Things to see and do Budapest

An integral part of the urban development of Budapest at the end of the 19th century, and of the Andrássy Street route, this neo-Renaissance style palace designed by Miklós Ybl was inaugurated in 1884 after nine years of work. It was inaugurated with great pomp and ceremony, in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Sissi. Moreover, the emperor was his generous patron for half of the work, on the condition that the proportions of the Budapest building did not exceed those of the Vienna Opera! In addition to several statues (including two sphinxes that frame the facade), a portico with three arches serves as an entrance and is topped by the muses of the dramatic arts. Inside, the grand staircase, made of grey Croatian marble and covered with a red carpet, is flanked by columns of Carrara marble. On the upper floor, communicating with the royal box, the red salon was used by the imperial couple. Mór Than's delicate paintings depict (from left to right) Love and Psyche, Paris holding the golden apple to Aphrodite and The Three Graces. Once an important place for socializing, the foyer now serves as a bar during intermissions. The auditorium, wooded and arranged in a horseshoe shape, is partly gilded with gold leaf. The acoustics are remarkable. If you look up, you will not fail to marvel at the frescoes on the ceiling: The Apotheosis of Music, signed by Károly Lotz, encircles a three-tonne bronze chandelier. The institution finally reopened in 2022 after several years of closure for renovation.

The Szent Gellért monument is the presumed place from which, in the 11th century, the Benedictine Gerard was thrown by Hungarian pagan rebels who refused to convert. Classic arched columns encircle the bronze monument, erected in 1904 by Jankovits Gyula, which stands at 40 m (the statue itself is 7 m high). One climbs up stairs: a beautiful view and the start of trails that lead up to the east side of the citadel.

This building is a pure example of Art Nouveau achievement designed by Gyula Fodor. It houses an excellent center dedicated to photography (and the visual arts), named after the Hungarian-born photojournalist Robert Capa (real name Endre Ernő Friedmann). Various exhibitions of classic and contemporary photography (several at the same time) to admire throughout the year. Don't come here to look for the great master's pictures, they are only rarely exhibited here.

His head is lowered, his body is covered with a loose coat, you can't see his face, protected by a hood, he looks like a hermit, but no, it's Anonymous. Far from being an anonymous in Hungary, he is a distant ancestor of the Budapest historians, he wrote a chronicle of the history of the Kingdom of Hungary (the famous Gesta Hungarorum) under the reign of King Bela III of which he was the notary. He describes in great detail the arrival of the Hungarians in the Carpathian basin.

The lead balls embedded in the walls of the Ministry of Agriculture (Agrár miniszterium) - bullet holes fired by the Red Army in 1956 at Hungarian protesters - bring us back to still nearby wounds in the monumental Parliament Square, completely reorganized in 2014, by Orbán's government. A memorial hall of the revolution was inaugurated under the square. Statues of Kossuth, Tisza, and Rákóczi stand in its vicinity.

This museum pays tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Hungarians, Jews and Roma, who perished in the Holocaust. An excellent museography, all in light and sound, where multimedia tools and personal stories are mixed. An 8-meter high wall of remembrance displays the 180,000 names of known victims of the Holocaust in Hungary. Go up to the top floor to admire the beautiful synagogue on Páva Street: the second largest synagogue in the capital has been completely restored. Its regular temporary exhibitions are also worth a look.

Built between 1837 and 1846 to the plans of Mihály Pollack, this neoclassical palace owes much to the treasures amassed by Ferenc Széchenyi, a great collector. In 1848, the institution became a rallying point for the March 15 uprising against the Habsburgs. The young revolutionary Sándor Petőfi gave a speech there at the time. Visiting the National Museum is an excellent way to learn about Hungarian history. The museum's permanent exhibition features a rich Roman lapidary in the basement, revealing the nuggets of Pannonia. On the first floor, adoor opens onto the room reserved for the coronation robe. This Byzantine silk chasuble dates from 1031 and depicts the coronation of St. Stephen and his wife, Gisela. It was worn by all Hungarian rulers during their coronation from the 13th century onwards. On the mezzanine floor, one can navigate from prehistory to the arrival of the first Magyar tribes. Then on the second floor, 28 rooms allow to go back ten centuries of Hungarian history, from the Arpadian dynasty through the Middle Ages, then the Ottoman occupation (1541-1686) and the liberation by Ferenc Rákóczi, hero of the war against the Habsburgs (1703-1711). In 1867, Vienna gave in to Magyar demands. The period of prosperity that followed was ended by the First World War and the Treaty of Trianon. In 1989, after more than four decades of communist rule, Hungary regained its sovereignty and democracy.

