Posts in Category: Budapest Must-Sees
Budapest Must-Sees
For a really cool guide we recommend this original article of Time Out Magazine that this selection is based on. Also, we can’t recommend enough our partner with their really fun and free walking tours. Don’t forget to grab their brochure that includes not just the tour options but a really handy map of the city at the reception!
Castle District
Buda Castle
Buda Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contains the Hungarian National Gallery, the Castle Museum, and the National Széchenyi Library.
Fisherman’s Bastion
Built between 1895 and 1902 to celebrate the 1000th birthday of the Hungarian state, the Fisherman’s Bastion is an impressive neo-Gothic viewing terrace situated on the Buda bank of the Danube, on Castle Hill. For unforgettable views in a fairy-tale setting, there’s nowhere better. Climb the ornate turrets and peep at boats bobbing lazily down the Danube before popping into one of the city’s most famous patisseries, the 200-year-old Ruszwurm Confectionery, while you’re up there.
The Funicular
The funicular railway is a short cable car that links Adam Clark Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge at river level to Buda Castle above.
Jewish Quarter/Party Disctrict
Budapest’s buzzy Jewish Quarter (also known as the seventh district) is the city’s epicentre of cool, packed with all the edgiest bars, cafés and restaurants. Your nights out will start and end here, with popular clubbing spots like Szimpla Kert offering takeaway treats and techno till the early hours. The Jewish Quarter also boasts many of the city’s best food spots – for 24-hour snacks check out the Street Food Karavan or Kőleves, a Hungarian-Jewish spot with an eclectic menu.
Szimpla Kert
Take a huge, dilapidated building with an open courtyard and a labyrinth of rooms, adorn it with eclectic furniture, edgy artwork and mind-bending communist memorabilia, and you’ve got the city’s most famous (and most atmospheric) ‘ruin bar’, Szimpla Kert.
Dohány Street Synagogue
Opened in 1859, Budapest’s Great Synagogue is Europe’s largest place of Jewish worship (and the second biggest in the world. The stunning architecture and interior décor are worth the trip alone, but a visit to the Great Synagogue (aka Tabakgasse Synagogue) also aims to guide visitors through the history of Jews in Hungary. Inside you’ll find the Hungarian Jewish Museum & Archives and the Holocaust Tree of Life Memorial.
St Stephen’s Basilica
Basically at the edge of jewish quarter, the largest church in Budapest, it can hold up to 8,500 people and is one of Hungary’s most iconic structures.The mummified right hand of St Stephen, the patron saint of the church and first king of Hungary, is kept in a glass case to the left of the main altar. And if that doesn’t turn you on, just check out all that monumental neoclassical architecture. The Basilica’s star feature is the 96-metre-high dome, lined on the inside with ornate religious reliefs. Once you’ve had a little wander, why not take in the impressive views from the cupola?
The dark side of history
House of Terror
Number 60, Andrássy Avenue once inspired fear as the headquarters of the secret police, but since 2002 this ominous townhouse has housed a poignant museum commemorating the victims of the fascist and communist regimes. The museum spans four floors and contains a curious collection that blends installations with interactive screens that allow you to listen to first-hand accounts from survivors. The most fascinating part is the basement, where the fascist Arrow Cross Party once interned political prisoners. That’s a fairly liberal use of the word ‘fascinating’, but you get the point.
Memento Park
An open-air park that displays statues, plaques and memorabilia from Hungary’s Communist period. See some enormous statues of Communist leaders like Lenin, Marx and Engels and learn about Hungary under Stalin’s dictatorship, all while soaking up the sun. There’s also a cinema where you can watch very unsettling old propaganda films.
Some other iconic places
Szechenyi Spa Baths
By day, the Szechenyi Baths are an oasis of calm in bustling Budapest, with luxury spa treatments, saunas, and massages in the grandeur of a sprawling 20th-century Turkish building. But on a weekend night? Well, it turns into something altogether more debauched: the Sparty. If you want to be pampered and preened, head to Szechenyi during the day. If it’s a wet and wild night you’re after, wait until night falls for the Sparties. The brainchild of a famed Hungarian party producer, these night-time raves offer unlimited alcohol, live electronic music, and an anything-goes atmosphere in the water. The choice is yours.
Margaret Island
Budapest’s most impressive green space, Margaret Island is a 2.5km-long island of quiet parkland on the Danube, linked to Buda and Pest by bridges at either end. It’s tranquil, secluded and mainly free to explore. Grab a book and chill in the rose garden, or sun yourself by the waterfall in the Japanese garden. There’s also a spectacular musical fountain near Margaret Bridge, which comes alive four times a day, plus a small zoo and a few cafes.
Great Market Hall
The Great Market Hall is a restored neo-Gothic tunnel where you can pick up the best local produce and handicrafts. For the superb architecture and a total sensory overload, or to source some one-of-a-kind souvenirs and sample unfamiliar Hungarian delicacies. From pickles and fresh veg to meat, seafood and more, just thinking about it is making us hungry.
Parliament House
The 691-room building is famed for its Gothic Revival architecture, ornate statues and gorgeous paintings. Learn about the political history of Budapest with insight and anecdotes from an expert tour guide.
Flipper Museum
Budapest’s pinball museum features a collection of 115 pinball machines and 30 other old-school arcade games. Set in a windowless Budapest basement and illuminated only by the bright light of the machines, this pinball parlour is hella hipster, and unlike any other museum you’ll ever visit. It’s also Europe’s largest interactive pinball exhibition.
