Budapest

placed in the category: Cities

Budapest is one of the world's most beautiful cities offering mind-blowing classical architecture and splendid views across river Danube. Budapest is often called the 'pearl of Danube' because the buildings and bridges on the banks of Danube glitter when the sun goes down. This Hungarian capital city is famous for both operatic and music events and refreshing spa baths. Everything from air travels, roads and rail lines, commerce and culture, industry, opportunities, wealth and power converges in this city.

The city has a fascinating history of revolutions along with numerous wars, invasions and indiscriminate destruction. Actually, Budapest is made up of Buda on the west bank of river Danube and Pest on the eastern side, which are two very different cities, characterized by parks, buildings and avenues on a colossal scale offering romanticism to the tourists at a very reasonable price.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Budapest is between April and September, when the days remain sunny and warm. However, if you were sports freak or a music lover, the best time to visit would be during the Sziget Rock festival or Formula 1 Grand Prix, held in August. The Summer Classical Music Festival is also attended by music lovers from all across Europe.

Public transportation

In Budapest, public transportation is run by Budapest Transport Limited Company (BKV). But, you can go about Budapest walking all along the banks of Danube. The urban area of this city is covered well by three metro lines, blue urban buses, yellow tram and red trolley-buses.

Staying in Budapest

Budapest offers a wide range of accommodation options ranging from star rated hotels to private rooms rented out by common people. The best place to stay is in District II and District III near the Buda Hills. Here, you'd get all the facilities of the city with lovely views of River Danube. If you are on a backpacking trip then head towards District V - it has many hostels and few luxurious hotels.

Top places to visit in Budapest

The Var: This is the castle district of Budapest. It is a long plateau laden with mansions, bastions and a huge palace. Hungarian kings favored this place, as it was easy to defend. The castle has been ravaged eighty-six times in its history and it has been rebuilt over seven centuries. The buildings and castles of Var or Varhegy - Castle Hill are a legacy of the glorious Magyar times.

The Matyas Church: The neo-Gothic Matyas Church is another prominent feature of Budapest, it is named after 'Good King Matyas'. It is officially dedicated to 'Our Lady' and is designed with diamond-patterned roofs and toothy spires. This building was severely damaged during the siege of 1686 and World War II and the present building you now see is the re-creation of the original 13th century building.

The Hungarian National Gallery: The Hungarian National Gallery is dedicated to Hungarian art from the Middle Ages to the present day. The enormous collection makes it one of the best art museums of Europe. There is a Habsburg crypt also which contains tombs of numerous Habsburgs who ruled as Palatine or Viceroy till 1849.

Buda Palace: The palace was the example of lavish hospitality during its heydays. It is said that during celebrations, the gargoyles and fountains flowed with wine and the rooms had running hot and cold water.

Apart from these you should keep the bridges of Budapest, especially Chain Bridge and Árpád Bridge in your itinerary too. The Budapest History Museum, the Statue Park and the lovely Hungarian Railway History Park cannot be missed either.