This sublime building (1896) was built on the occasion of the Millennium celebrations of the creation of the Hungarian state, according to the plans of the master of the Hungarian Secession, Ödön Lechner. Elements of Hindu, Islamic, Moorish and Persian art, together with majolica tiles from the famous Zsolnay porcelain factory, make the building one of the finest examples of the Magyar Secession. A bright white Moorish-style patio covered by a huge glass roof leads to the collections.

In 1694, the Buda Council decided to erect this monument to the Holy Trinity to protect its residents from the plague. Made by Ceresola Vereio and Bernardo Ferretti, the original object was placed in another district ravaged by the plague. It was decided to make a more monumental column here. At 14 m, it is the highest point of the hill. At number 2 of the square stands the former Buda Town Hall, which has been without function since the unification of Buda and Pest in 1873.

The turbeh of Baba Gül (16th century) is one of the few remaining traces of the Ottoman occupation of Buda. The funeral monument is a high place of pilgrimage for Muslims, who consider the dervish a true saint. The turbeh itself is a small building crowned with the Muslim crescent. The monument is impeccably maintained and even has a cultural center and a small museum that tells the story of the Ottoman period. Majestic Danubian view from the garden.

This cultural space has a long political history. Located in a renovated former 1848 Ganz factory, the Millenáris was inaugurated by the right-wing Fidesz in 2001, just before the parliamentary elections. The whole thing was demolished and sold in 2002. The left, who had come to power in the meantime, decided to keep and review the complex. Today the Millenáris, a pretty contemporary park, includes several buildings including an exhibition and fair room of all kinds.

Originally intended for the city of Zenta (today Senta, Serbia), the equestrian statue of Eugene of Savoy was purchased by Emperor Franz Joseph and erected in front of the present entrance to the Hungarian National Gallery, at the very place where a monument to the emperor was to be installed in 1900. Eugene of Savoy liberated Buda from the Turks in 1697, so he is still in this triumphant position. Damaged in 1944-1945, the statue was taken down in 1968 and restored in 1971.

On the second floor of the former site of the Academy of Music was the apartment of Franz (Ferenc) Liszt, its founder, who lived there between 1881 and 1886. The apartment now houses a fascinating little museum that provides an insight into the artist's daily life and social life through an exhibition of personal objects such as scores, portraits, rare musical instruments including his travel keyboard and glass piano. Regular concerts in the large hall of the former Academy of Music in the same building.

Due to Albert Schickedanz, the same architect as the Museum of Fine Arts opposite it, the neoclassical Műcsarnok was inaugurated in 1896 for the Millennium celebrations of the establishment of the Hungarian state. At the time, it was the largest art gallery in Hungary. This institution, once very much at the forefront of contemporary art, still hosts temporary exhibitions and a wide variety of shows. However, it has lost some of its dynamism.

This statue, designed by Imre Varga in 1996, commemorates the 1956 revolution leading figure, Imre Nagy, who demanded the withdrawal of Soviet troops and the independence of the country, while advocating reformed Communism. The bridge on which the statue is based seems to be a metaphor for the transition from totalitarianism to democracy, a democracy symbolized by the Parliament to which Nagy rotates.

They are specialist in bus tours with audio guides available in 20 languages. You will easily recognize the red and yellow bus with a decoration that kids will love. Each colour represents a different route and it is possible to combine them by taking the blue line to the boat (Audio in English and German). The ticket is valid for 2 days. You can freely move up and get off at the stop of your choice and as many times as you wish during the validity of your ticket.