If you want to see the whole town on the northern side of the Castle, you need
to walk about 3 km around the Castle District between the two entrances - Bécsi
kapu tér and Dísz tér. Major sights: Matthias Church Fishermen's Bastion, tower
of Mary Magdalene Church.
The current uniform Baroque appearance had emerged by the mid-18th c. The
restored Castle District is a cultural, arts and tourist centre. As well as the
major museums housed in the Royal Palace, there are numerous interesting
collections - Museum of War History, Golden Eagle Pharmacy Museum, Hungarian
Museum of Commerce and Catering, Medieval Jewish Prayer House, Museum of
Telephony, Museum of Music History, Castle Cave and some fine galleries. This is
where you can find Budapest Hilton Hotel, which is probably the most beautiful
member of the Hilton chain. In a side wing one can see the ruins of a medieval
Dominican cloister. The area offers plenty of aristocratic and middle-class
restaurants, pastry shops, cafeterias and night clubs. Guided tours around the
Castle District are also offered.
BUS 16, 78 Várbusz, Funicular. Cars are not allowed to enter the Castle
District.
Hotel Burg
Hotel Victoria
Hotel Carlton
(Halászbástya) I., Szentháromság tér.
Completed ín 1905 on the site of a former fish market - this is where the name
comes from. It has never served defense purposes: it is an excellent look-out
place. The flood-lit row of bastions offer a panoramic view from the other bank
of Danube. The cityscape is opening up from there, including the Fishermen's
Bastion, has been part of UNESCO's World Heritage since 1988. The crypt Of the
St. Michael Cemetery Chapel, first written record from 1443, was opened to the
public in 1997. Temporary exhibitions and a special paper-making workshop
inside.
Open: Tue-Sun 0830-2300 16 March-31 Oct with one ticket for both sights, Mon and
on other dates free admission to the Fishermen's Bastion.
Bus 16, Várbusz
The Hungarian style plus art nouveau palace was built in 1898-1899. The brick
ornamental braids, the steep roofs covered with blue glazed tiles and the
frontispiece lend a bizarre, fairy-tale like look to the building. On the roof
top three figures hold a globe on their backs. Particularly beautiful is the
fence.
M2 Népstadion BUS 7
Gold Hotel Panzio
Budapest's largest and grandest market hall was opened in 1897. Sale is done on
an area of 10,000 sq. m under a huge iron structure. The program of foreign
diplomatic delegations often includes a visit here. Since restored to its
original glory in 1994, it is well worth a visit. Open: Mon 0600-1700, Tue-Fri
0600-1800, Sat 0600-1400
Bus 15, Tram 2, 47,49 Trolley bus 83
Kalvinhaz
The tomb of the Turkish dervish revered as a saint was built
1543-1548. It is now a museum and place of pilgrimage for Muslims. The full
reconstruction of the monument together with the rose garden was completed in
1997. The building houses a pleasant coffee shop. Open: Tue-Sun 1000-1800 1
May-30 Sept; 1000-1600 1-31 Oct
Bus 91, Tram 4, 6
Papillon B&B
Budapest's grandest square closes off Andrássy út, and the City Park is right
behind it. The square forms a splendid unity of a monument and two Eclectic
style buildings, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Gallery.
The Millennium Monument was erected on the 1000th anniversary of the Magyar
settlement. In the focus of the semicircular colonnade stands the bronze statue
of Archangel Gabriel on a 36 meter high column, which was awarded Grand Prix at
the Paris World Exposition in 1900. The statues depict the most remarkable
personalities of Hungarian history. In the middle of the square is the Monument
Of National Heroes (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier). Several memorable events were
held on the square: the Eucharist
World Congress (1938), the service before the re-burial of Prime Minister Imre
Nagy and the other martyrs (1989), a holy mass by Pope John Paul II (1991).
M1 Hősök tere, Bus 4, Trolley bus 79
Hotel Liget
Hotel Delibab
Hotel Andrassy
Radio Inn
A 36 m high group of sculptures, erected in 1947. A 14 m tall female figure
representing Liberty stands in the middle, which can be seen from almost any
point in town. The names of the Soviet soldiers who died for the liberation of
Budapest are engraved on the back of the pedestal. The statue of a Soviet
soldier, which stood in the foreground until 1992, can today be seen in the
Statue Park Museum.
BUS 27 Tram 18, 19, 47, 49
Hungary's largest, most beautiful and best-known building, also a symbol of
Budapest. The Hungarian Holy Crown and the coronation insignia are kept here.
Resembling the Westminster Palace, it was built in 1885-1904 with an eclectic
facade, neo-Gothic details, Renaissance and Baroque layout and spaces. One of
the biggest parliaments in the World. 268 m long, 118 m wide, 96 m high dome,
691 rooms on an area of 17,700 sq. m. The sculptures, paintings and frescos were
made by the best artists of the day. The first district heating system in
Hungary was installed here.
Open: guided tours only, subject to Parliamentary sessions. The Parliamentary
Library is a public collection in political science and jurisprudence, modern
history, international issues, publications of the UN, the Hungarian and foreign
parliaments. Open: Mon-Thu 0900-1945, Fri 0900-1400, Sat 0900-1800 (entrance
from Gate XXV on the bank of the Danube).
M2 Kossuth tér Bus 15 Tram 2 Trolley bus 70, 78
Hotel Hold
The statue of the missionary bishop was erected in 1904 in the
place where he is believed to have died a martyr. Flood-lit at night, it is a
marvelous sight with the cascading water-fall.
BUS 27 Tram 18, 19, 47, 49
Some 500 mammals, almost 700 birds, 1,500 reptiles, fishes and
arthropods, plus 1,500 plant species, living on an area of almost 11 hectares
(of which 69 buildings take up 24.8 sq. m), 'receive' one million adults and
children every year. One of the oldest zoos in the World. Opened in 1866, it has
belonged to the city since 1912. The slogan is "A zoo is life's garden. We can
only protect what we know." The buildings with marks of Hungarian art nouveau
and national Romantic, Oriental-Hungarian styles are also worth seeing. The
interiors of the recently restored Elephant House are amazing, they are like a
Muslim sanctuary. The adjoining 31 m high minaret serves as a lookout. The Palm
House, the largest tropical hall in Central and Eastern Europe, was reopened in
late 2000. Open: daily. 0900-1900 1 May-31 Aug;
0900-1700 1 Sept-30 April
M1 Széchenyi fürdö, Trolley bus 72
Be guided in Budapest!
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