Budapest is full of things to see, do and visit, from spas and shopping to ancient monuments and fascinating architecture. One of the best ways to start getting the measure of the city is just to walk around it, along the Danube front, across the bridges or through the streets around Parliament and St Stephens Basilica.
For short visits, must-see sights include:
The City Park, or Varosliget, is a wide green area to the North of central Budapest.
The park is easily reached by metro from Oktogon and houses the Szechenyi baths (the largest medicinal baths in Europe)[pictured],
which are well worth a visit, as well as the fairytale Vajdahunyad Castle, a large ice-skating rink
and the monumental Heroes' Square, featuring the Millenary Monument with the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of it and the Palace of Arts/Museum of Fine Arts to either side.
At weekends there is a large and popular flea market on Zichy M. ut, also within the Park and the
green space makes an attractive place to wander and enjoy a break from the bustle of the nearby city.
Andrassy Ut
Running from Bajcsy-Zsilinsky Ut to the City Park, with shops, cafes and restaurants at the Danube end (the street becomes less busy to the north of Oktogon), Andrassy is a wide tree-lined street often viewed as the most important street in the city. The southern end also houses the Opera, opens onto Ferenc Liszt Ter and Jokai Ter for bars and restaurants and is the location for many upmarket shops and grand buildings. Mainland Europe's oldest Underground railway runs the length of the street.
Buda and the Castle District
With a more relaxed feel than the bustling Pest, this area has cobbled streets and squares, lots of interesting buildings and many museums and churches. The Fishermans Bastion, a fairytale piece of architecture overlooking the Danube and Pest, is a great place for views and photographs, while the former Royal Palace, now home to museums and a library, has a fascinating past. There is a funicular railway running up to the top of Castle Hill which also provides good views across the city.
Other places to visit...
include Vaci Utca, a popular shopping street partly pedestrianised. At one end, Kossuth Ter hosts craft markets at Easter and Christmas with all sorts of Hungarian handmade items from glass to straw animals, fur hats to felt plus lots of delicious food and drink stalls.
The other end of Vaci Utca leads to the Market Hall, with rows of stalls packed with fruit, vegetables, meat and Paprika as well as more craft stalls.
The Parliament buildings, on Kossuth Lajos Ter, are an impressive sight and a city landmark.
St Stephen's Basilica, not far away, is also impressive and very beautiful.
Budapest has a number of thermal spas and many of them are very beautiful and worth a visit. The most popular are probably the Gellert Spa (in the very attractive Gellert Hotel), which has indoor and outdoor pools, a wave machine and stunning interior, and the Szechenyi baths
in the City Park. The Szechenyi also has indoor and outdoor pools, with a variety of temperatures, whirlpools and other features. We would recommend visiting at least one pool, even in winter.
