Things to see and do Hungary

Francophone Hungary on the Internet. A bit messy but a good forum.

Located in the north of Budapest, after Margarita Island, Óbudai-hajógyári Sziget wakes up in the summer from its long winter lethargy. This former shipbuilding site is the ideal place to host an event such as the gigantic Sziget music festival. It's a pity that the island is not more enhanced the rest of the year (there is not really a developed park but you can still walk, cycle...).

In 1760, the first synagogue was built in Buda, although the community's presence dates back at least to the 14th century. Five years later, the Zichy family gave the Jewish community a plot of land on which the new synagogue was built. It was not until 1820 that the building was rebuilt in a classic style. After having once housed television studios, since 2010 and after renovation, the building has once again become a place of Jewish worship.

Around 90 AD, the Romans conquered part of present-day Hungary, which they called Pannonia. The city of Aquincum developed in the 2nd and 3rd centuries to become the capital of Lower Pannonia and had 14,000 inhabitants at its peak. The ruins of Aquincum reveal all its splendours. An exhibition evokes the cult of Mithra. The garden between the ruins has preserved the remains of the Roman forum, the public baths and the market.

Now that it has been cleared of its fences linked to the work on the automatic metro (line 4), Place Kálvin is more than ever the epicentre of student and festive Budapest. It owes its name to Pastor Calvin, and this is where the city's two eastern gates, destroyed in 1796, were located. Hotel Mercure Korona hides the remains of one of them. To the west of the square stands the Calvinist temple of Budapest (Budapesti Kálvin Református Templom).

The square is named after a great Hungarian actress of the ^19th century nicknamed the "National Nightingale". It is the nerve center of the city and has benefited from major works until 2022 to give it back its letters of nobility. One of the most prestigious theaters of Budapest was located on this square. It was unfortunately destroyed in the 1960s; a stele pays tribute to it. It is also a metro stop ideally located at the intersection of lines 2, 4 and 6.

A theatre of very violent clashes during the revolution of 1956, of which they were the headquarters, the old barracks (or barracks Kilián) no longer bear the marks of the impact of the bullets they were victims of.

Plot 301 of the new municipal cemetery is very famous. It was in this mass grave that the body of Imre Nagy, the great organizer of communist reformism, was dumped anonymously after he and his supporters were tried by a special court in 1958. It was only on June 16, 1989 that a national funeral was organized. The cemetery is partly Jewish: do not miss the mausoleum of Bela Lajta. The graves can be reached from Kozma Street.

One must enter Rumbach Street to admire this so-called " status quo" synagogue (meaning neither Reform nor Conservative, in reference to a schism in the Jewish community at the end of the 19th century). Hidden between two buildings, its Moorish style (1872) is reminiscent of the Great Synagogue. Its remarkable interior has just been restored to its original condition after years of closure. The synagogue houses an exciting little museum floor.

Gábor, Agi and their team have more than one trick up their sleeve to help you discover Budapest. Are you more interested in the "communist past", the Jewish quarter (meeting at 10:30 or 14:30 depending on the day) or an evening stroll to dive into Budapest's nightlife (17:30)? The visit is, in any case, well done! Please refer to their website for exact times and meeting places. Possibility to ask for a guided tour in French.

Very central, just off the Deák Ferenc metro station, the largest of the capital's tourist offices. Very professional welcome and many brochures in French. There are two other offices worth mentioning, one on the castle hill (Tárnok utca 15, 9am-7pm) and the other at the entrance to the skating rink in the town woods (Olof Palme Setány 9am-7pm). Two other offices at the airport, Terminal 2A (8am-10pm) and Terminal 2B (9am-9pm). The other tourist offices you might come across are not official and are there to sell excursions.

We can only welcome the return of the Touriform from the Hill Hill, a time spent in private hands.

In the middle of a garden, the yellow facade of this charming church evokes the Baroque style. The building as it stands today was built by Serbian immigrants at the end of the 18th century. Inside, the structure obeys the ordinance of the Greek Orthodox churches, a pity that it is rarely accessed... At the corner of Szerb Street and Veres Pálné utca, we notice a very pretty ceramic medallion representing Saint George, to whom the church is dedicated.

The square, which has been refurbished, owes its name to the Lóránd Eötvös University, more commonly known as ELTE, where the law department is located. To the left of the square, a beautiful 18th century baroque church (Egyetemi Templom) has a wooden portal carved by the friars of the Order of St. Paul.Bástya, Képiro, Szerb or Magyar streets, starting from the University Square, are narrow and lined with pastel-colored houses, and are ideal for a stroll.

The yellow line of the Budapest subway (1896), still in operation, is the oldest on the European continent (London opened its own in 1863). The original cars are displayed in the Deák underground passageway under Deák tér. With the help of explanations in English, one can learn about the history of this subway, inaugurated by Franz Joseph (and which bore his name at the beginning). An unusual museum that is worth a visit.

At the end of Sütő Street, on Szervita Square, one of Budapest's most beautiful Art Nouveau buildings can be seen, the Török Bank, which refers to its sponsor, a bank owner named Török. Built in 1906, the building has large windows enclosed in a metal formation. It is decorated with a magnificent mosaic of Miksa Róth. The child prodigy of the Hungarian Secession reproduced the Virgin, which he surrounded with tutelary figures of local history, such as Count Széchenyi, Lájos Kossuth or Ferenc Rákoczi.

In the Fö utca (large street), on the left side of the canal Sió, close to the bridge, there is a hostel built in the th century, which was called Fogas (perch), then Borharapó (bite-wine). This baroque building is part of the architectural heritage of the city.

Sandy beach. The lake water is shallow. 

Welcome to this office, which provides information on sites not to be missed, bicycle rentals, aquapark, museums, as well as on the available accommodation.

Serbs fleeing the Ottoman invasion at the end of the th century found refuge within the Kingdom of Hungary, in Ráckeve in particular, where they built their place of worship. The Gothic church that is still standing today dates back to that time. A baroque campanile was later added to the th century. Precious frescoes decorate the interior walls. 

This small country train connects Pálháza Rostalló with Kőkapu. Travel three times a day (morning, noon, evening), one hour's drive.

In an old career, a hundred statues, all carved in stone, bear the name of their author by playing the map of abstraction. They admire the cliff bottom of 30 m. The park was installed in 1967 under the impetus of young artists from Pécs. In summer, it is possible to visit a specialist in art history.

The seat of Kiskunság National Park is located in Kecskemét. The website is available in English.