Budapest radiates charm. It has a rich heritage – with magnificent buildings, impressive avenues and beautiful vistas overlooking the Danube. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, Budapest is friendly, laidback and offers a wealth of things to see and do…here are some of the best:
Danube
The magnificent Danube bisects Buda & Pest. Talking a walk, or even better – a river cruise – down this mighty river is a fantastic way to see some of Budapest’s most iconic buildings.
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Enjoying a river cruise on the Danube. Budapest
Soak in the Baths
Built over natural hot springs Budapest offers a magnificent array of places to unwind after a hard day’s sightseeing. The Szechenyi and Gellert baths are the most well known, built with grandeur in the early 1900’s these baths are a cathedral to bathing. With multiple pools of differing temperatures both inside and outside – it is easy to spend a whole day soaking up the atmosphere.
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Szechenyi Baths and Pool Budapest
Food
Famous for its goulash, Hungary offers so much more. It is a culinary hub! Great food, great beer and even great wine. You can’t go wrong!
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Enjoying a mega-pizza in Budapest
History
The Budapest you’ll see today is the result of many years of rich history, with traces of inhabitation dating back as far as the second millennium BC. Hungarian tribes arrived at the end of the ninth century and the Hungarian Kingdom was established in 1000. The city was formed through the joining of Buda, Pest and Old Buda, back in 1873.
Throughout the 20th century, Hungary was at the sharp end of various regimes, from the extreme right government under the guise of the Arrow Cross Party – a puppet government of the Nazis during WW2, to being swallowed up by the Soviet Union shortly afterwards. The building at Andrássy út 60 was the headquarters of the secret police for both fascist and communist regimes. Now the House of Terror museum – it goes in to grim detail as to some of the horrors carried out within its walls – the punishment cells in the basement give you a particular feel for the cruelty inflicted in the name of these opposing ideals.
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House of Terror museum Budapest
Buildings
The Royal Palace, the Parliament building, St Stephen’s Basilica, the Opera House, Fisherman’s Bastion, Rumbach Street Synagogue and the list goes on….you get the picture!
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parliament building in Budapest
Getting around
Budapest is made for exploring! not only are so many highlights walk-able, but public transport is easy to use, cheap and regular. If like me you like to explore a city on 2 wheels, there is a an accesible public bike scheme – like the London ‘Boris Bikes.’ These are called ‘Bubi’s’
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Explore Budapest on the public hire bikes – Bubi’s
Bridges
Budapest is famous for its bridges and it is easy to see why, each is unique and beautiful in its own right. Criss crossing the Danube on a day of sightseeing, make sure you take a minute to take in the spectacles of these feats of engineering.
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Liberty Bridge in budapest