Budapest, you are wonderful!

TOP Attractions in the capital

Budapest is truly a city of a thousand faces. It's not worth rushing through in just a quick weekend, because while it's hard to get to the end of its sights and experiences in a few days, it covers a large area and its diversity of topography, the Buda hills, the banks of the Danube, Margaret Island and the bustling downtown of Pest are all worth experiencing in depth.

CHAIN-BRIDGE

Before it was built, the river could only be crossed by temporary boat bridge, boat or ice.

However, a big city needed a real stone bridge, so "the greatest Hungarian", Count István Széchenyi, did everything he could to build it: he studied abroad, had different versions of the plans drawn up, visited factories, experimented with materials. The decisive step was when he invited the English designer William Tierney Clark and his namesake, the Scottish engineer Adam Clark, to the country, and they finally had the building, a technical marvel of its time, built by 1849. Like the other bridges in Budapest, it was destroyed in the Second World War, but was rebuilt in its original form, except for the necessary modernisation. The square at the Buda end of the bridge is named after the builder Adam Clark, who chose Hungary as his new home and is credited with the construction of the Castle Tunnel. One of the highlights of the Danube bank evenings is when the bridge's ornamental lighting is switched on, accentuating the bridge's curves. With its distinctive shape, two huge stone gates and beautiful chains, the bridge has become an integral part of the cityscape over the last century and a half.

PARLIAMENT

The Hungarian Parliament building, the Parliament House on the banks of the Danube, is an iconic building of Budapest's World Heritage, the home of the legislature and the guardian of the Hungarian Holy Crown.
Ornately decorated inside and out, the Hungarian Parliament House was inspired by the London Houses of Parliament, so the neo-Gothic style is dominant, but it also bears Renaissance and Baroque features.
Today, it is the third largest parliament in the world, built to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Hungary, based on the designs of architect Imre Steindl.

There was no room for frugality in the construction, and some 40 kg of 23 carat gold alone was used. The building's dimensions are impressive: its maximum width is 123 metres, its length parallel to the Danube is 271 metres and its dome is 96 metres high. It is a mix of architectural styles and motifs: the Baroque floor plan, the Gothic façade and the Renaissance ceiling. On either side of the dome, the lower and upper chambers are identical in design, symbolically suggesting that the two houses were equal.

The building is divided into four floors, with a floor area of almost 18 000 square metres, and would accommodate 50 five-storey apartment blocks. Some 40 million bricks were used to build it. The façade is decorated with 90 stone sculptures representing great figures of Hungarian history. The floor plan is symmetrical, the main rooms are cross-shaped and the dome rises at their intersection. Inside the building there are 10 internal lighting courtyards, 14 lifts and hundreds of offices. The red carpet running through the building is almost 3 kilometres long.

ANDRASSY AVENUE

For a long time, there were only insignificant houses and small gardens here, but in the second half of the 19th century, Prime Minister Count Gyula Andrássy decided to build a new avenue.
After the revolution of 1848-1849, the statesman fled to Paris, where the ladies called him "le beau pendu" (the beautiful hanged one). On his return home, he was granted amnesty and embarked on an important political career. The ideas and designs for the road came mainly from Paris, but the architects were all Hungarian or foreign architects working here. Within a few years, the luxurious route, which grew almost from scratch, became a symbol of the country's strength and also of the era known as the "happy peacetime". At first, the route was covered with wooden blocks and was well used by coachmen, pedestrians and horsemen. It was and still is surrounded by elegant shops, opulent palaces and ornate gardens. The Hungarian State Opera House, designed by Miklós Ybl, is its most important building, but it is also home to the Art Nouveau building of the Grand Department Store in Paris, the House of Terror Museum, the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, the Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum and the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Asian Art. The route can be divided into three sections, the boundaries of which are marked by the octagonal Oktogon and the circular Kodály Körönd.

Under the 2,300-metre-long boulevard is the route of Europe's third oldest underground railway, whose elegant stations are a favourite with locals and foreigners alike. Andrássy Avenue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

BASILICA OF SAINT STEPHEN

A majestic building, wherever you arrive from. Approaching from the Danube bank, it becomes more and more apparent every metre: huge, yet not dominating its surroundings.
The church is built on a small hill on which, during the great flood of 1838, hundreds of people found shelter until they were rescued by boats. Their donations began the story of the building, which was finally completed in 1906. The first plans for the neo-Renaissance building were drawn by József Hild, then Miklós Ybl took over the design, while the decoration and interior design were the work of József Kauser. The building is named after St Stephen, the Hungarian king who founded the state, whose right hand is kept as a relic in one of the chapels. The Greek cross-shaped interior is filled with mosaics, paintings, sculptures and stained glass - all of which can be admired by up to 8,000 people at a time during the services.

