Budapest things To Do - activities, hotels, golf courses & car rental


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Budapest is the capital of Hungary. The city is located on both sides of the Danube (Hungarian: Duna) and has approximately 1.7 million inhabitants, making it by far the largest city in Hungary. Its size is based on its function as the capital of the Habsburg kingdom of Hungary, which was three times the size of the current republic. The city is the 7th largest city by population in the European Union. The city was formed in 1873 by merging Buda and Óbuda on the west bank of the Danube with Pest on the east bank. Before 1873 the cities were collectively called Pest-Buda.

The city is home to almost 18% of all inhabitants of Hungary and plays a dominant role in almost all areas of the country (administration, trade, industry, traffic, culture). It is also the most important traffic hub and (increasingly) the cultural heart of Central Europe.

Budapest is located on the hilly right bank of the Danube (left on the map). Two of those hills dominate: the Castle Hill (Várhegy) and the Gellért Hill.
The main monuments of Budapest are located on Castle Hill:
  • the Castle and Castle Hill (Várhegy) - see Buda
  • the Matthias Church (Mátyástemplom)
  • the Fishermen's Bastion (Halászbástya)
  • the Táncsics Mihály utca
The hill is walled: the 18th century Burchtwijk within the walls is well preserved (only the southern part suffered heavy war damage). The view over the Danube with its bridges and Pest is much praised. Like most of Budapest's attractions, the major tourist draws are less old than they seem: both Matthias Church in its present form and Fisherman's Bastion are 19th century.

Other important sights in Budapest:
  • the Water City (Viziváros)
  • the Szent Anna-Templom (Saint Anne's Church)
  • the Batthyány tér (Batthyányplein)
  • Buda Citadel
  • the Hotel Gellért
  • many bathhouses, some of which date back to Turkish times Places of interest in Pest:
  • the Parliament building on the banks of the Danube
  • the Andrássy Boulevard (Andrássy út), the boulevard of Budapest
  • Heroes' Square (Hősök tere) at its end, with its Millennium Monument
  • the Városliget (City Park) with:
    • Vajdahunyad Castle
    • the Gundel restaurant
    • the Vidámpark (Amusement Park); closed to the public as of October 2013
    • the Állatkert (Zoo)
    • the Szechenyi Bath
  • the Nagykörút (Grand Boulevard) with its shops and hotels
  • the center (fifth district) is directly opposite the Castle Hill and is the business and shopping center of all of Budapest.
  • Saint Stephen's Basilica (Szent István Bazilika)
  • the Parish Church of the inner city
  • the Theater District
  • the restored Great Market Hall
  • the famous coffee houses
  • the Jewish Quarter (District VII) with the Great Synagogue, the second largest synagogue in the world

Budapest Travel Information


The city and what to see:

The capital and the largest city of Hungary and one of the largest cities in Europe is Budapest. From Hungary it is the political, cultural and commercial center. It is located in the north of Hungary at the river Danube and only 230 kilometers from the Austrian capital Vienna. So for some visitors who want to see more than Budapest it makes sense already to plan a trip with a rental car to Austria.

You will find the old traditional Budapest with nice architecture and things to see like the Buda Castle with an amazing view at night, the Matthias Church, which is built in the Gothic style or the ruins of the civil town of Aquincum. Also well preserved is the University Chruch Egyetemi templom, which is one example more of the baroque architecture in this city. A must see is the famous bridge of Budapest, named the Chain Bridge that is the icon of the city and very impressive at night. The Hungarian Parliament is a massive building, completed in the year 1904, which is worth to visit.

Aside from this you have the modern Budapest with fancy shops, expensive restaurants and luxury hotels. The city is also called the 'queen of the Danube'.

Airports

The Budapest Ferihegy Airport (BUD) lies to the east of Budapest and is international. There are connections to virtually all-European capitals.

Easyjet and Ryanair are only two of the cheap airlines that fly to Budapest.

From the city center there are buses every half an hour to the airport.

Public transport

There is a lot of different form of public transport but the most convenient one is the metro. There are three lines, the red, the blue and the yellow.

Budapest has a number of train stations. The most important ones are Keleti (east), Déli (south) and Nyugati (west). Check carefully from which station your train departs.

Driving by car / Parking.

In Budapest begin the motorways if you want to drive around with your hired car: M1 to Vienna, the M3 to Debrecen and the M7 to Lake Balaton and the Croatian border.

It might be that the police will stop you; it is usual because they are looking for illegal immigrants. Stay calm and hand them your papers. They will let you leave quickly. 

Budapest Activities Guide


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