About Budapest and Hungary
Budapest is undoubtedly one of the world’s most beautiful cities, with the magnificent centre by the Danube where Buda and Pest meet being among the most alluring sights around. Hungary’s capital is an easy-to-navigate and elegant gem, with its inspiring imperial architecture, the iconic Hungarian Parliament Building and dozens of art nouveau baths.
Settled originally by the Celts and later conquered by the Romans, the Germans and the Slavs, the Hungarian tribes first arrived in the Carpathian Basin of what would become Hungary in the 9th century, using it as a base to conduct raids all over Europe after a period of migration from Western Siberia. This explains why Hungarian’s closest linguistic relatives are Khanty and Mansi, spoken in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Federation. After a couple of the centuries, under the helm of St Stephen, Hungary became a Catholic nation that saw itself as the defender of Christendom that was, over the years, invaded by their distant cousins the Mongols and the Ottoman Empire before being incorporated into the Hapsburg Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After the devastation of the First World War and the Treaty of Trianon – where Hungary lost most of it is territory, still a point of contention today – things went from bad to worse, with political upheaval, revolutions, invasions by neighbouring countries, devastation in the Second World War and Hungarian Uprising and decades of communist rule.
Budapest was at the heart of this fascinating and often tragic history, remaining an intriguing city filled with just as much culture as history, with everything from fine wines to ruin bars and Liszt to langos. Unsurprisingly, there’s an awful lot to do in Budapest. Here’s some of our suggestions (click here for food suggestions).
Buda
Castle Hill
Just across the Széchenyi Chain Bridge and accessible by the Castle Hill Funicular, Castle Hill is named after Royal Palace on top of the hill, the home of the Hungarian kings for centuries. Today, its Baroque 18th century buildings are used for the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum, both filled with intriguing exhibitions. Just north of the National Gallery is Sándor Palace, home to the Hungarian president, while further north from here takes you to a medieval town castle district, packed with breath-taking buildings and views over the Danube and the city below.
Be sure to visit the Fisherman’s Bastion, which is named after a group of fishermen who defended the nearby Mathias Church in the middle ages, with ten fairy tale spires on the viewing platform to represent the ten Hungarian tribes who settled the area. Also keep an eye out for the Pharmacy Museum and Military Museum on its picturesque streets, and visit a nuclear bunker from the Cold War at the Hospital in the Rock Museum.
Gellért Hill
Named after Saint Gerard who was thrown to his death from the hill, Gellért Hill offers some of the best views over the city. Formerly used for viniculture, a giant citadel – called the Citadella – was built on top of the hill by the ruling Hapsburg Austrians in the 19th century. Since then, it has been used for military action by both the Germans in the Second World War and the Soviets in the Hungarian Uprising, with bullet holes still evident in the city. Some of the only remaining communist era statues are here, including the prominent Liberty Statue built by the Red Army to mark their victory in the Second World War. Other points of interest nearby include the Cave Church and the beautiful art nouveau Gellért Baths – arguably the most civilised baths in the city.
While a little far away, Memento Park is worth a visit and is home to the many other communist era statues that were removed after the fall of communism in the country. Other places on this side of the Danube worth exploring include the remains of the Roman city of Aquincum, the Children’s Railway, the Ottoman Sultan Gul Baba’s tomb and the Zugliget Chairlift, while the park on Margaret Island makes for an interesting walk.
Pest
City Centre
The centre of Pest is dominated by two of the city’s most iconic buildings, the Hungarian Parliament Building and St Stephen’s Basilica. Interestingly, these are both 96 metres tall, being the joint tallest buildings in the city to symbolise the equal importance of the institutions the buildings represent. While the Parliament Building isn’t typically open to the public, the outside of the building is perhaps worth a trip to the city itself. St Stephen’s Basilica, which was completed in the early 20th century after a troubled 50 years of construction, is open to the public and is home to St Stephen’s Right Fist – a symbol of great national importance. For a small fee, visitors can climb the towers or get a lift to the top for sublime views over the city.
Nearby points of interest include the Hungarian National Museum, the Great Market, the Unicum Museum (dedicated to Hungary’s favourite bitters) and the Pinball Museum. Also relatively nearby is the Ervin Szabó Library, a former palace where for a small fee visitors can explore its magnificent reading rooms, including former ball rooms and smoking rooms.
Jewish Quarter
Budapest’s Jewish Quarter is fantastic for a night out, home to the original ruin bar Szimpla Kert, among a plethora of other brilliant bars and eateries (you can read our guide to Budapest’s ruin bars here). The Dohány Street Synagogue is also Europe’s largest, being a magnificent Moorish Revival building – inspired by Spain’s Alhambra. The synagogue complex is composed of the Great Synagogue itself, the Heroes' Temple, a graveyard, a Holocaust memorial and the Jewish Museum, built on the site where the father of Zionism Theodor Herzl was born.
Andrássy Avenue
Just a short walk from St Stephen’s Square, Andrássy Avenue cuts through the city and connects the centre with Hero’s Square at the end of the boulevard. It’s a sprawling road, dotted with boutiques, restaurants, cafes, shops and museums, most notably being the House of Terror – where the secret police during both Hungary’s fascist and communist periods operated from. Budapest’s opera house is also on this avenue. The world’s second oldest underground railway system also runs underneath (second to London).
Heroes’ Square
This impressive square right at the end of Andrássy Avenue is one of this city’s best-known symbols, featuring a tomb to the unknown soldier and monuments marking Hungarian heroes and tribal leaders. Facing the square on opposite sites are the neoclassical Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Art, while Budapest Zoo and Vajdahunyad Castle in City Park are also nearby. Vajdahunyad was originally built in 1895 to celebrate 1,000 years of Hungarian presence in the area, made from cardboard to showcase architectural styles from different parts of Hungary but after proving very popular, it was rebuilt out of stone. Keep your eyes built for a bust of the Hungarian-American actor Bela Legosi.
Other Points of Interest
Budapest is a city with a culture and history many will find intoxicating due to how much it often contrasts with the cultures surrounding it. Make sure that you take a walk by the Danube once in Budapest and consider exploring further afield to places like Sztendere, Visegrad, Gyor or Esztergom (you can read our guide to Esztergom here). Budapest is very much a foodie city, so if you want recommendations of where to go, read our foodie guide here, our guide to Hungarian wines here, our sweet eats guide here and our Hungarian beer guide here.
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