Budapest Tourist Guide - Hungary Travel Guide - Travel & Discover

The city of Budapest extends over an area of about 525 km. The city is the capital of the Republic of Hungary and with 2 million inhabitants it is also the largest city in the country. For administrative purposes it is divided into 23 districts. Budapest was originally two cities built on either side of the Danube, Buda and Pest, and were officially merged in 1873. Today it is regarded as one metropolis, but the two districts are very distinct from one another and have many contrasting features and unique attractions. The romanticism which still pervades the city, the endless search for its own identity, its proud sense of isolation, and at the same time its commitment to the idea of becoming an integral part of Western culture, make it a city which can undoubtedly teach us a great deal. Not only is Budapest a worthy holder of the title Queen of the Danube, but also there is not one other capital city in the world with close to 100 thermal springs and 12 medicinal baths within its boundaries. Among the hills of the West Bank is the old and charming Buda district which is characterized by colorful townhouses and the famous Castle Hill. Rising 48 meters above the Danube, the Castle Hill dominates the city. It is a picturesque royal palace which was first inhabited in the 13th century and after the Mongol invasion was turned into a fortified stronghold. The castle has a mixture of architectural styles ranging from Gothic to Baroque. Today it is the country's most important cultural center, housing numerous museums and can't be missed during a stay in Hungary. In the second half of the 19th century the palace was rebuilt and extended, this time in Neo-Baroque. However, during the Second World War this last part was destroyed. The Hungarian National Gallery contains the largest public collection documenting and presenting the rise and development of the fine arts in Hungary. The Fountain of the Fishing Children on the Danube Terrace is the work of sculptor Szenye from 1912. The museum has been run as an independent institution since 1957. The Hungarian National Gallery moved to its present location, the former Royal Palace of Buda, in 1975. The equestrian statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy stands in a prominent position, high above Budapest. The monument was bought in 1900 as a temporary solution until the planned equestrian statue of King Franz Josef was completed. From whatever direction you come from to reach the castle district, you cross the ramparts which completely encircle Castle Hill. The whole area within the ramparts is protected as an ancient monument. The streets and the remains of the buildings remain the atmosphere of a medieval capital. The spectacular fountain decorates the western forecourt of the palace. It shows a group of hunters led by King Matthias Garvinas, together with hounds, a killed deer, Marcia with a hawk and Ilonka with a doll. This group of people stand between fallen rocks with water running down into a basin. There are two lions guarding the monumental gate leading into the lion's court. A series of rooms from the medieval palace of the Hungarian kings were unearthed and reconstructed during the post-war rebuilding of Buda Castle in 1958 and 1962. They are now part of the permanent exhibition of Buda Castle. The Hungarian National Gallery offers a vast collection of art ranging from the medieval period to the 20th century. The basis of this collection is the new Hungarian Picture Gallery and the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts and the Hungarian material belonging to that museum's collection of modern sculpture, medals and prints and drawings. The holdings of the new institution include approximately 6,000 paintings, 2,100 sculptures, 3,100 medals, 11,000 drawings and 5,000 prints. The palace chapel in the western end of this wing had no facades, only a door opening into the lion's court. The church was consecrated in 1769. The grand plan was drawn by Nikolaus Picasso, but the interior was designed by his follower, Franz Anton Hillebrand. The medieval and renaissance stone carving collections contains fragments of sculptures, carved architectural elements of artistic value and fragments of tombstones from the period stretching from the 11th to the 16th centuries. The museum houses a collection of archaeological finds from Budapest, showing Budapest in the Middle Ages to the development of settlements from the Roman Age to the 13th century. The medieval Buda Royal Palace has a collection of original objects including seals, glassware, weapons, tombstones and Gothic sculptures from the Royal Palace. There is also a collection dedicated to Budapest in modern times, displaying notable moments in the life of the metropolis. Outside the fortification network, landscape gardens and grassy meadows with trees and flowers have been created wherever possible. The medieval courtyards have been converted into stylistically faithful palace gardens. The castle district is one of the most romantic pedestrian sections in Budapest, a little medieval town with atmospheric streets, picturesque houses, gas lamps and beautiful monuments. The winding streets and narrow houses date back to the Middle Ages. Occasionally decorated with valuable Gothic window and door frames. The Fisherman's Bastion was built in 1905 on the site of a former fish market. The Guild of Fishermen were responsible for defending this part of the defensive wall in the Middle Ages. The main features are the white stone walls, its seven turrets and the bronze statue of St Stephen, Hungary's first king. Fisherman's Bastion received its name from the medieval rampart system, which rose above the suburb named Fisherman's Town. Close to Trinity Square is Matthias Church, formerly known as the Buda Castle Church of Our Lady and is the spiritual heart of Hungary. The church bears the name of its biggest massenas, King Matthias, who married twice in this shrine. The cathedral is almost as old as the royal palace and has been the venue of several coronation ceremonies. Matthias Church gained its current form at the turn of the century, when a lot of smaller buildings attached to it earlier were pulled down and the church was reconstructed in characteristic neo-Gothic style. Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture are features of Uri Utka. The fine vaulting and the Sedaili in some entrances are impressive. The Mary Magdalene Tower is a part of a 13th century Franciscan church used by Hungarian speakers. Under Turkish rule, this was the only church allowed to remain Christian. However, the church was destroyed during the Second World War, but the tower survived, almost intact. The tower was restored in the 1990s and is a popular tourist site attraction, where people can climb the tower and reward themselves with some magnificent views. By far the most tranquil way of ascending Castle Hill to the royal palace is the cyclo. Originally opened in 1870, its main function was in providing chief transport for local workers. Wrecked by German shelling in 1945, it was left in a state of disrepair until it was fully restored in 1986. The first stone bridge to be constructed over the Danube to connect Buda and Pest was the Chain Bridge, completed in 1849. Eight bridges link Buda to Pest, but the Chain Bridge is the first and most famous, with its solid arches and lined statues. The Englishman responsible for London's Hammersmith Bridge, William Turney Clark, was commissioned to design the bridge. The bridge was inaugurated in 1849, allowing for the integration of Buda, Pest and Ubuda in 1872. The bridge is 380 metres long and almost 16 metres wide. The iron chains are supported by two arches in the neoclassical style. Four impressive stone lions, sculpted by Janusz Marszalko, have been placed as if on guard at the two entrances to the bridge. The Danube is an integral part of the life of the city. It is not only an intrinsic element in the landscape of the capital, but also, being navigable, it is an important and renowned waterway, both for international ships and transit, the transport of goods and for river tourism. The Danube is about 400 to 500 metres wide, even in the heart of the city, offering a beautiful sight with its bridges over the large river from both sides. The contemporary bank of the Danube was constructed during the end of the 19th century, in order to protect the city from the floods. During the summer months and at lower water levels, many people take walks along the Danube and get some sunbathing in on the stairs. It's possible to see fishermen around the bridges. The idea of building a permanent bridge came from one of the most important men in the 19th century Hungarian history, Count Istvan Széchenyi. In December 1820, he was stuck in Pest for a week, unable to attend his father's funeral in Buda, and had to wait for the river to ice over before he could cross it. This problem got him thinking, and as a result he left for London to see how the new iron suspension bridges were being built. In Roosevelt Square there are a few monuments, the Ferenc Dyk statue, the Hungarian Academy and Gresham Palace. The building of the Academy of Sciences, inaugurated in 1865, was built at a turning point in the urban and architectural history of Budapest. Gresham Palace, an Art Nouveau gem, was built in 1904-1906 to house the foreign headquarters of the Gresham Life Insurance Company. St. Stephen's Basilica of Budapest, which was built in Neo-Renaissance and Classicist style, is one of the most beautiful and most significant spiritual and tourist sites of Hungary. The building process began on the 14th of August 1851 according to the plans of József Hild, who managed the building operations till his death in 1867. The works finished in 1905. The Basilica is Budapest's largest church and holds more than 8,000 worshippers. It was named after the founder of the Hungarian state, St. Stephen. Entering the Basilica, there is enormous space with a deep red, black and white marble and precious stones. Its interior is rich in various artworks from renowned Hungarian artists. One of the peculiarities of the Basilica is that architecturally it is not a basilica because its layout has a shape of a Greek cross, but even so it was called basilica from the first moment. The mummified right hand of St. Stephen, the most important relic of the Hungarian statehood, is kept in the Holy Rite Chapel. The title of the largest building in the country belongs to the Hungarian National Parliament. The Parliament stretches across 250 meters along the River Danube Embankment and was designed in a Neo-Gothic style. It is the most decoratively constructed building in the capital. The building is made up of 691 rooms, over 12 miles of corridors and has a central dome of 96 meters. The visible ruins of the Aquincum Civic Town represent the excavated one third of the central settlement. The structure of the Aquincum Civic Town was greatly influenced by both the area's natural geography and its previous architectural history. The monuments visible today reflect the result of restoration work carried out between the early 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s. The hill on which the statue stands is known as Gellert Hill and thus the prime site for the Citadel and the Liberty Statue. The Budapest Metro consists of three lines. It is the second oldest underground metro system in the world and its iconic Line 1 dates back to 1896. The original purpose of this metro line was to facilitate the transport to Budapest City Park. Although the capital always opposed any surface transport on Andrássy Avenue, this has since become the most elegant road of Budapest, part of the world heritage. The Hungarian State Opera House is worth seeing from the outside and from within. It is internationally recognized that this is one of the most spectacular opera houses in the world. Octagon is the Grand Boulevard's junction with Andrássy Avenue in Budapest. Octagon is also stationed on the yellow line of the metro. The location derives its name from its shape, which is that of an octagon. Kodály Korund is a square with beautifully painted old buildings and statues of four of Hungary's great heroes in each corner. The four heroes in the square are defenders of the Kingdom of Hungary against the Ottomans. The Kogart, a house of art and gastronomy, is dedicated to regular art exhibitions, events and concerts. The central site of the square, as well as a landmark of Budapest, is the Millennium Memorial with statues of the leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary in the 9th century and other outstanding figures of Hungarian history. The construction of the memorial was started when one of the thousandth anniversary was celebrated, in 1896, but it was finished only 1929 and the square got its name then. The Palace of Art, or Art Gallery, is located opposite the Museum of Fine Arts. It is built in an eclectic, neoclassical style. The building, in red brick, is decorated with coloured ceramic high reliefs. Budapest is one of the world's outstanding urban landscapes and illustrates the great periods in the history of the Hungarian capital.