Budapest - Sightseeing

Sightseeing Overview

Despite its current contemporary outlook, the key to Budapest lies in its history, marked by alternate periods of great wealth and prosperity and devastating eras of political and social upheaval. The Magyars view their history not in black and white but in gold and silver. The first Golden Age coincided with the reign of Renaissance King Matys (1458-90). The second Golden Age was symbolised by the 1896 millennium celebration in City Park and the Silver Age was the 20th-century inter-war period, when the likes of Evelyn Waugh and the Prince of Wales frequented Budapest's spas and casinos.

Balanced against the good times, however, there is the Hungarians' defeat against the Turkish in 1526 (with the ensuing rebuilding of Buda as a Turkish capital); the Hapsburg rule that continued to deprive Hungary of its autonomy until 1867; the devastation caused by WWII; and Russian control, only lifted in 1989. These significant events have turned the Hungarians into a flexible and resilient race, proud of their national heroes.

Modern Budapest was born in 1873, when Buda, buda and Pest were officially joined. Today, the city is composed of 23 districts (kerletek), each designated on maps, street signs and addresses by Roman numerals (I to XXIII). Buda and Pest still remain distinct, however, creating a fascinating west bank-east bank contrast.

The Chain Bridge (Szchenyi lnchd) is the central point of Budapest. Hilly Buda in the west is laced with narrow cobbled streets and packed with a mixture of medieval and neoclassical buildings almost totally reconstructed after WWII. Flat Pest lies to the east, its wide boulevards and art nouveau structures testimony to the boom Budapest experienced in the years before WWI. In between are remnants of Turkish and Communist occupation, creating a crazy mosaic of mismatching styles.

A steep climb in the Sikl, the 19th-century funicular, leads to Buda's Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where many attractions are clustered. Nearby is the mosaic-roofed Matthias Church, with the best views of Pest.

The busiest spots in Pest are the shop-lined Vci utca, the Vrsmarty tr square and the Gerbeaud ptisserie. The most grandiose monument, Hosk tr (Heroes' Square), is reached via Andrssy t. The Museum of Fine Arts and Palace of Art border the monument and City Park is just behind it.

Warm vapours rising from underground hot springs swirl up into the square, which is much favoured by teenage skateboarders. Moving closer to the Danube River lies the Dohny Synagogue, the second largest in Europe, as well as the small Jewish quarter (district VII).

Tourist Information

Budapest Tourism Office
1056 Budapest Marcius 15 tr 7
Tel: (01) 266 0479.
Website: www.budapestinfo.hu
Opening hours: Daily 0800-2000.

The main information office of the Budapest Tourism Office is located in Liszt Ferenc tr 9-11 (tel: (01) 322 4098). Other offices can be found in the main hall of Nyugati station, at the airport, and the Castle District.

IBUSZ tourist office, XI Dayka G utca 3 (tel: (01) 485 2765; www.ibusz.hu) and Tourinform, Stő utca 2, (tel: (01) 438 8080; www.tourinform.hu) also provide tourist information.