Budapest’s Top Attractions

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Budapest, the largest city and at the same time capital of Hungary, has become one of the most popular destinations in Central Europe. With its stunning views and excellent taste of local foods and wines, Budapest makes a perfect travel destination. It has been dubbed as the Paris of the East and has been considered as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The historic past, poetry, and gaiety in it make tourists fall in love with it.

The Duna (Danube) river splits Budapest city into two: Buda and Pest. Buda is situated in the west side of the river bank while Pest is located on the east side, which covers the modern commercial core of the city. As such, Budapest deserves its dub as the Pearl of the Danube.

Great attractions await tourists who wander and want to kill time in the city. Among those popular attractions are summarized and categorized below according to the situated location where they belong.

Buda

• Castle Hill – This landmark is positioned in the western bank of the Danube River. Known as Várhegy in Hungarian, its medieval structure provides breathtaking views of the Danube River when you are its highest point. It has been said that it is in this place that Budapest was founded.

• Buda Royal Palace – It is Castle Hill’s most prominent feature, which is a historical castle where the Hungarian Kings of Budapest lived. It is sometimes called the Royal Castle or the Royal Palace. The Buda Castle is located in the southern tip of the Castle Hill.

• Fisherman’s Bastion – Tourists will have an excellent view of the city from this site. This spot is strategically located near the Castle Hill where you can have a good look at the city as well as the two bridges, Chain Bridge and Elizabeth Bridge. This is also where the Mathias Church is located. It is a nice place to look at the Hungary’s Parliament building and the Academy of Sciences. This is called the Fisherman Bastion because most of the settlers, here are fishermen. This neo-Gothic and Roman Style structure was built as a fortress for any attacks.

• Gellért Hill and the Citadella – It has an overlooking view of the landscaped realms of the entire Budapest. It towers over the other natural and man-made buildings near it at the height of over 239 MASL. It is basically made of a mineral that constitutes calcium magnesium carbonate and has similar appearance to a sedimentary rock. The fascinating view at the top of the hill is the Danube River itself, the whole Buda, the Parliament building, and the Buda Castle.

Pest

• Parliament – This is the notable landmark of Hungary and a popular destination in Budapest. It is one of Europe’s oldest legislative buildings and the seat of Hungary’s National Assembly.

• St István Basilica – This is an ecclesiastic basilica in Budapest, which is named in honor of the first Hungarian king, King Stephen (975-1038). Built in a neo-Renaissance-Classicist style, it is considered as Hungary’s second most important church and the largest in Budapest. This is known as St. Stephen’s Basilica as this is where the mummified right hand of first Christian ruler of Hungary is kept.

• The Great Synagogue – This is one of Budapest’s distinguishing landmarks. It is the second largest synagogue in the world and is also known as the Dohany Synagogue.

• Andrássy út – It is one of the most beautiful and the biggest street of Budapest. It starts in Erzsebet ter and ends in Varosliget.  This is also called the Andrassy Avenue.

• Városliget – This is Hungary City’s park. It also has a zoo in here.

• · Vajdahunyad Castle – This is a castle in City Park. It was built in 1896 for the Hungarian millennium.

The Danube

• Elizabeth Bridge – It is the second newest bridge in Budapest and was named after Queen Elizabeth. It is known as the longest suspension bridge in the world.

• The Chain Bridge – This is one of Budapest’s famous landmarks. This is the magnificent chain that connects Buda and Pest over the Danube River.

• Margaret Island – This is originally known as the Rabbit Island located in the middle of the Danube River.