10 Historic Things to Do in Budapest

The neo-classical arched buttresses of the Széchenyi chain bridge rise out of the Danube like giant stepping stones to link Buda and Pest. The first permanent link between the two parts of the city runs towards the sprawling Buda Castle with its turquoise dome towering over the Buda bank. The colourful Hungarian parliament building straddles the Danube a few hundred metres upstream in Pest.

Statues of the seven Magyar horsemen who conquered Hungary in AD896 look set to race off down the suave boulevard of Andrássy út. Other heroic figures from later Hungarian history up to the millennium celebrations of 1896 look on.

Taking the waters at this grandiose thermal bathing complex will make any visitor feel new again. Lounging in the semi-circular pool as you catch sight of the bath’s neo-Classical structure through the steam takes you far back in time.

The best way to sample the lavish neo-classical interior of Budapest’s opera house without paying for an expensive tour is to watch a performance. The royal boxes can be great value. Very steep cheap seats are a bit further from the action on the stage but closer to the 19th-century angel frescoes.

Painstakingly restored to its colourful, early-20th-century best, this three-floored covered market is a bustling place the size of a hangar. Pick up paprika, goose liver and embroidery.

Away from imposing Buda Castle, neo-Gothic Fisherman’s Bastion and St. Matthias Church are less-frequented streets of interest. The narrow lanes start with Tanscics Mihály utca and end at Tóth Árpád sétány. They reveal Gothic, Jewish and Turkish traces among rows of beautiful baroque buildings. Round off the walk with a coffee and a cake in the tiny Ruszwurm Cukrászda.

Formerly run by young socialist ‘pioneers’, these little red trains wind 11km through the forested Buda Hills. The trains are still manned by children in uniform who take their job very seriously but thankfully are not doing the driving.

The sprinting, stone superman of a communist worker and other politically charged statues dotting the park on the edge of town are solid reminders of Budapest’s turbulent past.

Sip a glass of Tokaji Aszú, Hungary’s legendary sweet wine, in the Gresham’s lobby and luxuriate in the Art Nouveau curves, ceramics and glasswork. It’s second best only to staying here, Budapest’s most luxurious hotel.

Gozsdu udvar, the series of tunnel-like courtyards linking Dob and Király utcas, are a vein to the heart of the Jewish district. This might be the last chance to see it at its best before property developers transform it.