Budapest: Two Cities on the Danube

Budapest is two cities that merged in 1873: Buda on the western hills and Pest on the flat eastern plain. The Danube divides them. Eight bridges connect the two banks. The Parliament building on the Pest side and the Buda Castle complex on the opposite hill are the standard visual shorthand for the city, and both are worth visiting, but the character of Budapest rewards attention to the specifics rather than the landmarks alone.

The city is compact in the areas tourists use. The inner districts of Pest (Districts V through VII, covering the historic centre, the Jewish Quarter, and the ruin bar neighbourhood) are walkable. Buda requires either crossing one of the bridges or using the hillside funicular, but the Castle District is a single afternoon’s visit rather than a separate expedition.

Buda Castle and Castle Hill

Buda Castle sits at the southern end of Castle Hill, a limestone plateau rising about 60 metres above the river. The current palace complex is a reconstruction: the original medieval castle was destroyed in the siege of 1686, rebuilt in Baroque style, damaged again in 1848 and in the Second World War. The reconstruction after 1945 emphasised the surviving medieval cellars and Gothic sections rather than full restoration of the Baroque facades, so the result is partly a museum of its own layers.

The Hungarian National Gallery occupies several wings of the castle and holds a substantial collection of Hungarian painting from the 19th and early 20th centuries, including the large-format history paintings of the Romantic period. Entry around HUF 3,800.

The Budapest History Museum, also within the castle complex, covers the city’s history from Roman settlement through the Ottoman occupation and beyond. Entry around HUF 3,000.

The Matthias Church at the northern end of Castle Hill is a 14th-century Gothic church rebuilt extensively in the 19th century. The interior tile work and painted ceiling are the specific draws. Entry around HUF 2,500.

The Fishermen’s Bastion (Halászbástya), immediately adjacent to the church, is a 19th-century decorative terrace with seven towers built in neo-Romanesque style to provide a viewing platform. Entry to the upper terraces costs around HUF 1,000; the lower level is free. The view across the Danube to the Parliament building is the most-photographed in the city.

The Parliament Building

The Hungarian Parliament (Országház) on the Pest bank was completed in 1904 after 17 years of construction. It is 268 metres long and has 691 rooms. The building is in the Gothic Revival style with a central dome matching the Basilica of St. Stephen across the city. Guided tours are available in English several times daily; entry around HUF 8,000 for non-EU citizens. The tour covers the main staircase, the Upper House and Lower House chambers, and the Crown Jewels room where the Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen is displayed.

Tickets must be booked online in advance at jegymester.hu; tours sell out quickly during peak season.

The Jewish Quarter (District VII)

Budapest had one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe before the Second World War. Over 500,000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz in 1944, most of them in just eight weeks. The Jewish Quarter in District VII around Király utca and Dob utca preserves the synagogues, the memorial sites, and a neighbourhood that has developed its own culture since the 1990s.

The Dohány Street Synagogue (Dohány utcai zsinagóga) is the largest in Europe, seating 3,000. Built in 1859 in Moorish Revival style, it was used as a stable during the German occupation and was restored in the 1990s with support from the Emanuel Foundation. The adjacent Heroes’ Temple and the Holocaust Memorial with the metal weeping willow tree are part of the same site. Entry around HUF 4,500.

The ruin bars emerged from this neighbourhood in the early 2000s, built in abandoned courtyards and derelict buildings from the communist and pre-war eras. Szimpla Kert (Kazinczy utca 14) is the original and most visited. Instant and Fogas Ház are in the same area. They are genuinely interesting spaces during the day and earlier evenings; by midnight they become packed and loud.

Thermal Baths

Budapest sits above 123 thermal springs. The baths built around these springs range from Ottoman-era structures (Rudas, Veli Bej) to the large Baroque and Secession-era complexes built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Széchenyi (Állatkerti körút 11, City Park): the largest and most visited, with outdoor pools heated to 38°C and indoor pools. Open daily from 06:00. Entry around HUF 7,000 on weekdays, more on weekends with spa access. Popular; crowds in the outdoor pool on summer weekends are significant.

Gellért (Kelenhegyi út 4, Buda): in the Gellért Hotel, art nouveau interiors, thermal and steam rooms, outdoor wave pool in summer. Entry around HUF 8,000. The interior is more architecturally interesting than Széchenyi; the experience is somewhat more formal.

Rudas (Döbrentei tér 9, Buda): an Ottoman bath from the 16th century with a domed skylit central pool. The original Turkish pool requires separate booking from the main bath complex. Thursday and weekend evenings have a mixed bathing session. Entry to the main baths around HUF 4,500.

Where to Eat

Borkonyha (Sas utca 3, District V): a wine-focused restaurant with consistently good Hungarian cooking and a strong wine list by the glass. The lunch menu is significantly cheaper than dinner. Around HUF 12,000 to 20,000 per person.

Menza (Liszt Ferenc tér 2, District VI): reliable Hungarian standards (goulash, pörkölt, stuffed cabbage) at mid-range prices in a dining room designed to evoke a 1970s canteen. Around HUF 5,000 to 9,000 per person.

Karavan (Kazinczy utca 18, District VII): a food truck court in an outdoor yard adjacent to Szimpla Kert. Langos (fried dough with toppings), grilled skewers, and variations on Hungarian street food. Around HUF 1,500 to 3,500 per item.

Great Market Hall (Vásárcsarnok, Fővám tér): the main covered market, built in 1897. The ground floor has butchers, produce stalls, and paprika vendors. The upper floor has souvenir stalls and a food court serving tourist-priced langos and goulash. The market functions for both residents buying food and visitors browsing.

Where to Stay

Párisi Udvar Hotel (Ferenciek tere 5): in a restored 1913 Moorish Revival arcade, one of the city’s most architecturally distinctive hotels. Upper range, around HUF 80,000 to 150,000 per night.

Casati Budapest Hotel (Paulay Ede utca 31): a small mid-range option near the Opera House, around HUF 35,000 to 60,000 per night.

Wombats City Hostel (Kiraly utca 20): well-reviewed, in the ruin bar neighbourhood, dorms from around HUF 8,000 per night.

Getting There

Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport (BUD) is 24km from the centre. Bus 100E runs to Deák Ferenc tér in around 35 minutes; cost around HUF 1,100. Taxis should be booked through the 4x4 dispatch app or official airport taxi stands rather than street hails. The international rail network connects Budapest to Vienna (2.5 hours), Prague (7 hours), Bratislava (2.5 hours), and Belgrade (8 hours) via Keleti station.