The height of the church, like the Parliament, is 96 metres, commemorating the conquest of 896. You can climb up to the circular lookout, where both the internal supporting structure of the dome and the panorama are stunning. Interestingly, several members of the Golden Team, including the legendary Ferenc Puskás, were laid to rest here. St. Stephen's Square in front of the building is one of the most popular open-air venues in summer, with its terraces, parasols, plants and decorative fountains, which give it a Mediterranean feel.

Address: 1051 Budapest, Szent István tér 1.

GELLERT HILL AND CITADEL

Gellért Hill is a popular hiking destination in the capital.
On the Buda side of the Danube in Budapest, the 235-metre-high Gellért Hill rises to the top with the Statue of Liberty. This landmark, which is a major landmark of Budapest's cityscape, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
The Gellért Hill is one of the most popular tourist destinations, as it offers a magnificent panorama from the top of its rock face facing the Danube and, of course, from the walls of the Citadel fortress. The Danube bridges are clearly visible from here, but you can also take fantastic pictures of the Parliament and even Buda Castle.

In the belly of Gellért Hill are the thermal springs that feed the surrounding baths, but the Mátyás, Rákóczi and Árpád springs also played an important role in the formation of the caves. The most famous cave on the mountain is St. Ivan's Cave, which houses the Chapel of the Order of St. Paul, also known as the Rock Church of St. Gellert. This cave is only partly natural, as new passages were added at the beginning of the 20th century to convert it into a rock church, modelled on the cave at Lourdes.

Gellért Hill is a great place to visit, where hikers looking for special sights can explore places like the St Gellért Falls or the Garden of Philosophers, where statues of Buddha, Gandhi and Jesus stand under shady trees. The Gellért Hill is a great place for hikers in search of special sights, where they can discover places like the St. Gellert Falls or the Garden of Philosophers, where under the shady trees stand statues of Buddha, Gandhi and Jesus, among others. At the Lookout Stone, you can also witness the meeting of the Prince of Buda and the Princess of Pest.

BUDA CASTLE AND SURROUNDINGS

The area was once inhabited by Celts and Romans, and the seat of Hungarian royalty was moved from Esztergom to the strategically well-defended Buda Castle Hill by Béla IV after the Tartar invasion of 1242. The castle and its immediate surroundings developed rapidly, reaching its heyday during the reign of King Matthias Hunyadi, when Buda was recognised throughout Europe as a court of Renaissance art and science, famous far and wide.
Its history was full of turbulent turns: after 150 years of Turkish occupation, it was taken over by the Habsburgs, the Germans and then the Soviets. Since 1987 it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Buda Castle District. In its present-day area there are numerous monuments of medieval origin, as well as residential buildings and public buildings dating from the 17th to 18th centuries. The Royal Palace of Buda and the Castle District finally took on their present appearance after the unification of Buda, Óbuda and Pest in 1873, in the context of the millennium celebrations.

The residence of the Hungarian kings has become the home of science and the arts: the Matthias Church, the Hungarian National Gallery, the National Széchényi Library and the Budapest History Museum are located here, but there are also many gastronomic and cultural events to be enjoyed in the Castle. The residence of the Hungarian kings has become a home to science and the arts: it is home to the Matthias Church, the Hungarian National Gallery, the National Széchényi Library and the Budapest History Museum, among others, and also hosts a wide range of gastronomic and cultural events.
Not only its cobbled streets and historic buildings are fascinating, but also the interconnected system of cellars and caves under the castle, which contain thermal water, are unique.

Europe's second urban funicular was put into service here in 1870, with two cars that move in a pendulum-like motion, one going up and the other going down. The difference in level between the lower and upper stations of the steep, 95-metre-long track between the Buda end of the Chain Bridge and the Sándor Palace is 50 metres. From here you can also see the most beautiful panorama of Budapest. The Fisherman's Bastion, famous for its neo-Romanesque terraces, was built along the fish market square in the Middle Ages, hence its name. Right next to the Royal Palace is the Sándor Palace. The neoclassical building was formerly the residence of the Hungarian Prime Minister, but is now the residence of the President of the Republic.

HEROES' SQUARE

The end of Andrassy Avenue and the gateway to the City Park: an urban masterpiece from any angle. Approaching from the avenue, you can see its 36-metre-high column with the Archangel Gabriel on top from afar.

The square, which stands on the border of Andrássy Avenue and the City Park, began to take its present form on the thousandth anniversary of the Hungarian conquest in 1896. The Kunsthalle, on the right-hand side of the square when viewed from the front, was opened at that time, and in that year it was decided to build the Museum of Fine Arts and the Millennium Monument, which was later to be erected opposite it. The group of sculptures around the column and the pedestal form a visual unit with the two rows of columns arranged in a semicircle. The Heroes' Square provides visitors with a summary history lesson: the works of art here frame the entire history of the nation and the country, and remind not only of the victims of wars, but also of the creators and creations of peacetime and the values of Hungarian culture. Budapest's Heroes' Square and Andrássy Avenue are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

(source: https://www.budapestinfo.hu/)