City Info

Budapest

Budapest is also known as Paris of the East and called Pearl of the Danube. The capital of Hungary has about 2 million inhabitants, a history of more than 1100 years and in 2000 celebrated its thousandth anniversary as a state. Budapest is in the last century resulting from a merger of Buda and Pest, 2 cities with a different character. Buda, located on the right bank of the Danube, was an elevated seat of kings and small artisans. Now Buda has many tourist attractions. Pest is the lively nightlife area and are also various shopping opportunities. The historic towns of Buda and Pest are located opposite each other on either side of the Danube. There are many attractions, including museums, the Buda castle, several bathhouses, parliament and the fisherman's bastion. Furthermore, a visit to one of the parks or on the Margaret Island is a must.

The River Danube is the world’s most international river, linking 19 countries and 81 million people.

Budapest exalts.

A large part of the centre of Budapest enjoys UNESCO World Heritage status, including Heroes’ Square.

Top 7 visits

Buda Castle and Matthias Church

With a vast array of sites, museums, as well as streets, squares, restaurants, cafés and stores with a unique atmosphere, Buda Castle and the whole of the Castle District are among the most well-known and frequently visited tourist attractions of Budapest. The Royal Palace, where many battles and wars took place from the 13th century, is a symbol for Hungary. In addition to three churches, including the Matthias Church (or Buda Castle Main Coronation Church), located on Szentháromság (Holy Trinity) Square—a monument with long history, one of the most beautiful and well-known catholic churches of the city, the Castle District also includes five museums, several buildings of historical interest as well as memorial sites and theatres. The Fisherman’s Bastion and the square in front of the National Gallery offer a breathtaking view of one of the most beautiful sections of the Danube.

Chain bridge

With the Buda Castle in the background, the Hungarian capital’s first bridge, now a monument, is a fascinating spectacle that has attracted many tourists to Budapest. The bridge was built upon the request of Count István Széchenyi by designer William Tierney Clark and engineer Adam Clark between 1839 and 1849. Like many other Danube bridges, the Chain Bridge did not survive the ravages of the World War, so it had to be rebuilt in 1949, marking the centenary of its first opening. Visitors also have the opportunity to walk onto the top of the tunnel located on the Buda side, offering a marvellous view of the Danube, its bridges as well as the nicest parts of Pest.

The Parliament,

built in Neo-Gothic style and located on the bank of the Danube, serves as the permanent seat of the National Assembly. The building complex, the biggest of its kind in Hungary, was erected between 1884 and 1904 on the plans of Imre Steindl. The building has 691 rooms, and it is 268 metres long and the dome 96 metres high. Since 2000, the Hungarian coronation symbols —St. Stephen’s crown, the sceptre, the orb and the Renaissance sword— have been on display in the Parliament.

St. Stephen’s Basilica,

or Lipót City Parish Church, is one of the most significant ecclesiastical buildings of Hungary as well as a major tourist attraction of the capital. It serves as the main site of worship for St. Stephen. The Basilica is named after St. Stephen, the founder of the Kingdom of Hungary, whose incorruptible right hand, known as the Holy Right, is kept here as a relic. It is the largest church in Budapest, the dome of which can be seen from all parts of the city. The Classicist Basilica was built between 1851 and 1905. Famous masterpieces in the church include statues by Alajos Stróbl as well as a painting of St. Stephen offering his country to the Virgin Mary by Gyula Benczúr. The dome of the building offers a wonderful 360° view of the Budapest.

Andrássy Avenue

is a 2,310-metre boulevard lined with buildings in uniform architecture and linking the City Centre with the City Park. Andrássy Avenue, including the Millennium Underground Railway, running beneath the surface, as well as Heroes’ Square, located at is end, was recognised as a World Heritage Site in 2002. It accommodates the crème de la crème of Eclectic-style buildings in Budapest, among them a wealth of residential houses with wonderful and intimate inner courts, statues and foundations as well as the Opera House, built on the plans of Miklós Ybl.

