Budapest is the capital city of Hungary. It is bisected by the Danube River. It is often described as “Little Paris of Middle East”. It literally is a city that lives a double life. The 19th century Chain bridge connects the hilly Buda district to the flat Pest part of the city. Monuments here reflect 1000 years old culture. The city boasts of remains of Romans and Turks. Let's look at the Must-visit places in Budapest.
The two sides of the capital city Buda and Pest also defines the varied lifestyle and culture of both sides. The suburban Buda and its historic castle district offer medieval streets, houses, caves, museums and Roman rivers. The dynamic Pest side boasts of the largest parliament building in Europe, riverside promenades, flea markets, etc.
Pest is much faced paced. It has lots of bars, cafes, restaurants, meeting points, and many company offices. Hence it’s a popular expat destination today. It has a diverse culture and lots of new job opportunities. Whereas Buda is much calmer, surrounded by beautiful hills, greeneries, and fresher air. Residents are known to be laid back and friendly with foreigners. Although you need to learn a bit of Hungarian as most people are very proud of their culture here and do not prefer to speak English even if they can. Most people do speak English and German. The cost of living in Budapest is, on the whole, a lot lower than many western European countries.
Also Read: Cheap Places to Visit in Europe
Here is a list of must-visit places in Budapest
Buda Castle | Image Credit - Pinterest
It is located on the Buda side of the city. It is filled with interesting statues and great views. This is like a small town in its own rights with shops, restaurants and lots of different buildings. The interiors are particularly devoid of ornamentation. It has an imposing complex more than 1000ft long façade facing the Danube. This place consists of a no. of wings( named after letter A-F) arranged around Lion courtyard. This is bordered by the National Library and two museums; the national gallery and Budapest history museum.
Fisherman’s Bastion | Image Credit - Pinterest
Fisherman’s Bastion is a terrace in Neo-Gothic and Neo-Romanesque style situated on the Buda bank of the Danube. Its major attraction is the lookout towers which are decorative fortifications of the fisherman’s bastion, were built in the 19th century to serve as a lookout tower for best panoramic views. This used to be a real castle. Walls were built from 1895 – 1902. It looks like the Walt Disney films logo except it is much more stunning. It has a café on the terrace. There is a chapel in it. This is atop the Buda castle hill and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is part of the Buda castle tour. Tourists can also take Danube river cruise and appreciate the beauty of this marvel.
House of Terror | Image Credit - Pinterest
This is located in Andrássy út in Pest. This has exhibits related to the fascist and communist dictatorship in Hungary. It commemorates the victims of both the communist and Nazi regimes in Hungary. This earlier used to serve as the former headquarters of ultra-right (Nazi) party in 1940, and its basement was used as a prison. Hundreds of thousands of people were tortured in this house of terror. The prison cells are still intact and sitting there alone with the doors shut is an experience on its own that will change your viewpoint on history.
Andrássy út | Image Credit - informagiovani-italia.com
Andrássy Avenue is a beautiful boulevard in Budapest. It dates back to 1872. It links Erzsébet square (city centre) to the Városliget (city park). This was also recognized as a World Heritage site in 2002. The place is filled with eclectic Neo-Renaissance palaces. There is the Millennium Underground metro (1st in continental Europe) that runs below it. It is of the same length as the avenue. It is a long avenue with lots of buildings, embassies, parks and cafes. The State Opera house is the most famous place here. The place is filled with upscale boutiques and other attractions. The intersection of Andrássy Avenue and Grand Boulevard (Nagykörút) is shaped like an octagon so it’s called as Oktogon. It’s a busy square and home to the World’s largest Burger King.
Chain Bridge | Image Credit - Pinterest
The Chain Bridge is one of the best landmarks of Budapest. This picturesque stone bridge straddles the Danube between Szechenyi Square on the Pest side and Clark Adam in Buda side. The mighty Danube flows below it. You can get stunning views from here. Especially the city lights reflected on the dark river is gripping. The grandiose parliament dominates the riverside in Pest and the Castle Hill at the Buda end. The bridge is open for pedestrians on August 20th for St. Stephen’s day festivities and fireworks. The first walkers across the bridge were the soldiers of the Hungarian Army of Independence. They retreated from Austrian troops in 1849. Though Austria tried to blow up the bridge luckily the explosives didn’t go off. But unfortunately German’s destroyed it in the siege of Budapest in 1945. Then it was reconstructed originally in 1949. Adam Clark, the constructor of the bridge had dug a canal under castle hill to provide easy access to places in Buda behind the hill. It is exactly as long as the chain bridge. If you walk along the river bank towards the parliament, you’ll find the famous shoes on the Danube memorial. Here 60 pairs of cast iron shoes were created in 2005 in memoriam of the thousands of Hungarian Jews shot into the Danube in 1944-45.
Margret Island | Image Credit - Pinterest
This Island is located on the Danube. It is located away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This island has lovely greens and an open area with gardens and musical fountains. It is accessible by foot over the connecting bridge (either from Buda or from pest). There is Platinus beach on Margret Island. It is an outdoor complex with various pools and water slides etc. This place is perfect for families with plenty to see and do. A paradise for sunbathing, riding bikes and dog walkers. There are lots of nice cafes and restaurants here. The most beautiful thing here is the musical fountain where the water fountain display is set to music and varies according to the style of music played.
Budapest is a marvellous historical city and grandeur on the Danube with exceptional architecture and diverse culture. It is becoming extremely popular today with expats due to a lot of industries and a comparatively low priced European city to live in. Visit it and enjoy the Hungarian culture.