There's no other city in Hungary like Budapest. Home to almost 20% of the national population, Hungary's capital (főváros; 'main city') is the nation's administrative, business and cultural centre.
But it's the beauty of Budapest – both natural and man-made – that makes it unique. Straddling a gentle curve in the Danube, the city is flanked by the Buda Hills on the west bank and the beginnings of the Great Plain to the east. Architecturally it is a gem, with enough baroque, neoclassical and Art Nouveau elements to satisfy everyone.
In recent years Budapest has taken on the role of the region's party town. ‘Pop-up' pubs and, in the warmer months, outdoor clubs are crammed with partygoers till the wee hours.
Buda
Castle Hill (Várhegy) is Budapest's biggest tourist draw and a first port of call for any visit to the city. Here, you'll find most of Budapest's remaining medieval buildings, the Royal Palace and sweeping views of Pest across the river.
You can walk to Castle Hill up the Király lépcső, the ‘Royal Steps’ that lead northwest off Clark Ádám tér, or else take the Sikló a funicular railway built in 1870 that ascends from Clark Ádám tér to Szent György tér near the Royal Palace.
Royal PalacePALACE
The massive former royal seat, razed and rebuilt at least a half-dozen times over the past seven centuries, occupies the southern end of Castle Hill. Here you’ll find two important museums: the Hungarian National Gallery (Nemzeti Galéria; www.mng.hu;), which traces Hungarian art from the 11th century to the present day, and the Castle Museum (Vármúzeum; www.btm.hu), which looks at 2000 years of the city's life.
Matthias ChurchCHURCH
The pointed spire and the colourful tiled roof make neo-Gothic Matthias Church (so named because good King Matthias Corvinus held both his weddings here) a Castle Hill landmark. Parts date back some 500 years, notably the carvings above the southern entrance, but the rest of it was designed by the architect Frigyes Schulek in 1896.
Fishermen’s BastionMONUMENT
The bastion is a neo-Gothic folly built as a viewing platform in 1905. Its name comes from the medieval guild of fishermen responsible for defending this stretch of the castle wall.
CitadellaFORT
Built by the Habsburgs after the 1848–49 War of Independence to defend the city from further insurrection, the Citadella was obsolete by the time it was ready in 1851 and never saw battle. It is currently closed to the public.
Liberty MonumentMONUMENT
The Liberty Monument, the lovely lady with the palm frond proclaiming freedom throughout the city from atop Gellért Hill, is to the east of the Citadella. Some 14m high, she was raised in 1947 in tribute to the Soviet soldiers who died liberating Budapest in 1945.
Memento ParkHISTORIC SITE
Home to some 40 statues, busts and plaques of Lenin, Marx and ‘heroic’ workers like those that have ended up on trash heaps in other former socialist countries, Memento Park, 10km southwest of the city centre, is a mind-blowing place to visit. A direct bus (with park admission adult/child return 4900/3500Ft) departs from in front of the Le Meridien Budapest Hotel on Deák Ferenc tér at 11am year-round with an extra departure at 3pm in July and August.
Home to some 40 statues, busts and plaques of Lenin, Marx and ‘heroic’ workers like those that have ended up on trash heaps in other former socialist countries, Memento Park, 10km southwest of the city centre, is a mind-blowing place to visit. A direct bus (with park admission adult/child return 4900/3500Ft) departs from in front of the Le Meridien Budapest Hotel on Deák Ferenc tér at 11am year-round with an extra departure at 3pm in July and August.
Gellért BathsBATHHOUSE
Soaking in the Art Nouveau Gellért Baths, open to both men and women daily in mixed sections, has been likened to taking a bath in a cathedral. The eight thermal pools range in temperature from 26°C to 38°C.
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