Budapest is a city, where you could spend a weeklong holiday, visiting lots of thermal baths, museums, walking along the cozy streets and enjoying the promenade near the Danube river.
The Danube river divides the city into two parts: Buda and Pest. Once there were two separate cities.
The Buda part of the city contains the following prominent sights:
The Buda Castle
You can lift to the castle by the funicular. The road on foot takes about 10 minutes, although it goes slightly up.
The Fisherman’s Bastion
with the gothic St Matthias Church
If you climb the hill of Liberty Statue, you will observe amazing panoramic view to the city. Be aware that the lift to the statue is not easy but it is definitely worth visiting.
At the foot of the Liberty Statue hill in the rock you will find the cave church and can take excursion by audio guide there.
Two parts of the city are connected by the plenty of bridges, but the most significant one is Chain bridge Széchenyi
It is possible to set off into the excursion by the river boat. So you could see all the most popular sights, situated near the bank of the Danube river. There are some excursion boat tours with dinner.
There is a variety of river cruises along the Danube, covering several European countries.
If you still have free time, you can go for a walk on Margaret Island – the green area of Budapest.
If you visit Budapest for the first time, you can get tickets for the excursion bus tour Hop-On, Hop-Off. Thanks to such tour you will see the most popular sights of the city.
In the Pest part of the city you should visit:
The Parliament is the most amazing sight not only in Budapest but also in the entire Hungary. The decision about its constructing was made just after the declaration of Hungarian independence as a symbol of the country’s liberty.
You can enter the Parliament only in the guided excursion group (in English, German, Russian languages).
In the middle of the Parliament building, under the biggest dome you can see the legendary relic of the country – the crown of the first Hungarian king.
It is under the permanent armed guard of the most elite troops. It is forbidden to shoot it on camera, so, unfortunately, we do not have its photo. So we recommend you to visit the Parliament and see the crown with your own eyes.
At the end of the tour you get to the Parliament Museum, where you can use multimedia devices to learn about the history of this grandiose structure, about its functionality.
Address: Kossuth Lajos tér 1-3 www.latogatokozpont.parlament.hu
Opening time: Monday-Friday, 08:00 – 18:00, Saturday – Sunday, 08:00 – 16:00. Price for the excursion: about 20 EUR/per person.
The Hungarian Parliament have sessions here.
St. Stephen’s Basilica is the most famous cathedral in Budapest and the whole country.
Heroes’ Square – is a popular place for a walk.
Andrassy shopping avenue stretches from the Heroes’ square to the bank of the Danube river.
You will see the Vajdahunyad castle beyond the Heroes’ square.
A part of the lake near the castle is fenced off and dried in autumn. An ice-rink is being prepared here and everyone can come and ice-skate for the New Year’s holiday.
Near the castle you will find a beautiful lake and the most famous thermal baths –Széchenyi.
Moreover, Budapest city is famous for its numerous thermal baths. You should definitely visit at least one of them during your stay in this city.
More details about the thermal baths you can find here.
Vaci Street is well-known for its cafes, restaurants and stores.
If you want to find some local souvenirs, have a look into the old Central market.
We stayed at the hotel chain Ibis Budapest City Styles 3*.
www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-2025-ibis-styles-budapest-city/index.shtml
It is a modern, youth hotel with a bright interior and rich breakfast.
An interesting feature of the hotel: bicycles stylized as a workplace with a computer near the reception desk, and chairs with bicycle pedals at the bar.
You can get from the hotel to the city center by tram № 2.
Author (с): Iryna Melnyk
Photos (с): Nick Melnyk