishermen’s Bastion
The Halászbástya is often the first stop for tourists visiting Budapest, the fairytale turrets offering an elevated vantage point from which to view the city. The minarets and walls look medieval, but they were actually built in 1902 by Frigyes Schulek to complement Mátyás Church.
Gellért Hill and the Citadella
Visible from almost everywhere in Budapest, Gellért Hill (hegy), with the impressive Freedom Monument on its peak, is one of the city's memorable landmarks. The 14-metre monument was originally commissioned by Miklós Horthy as a memorial to his son, who died in a wartime air accident. When the Russians arrived, they replaced the propellor that the figure was originally meant to hold aloft with a palm frond to symbolise the country’s liberation from the Nazis. Just beyond the monument is the Citadella, a fortress constructed by the Habsburgs following the 1848–49 War of Independence. It now houses an open-air museum chronicling the history of the hill. The views from Gellért Hill are breathtaking; the summit is best approached along paths leading from opposite the Gellért Hotel and Spa. You can take a look around the Cave Church on your way up.
THE DANUBE
Elizabeth Bridge
When first built at the start of the 20th century, Elizabeth Bridge (Erzsébet híd) was the world’s longest single-span chain bridge. Like all Budapest's other Danube bridges, it was destroyed during World War II; unlike the others, though, it was subsequently rebuilt with a completely different design to its predecessor. Today’s reincarnation is in striking white and is watched over by the spectacular statue of St Gellért on the craggy side of Gellért Hill.
The Chain Bridge
The Chain Bridge (Széchenyi lánchíd) was the first permanent link between Buda and Pest and is a fitting monument to István Széchenyi – known as the 'Greatest Hungarian'. The bridge has a British connection too: it was designed by William Tierney Clark and constructed by Adam Clark, after whom the roundabout on the Buda side is named. It is closed to traffic on summer weekends, when it is filled with market stalls selling folklore souvenirs, children's toys and snacks.
Margaret Island
Budapest’s playground, car-free Margaret Island (Margitsziget)
has everything you need to enjoy a relaxing day – including a sports stadium, numerous tennis courts, the huge Palatinus outdoor swimming complex, an open-air theatre, Japanese and Rose gardens, early-medieval ruins, two spa hotels and a delightfully low-key beer garden.
PEST
Parliament
The world's second-largest parliament building – its neo-Gothic design is inspired in part by London’s parliament – is a postcard favourite, particularly when reflected in the River Danube below it. It is equally lavish on the inside, but tourists must be part of an organised sightseeing tour to enter.
St István Basilica
Named after Szent István (St Stephen), founder of the Hungarian Christian state, the basilica towers over the surrounding buildings just a short walk from Deák tér. The square in front of it is a nice place to enjoy a summer concert and sip a coffee or cocktail in one of the nearby cafés or bars. Inside, significant events in Hungarian history – with those featuring St István to the fore – are depicted in an appropriately Christian context.
The Great Synagogue
The Dohány utca Synagogue, between the Deák tér and Astoria metro stations, is the world's second largest (after the one in New York). It is also the focal point of Budapest's thriving Jewish community, which holds an annual festival in and around the impressive building. Behind it, towards what was formerly Budapest's Jewish ghetto, the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park – dedicated to the Swedish businessman who rescued thousands of Hungary's Jews from the holocaust – contains a silver tree whose leaves are inscribed with the names of many of the victims. It is a beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives. The Jewish Museum can also be found here, and the Holocaust Documentation and Memorial Centre is an important and powerful reminder of one of the darkest periods in European history.
Andrássy út
Andrássy út was the late-19th-century brainchild of Count Gyula Andrássy, who was determined that Budapest should have an elegant thoroughfare to emulate Paris's Champs Elysées. The arrow-straight, tree-lined boulevard connects the city centre with Heroes' Square and City Park. Along its length you'll find the stunning State Opera House, Liszt Ferenc tér with the Academy of Music and bustling cafés, the fearsome House of Terror, the KOGart Gallery – and plenty of grand architecture. It's a lovely stroll, but if you want to take the weight off your feet, then board the underground railway (the yellow M1) -- the oldest in continental Europe -- which runs beneath.
Heroes' Square
The statues on Heroes’ Square are very much a who’s who of Hungarian history (with the notable exception of the unpopular Habsburg monarchy, whose statues were removed and replaced), and its scale and grandeur is an indication of the pride Hungarians have for their country. It is flanked on either side by the almost identical neo-Classical edifices of the Műcsarnok Exhibition Hall and the Museum of Fine Arts. Behind it, the Városliget (City Park) offers a host of attractions of its own, including the fairy-tale Vajdahunyad Castle, the Zoo and the obligatory Széchenyi baths.
Városliget
Budapest’s second favourite park after Margitsziget, the City Park is situated behind and to the right of Hősők tere as you approach from the centre of town. It contains the Széchenyi baths, the Petőfi Csarnok concert venue, the vast Transport Museum, the zoo and several outdoor watering holes.
Vajdahunyad Castle
This fairytale castle was originally constructed from timber and cardboard for the exhibition held in 1896 to mark the thousandth anniversary of the arrival of the Magyars to the Carpathian Basin. Its aim was to give the visitor an insight into Hungary's rich architectural past and it features small-scale reproductions of various buildings around Hungary and, in particular, Transylvania (now Romania). This architectural cocktail was such a success that it was rebuilt from more permanent materials in 1904. In winter, it provides a spectacular backdrop to an ice rink, while in summer, it is surrounded by a lake where pedalos and rowboats can be hired.
Art Rediscovered
Like many areas of the Hungarian economy, the art market is just beginning to find its feet after 40 years of turmoil. For the last decade and a half, dealers and connoisseurs have been hard at work trawling through the nation's attics and cellars discovering and cataloguing the work of long-forgotten artists. Hungarian art has consistently followed European trends, the majority of well-known artists, including József Rippl-Rónai and Tivadar Csontváry Koszka, spent a great deal of time outside Hungary honing their skills, while staying true to their roots. There is a large number of artists, such as Victor Vasarely and Mihály Munkácsy, who established themselves outside Hungary. In fact, as result of the political restrictions of the last century, some of these are all but unknown in their home country.
For comprehensive information on Hungarian art and the best known artists, click here.
Architecture
Despite the damage inflicted on it during the Second World War and the neglect it was subjected to in the second half of the last century, Budapest is perhaps best known for its architecture. From the Roman remains of Aquincum to Art Nouveau extravagance and modern office buildings and sports complexes, evidence of almost every possible style can be found in Budapest and Hungary’s rural towns and villages. In fact, apart from the two museums on either side of Hősők tere, it is difficult to find two identical buildings.
(read more...)
