What to see in Budapest

Széchenyi Chain Bridge

When it opened in 1849, Chain Bridge was unique for two reasons: it was the first link between Buda and Pest, and the nobility – previously exempt from all taxation – had to pay up like everybody else to use it.

Széchenyi Thermal Bath

It is the largest spa complex in Budapest (one of the biggest baths in Europe). The spa is located in the heart of City Park and is surrounded by many wonderful sights: you can visit nearby Heroe's Square, Vajdahunyad Castle, the Museum of fine arts, or even the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden. You can choose from 18 medicinal water pools, and can also try the outdoor adventure pool, hot tub, swimming pool or drift pool. There are both indoor and outdoor pools. The thermal bath is an excellent destination even in wintertime, so you can enjoy the beneficial hot water even when it’s freezing outside.

Basilica of St Stephen

Budapest’s neoclassical cathedral is the most sacred Catholic church in all of Hungary and contains its most revered relic: the mummified right hand of the church’s patron, King St Stephen. It was built over half a century to 1905. Much of the interruption during construction had to do with a fiasco in 1868 when the dome collapsed during a storm, and the structure had to be demolished and then rebuilt from the ground up. The view from the dome is phenomenal.

Take this opportunity to enjoy one of Budapest’s reputed rooftop bars (see the section below)

If motivated, a great alternative is to climb atop Gellért Hill to the The Liberty Monument for the same views at no cost.

The Royal Palace

Béla IV established a royal residence here in the mid-13th century, and subsequent kings added to the complex. The palace was levelled in the battle to drive out the Turks in 1686; the Habsburgs rebuilt it but spent very little time here. The Royal Palace now contains the Hungarian National Gallery, the Castle Museum, and the National Széchenyi Library. Facing the Royal Palace’s large courtyard to the northwest is the Romantic-style Matthias Fountain, portraying the young king Matthias Corvinus in hunting garb.

The Hungarian National Gallery

The HNG is an overwhelming collection spread across four floors and four wings of the palace that traces Hungarian art from the 11th century to the present day.

Nearby, the fairy-tale Fishermen’s Bastion provides a dazzling view over Pest across the river.

Matthias Church

Parts of the church date back 500 years, notably the carvings above the southern entrance, but essentially the church (named after King Matthias Corvinus who married Queen Beatrix here in 1474) is a neo-Gothic confection designed by the architect Frigyes Schulek in 1896.

The House of Houdini

Dedicated to the famous Hungarian-born magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, who was born Erik Weisz in Budapest's district VII in 1874, this small museum offers a cabinet of curiosities featuring original items from Houdini’s life, such as personal letters, handcuffs and documents, as well as props from the US 'Houdini' miniseries (2014). At the end of the guided tour, guests are treated to a live 15-minute magic performance.

Andrássy út

Listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site in 2002, it is a tree-lined parade of knock-out architecture and is best enjoyed as a long stroll from the Hungarian State Opera House out to the park.

Full of fancy shops, cafes, restaurants and beautiful buildings, Andrássy Avenue is Budapest’s version of Paris’s Champs-Élysées. You’ll find the Hungarian State Opera House here – currently under renovation until 2020 – and the harrowing House of Terror Museum, the former headquarters of the secret police, where victims of cruel regimes were once tortured.

The Parliament

The Eclectic-style Parliament, designed by Imre Steindl and completed in 1902, has 691 sumptuously decorated rooms.

The Great Synagogue

Budapest's stunning Great Synagogue is the world's largest Jewish house of worship outside New York City. Built in 1859, the synagogue has both Romantic and Moorish architectural elements. Inside, the Hungarian Jewish Museum & Archives contains objects relating to both religious and everyday life. On the synagogue’s north side, the Holocaust Tree of Life Memorial presides over the mass graves of those murdered by the Nazis.

Margaret Bridge

For one of the prettiest panoramas of Budapest, stroll along yellow Margaret Bridge next to the Parliament. Halfway across, you’ll find the entrance to Margaret Island, the city’s biggest green oasis. The whole island is a huge park in the middle of the city with a Medieval church ruin, a gorgeous Japanese Garden and century-old towering trees.

Pesti Vigado

This Romantic-style concert hall, built in 1865 but badly damaged during WWII, faces the river to the west of Vörösmarty tér

Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum

Part of the Castle Hill caves network, this subterranean hospital was used extensively during the WWII siege of Budapest and during the 1956 Uprising. It contains original medical equipment as well as some 200 wax figures and is visited on a guided one-hour tour, which includes a walk through a Cold War–era nuclear bunker and an eight-minute introductory video.