Dohany street synagogue

It is the second-largest synagogue in the world, and tied with the Amsterdam Synagogue, the largest in Europe. It was built between 1854 and 1859 in Romantic style, on the plans of Ludwig Förster in cooperation with Frigyes Feszl. The building consists of three spacious aisles and seats more than 3,000 people. Due to its strong Oriental style, the use of colourful mud bricks, as well as the wrought-iron structure in its interior, the Dohány Street Synagogue is notable as an architectural landmark. During World War 2, it served as the boundary of the Budapest Ghetto—a fact remembered by The Memorial of the Hungarian Jewish Martyrs, a work of sculptor Imre Varga. The Jewish Museum, holding historical, religious and cultural relics of Hungarian Jewry, is located next to the synagogue.

Margaret island

Margaret Island provides a peaceful hideaway from hectic downtown Budapest with large green areas, flowery gardens, and old trees. The island's attractions include romantic walkways, medieval ruins, a small zoo, musical fontain, a water tower, swimming pools, lido and a relaxing atmosphere. Devote half a day or at least a couple of hours to explore and enjoy the serenity on Margaret Island.

EXCHANGE MONEY

Exchanging cash at the arrival location (airport, railway station) is usually more expensive in most countries. Railway stations are some of the MOST EXPENSIVE places to exchange money in Budapest. Hungary has a competitive money exchange industry. Know the offi cial exchange rate of the Hungarian Forint (HUF). Rates are always displayed in front of the exchange offi ces. NEVER exchange money on the street!

BEGGARS

Hungary takes less drastic measures than some of its western European counterparts to deal with beggar mafias, which operate in the downtown and tourist areas. Beggars many times are imported from eastern countries and dress as very old women or as one with a severe injury or disability. Hungary has an excellent social and medical system, and such situations of neglect would never occur! We ask all visitors to Budapest to cooperate in helping to solve this situation. When deciding to be generous with your money, be careful to whom you donate. If you have spare change or money to donate, donate to your favorite charity who will effectively disburse the money to the needy.

FALSE POLICE OFFICERS

When traveling in several countries, it is practically impossible to validate who is and who is not a police offi cer. Many scams are built on the “police intimidation” factor, where false ID’s and uniforms are used. The most important detail that you should know is that police offi cers are NOT allowed to take over cash as a fi ne in Hungary!

USEFUL INFO

Paying with credit cards and tipping Visitors arriving in Hungary are sometimes confused about its tipping culture. We hope you fi nd the information below helpful. Tipping: Some restaurants include the service charge in their bill. This is stated on the bill! If it is not clear to you, it is perfectly acceptable to ask your server if tip is included. However, to ensure maximum service quality, most restaurants do not include gratuity in the bill. The servers’ salary depends on their service quality, thus their tips. Therefore, unless you are unhappy with your server, it is customary to tip 10% of the total bill. Leaving the tip in cash: Unlike in some other countries, in Hungary it is not customary to leave the tip on the table. Instead, when you get the bill, you should add your tip to the bill’s total and tell your server the total amount which you would like to pay in cash.

Leaving the tip on Credit Card: If you’re paying with a credit card, and would like to leave the tip on the card, please tell your server the total amount (including the tip), which should be charged on your credit card. In Hungary, it is NOT customary to write the tip on the credit card receipt post payment. NEVER let your card out of sight! The waiter/manager must bring a portable credit card machine to the table. If they claim the portable machine is broken, accompany them to the machine at the register!

MAKING  ”FRIENDS”

Take sensible precaution when making “new friends” especially in SMALL bars. Some visitors are targeted under false pretenses. Many times in these establishments, the bartenders are also in on the scam! These scams of friendship are built on a false sense of security, when after a night of drinking, missing wallets, passports and possibly a robbed hotel room remains.