Top 10 Popular Places of Budapest
There’s a lot special about Budapest. It is a beautiful city, with a lot to see and do that you won’t find anywhere else. I can think of dozens of reasons to visit Budapest, but in the interests of keeping this article short and snappy, I’m just going to give you 10. You can figure out the rest for yourself.
10. THE BRIDGES. The Danube River divides Budapest into two halves, Buda andâÂ?¦andâÂ?¦I can’t remember, look it up. Anyway, there are six bridges across the river. The Chain Bridge is many people’s favorite; the Elizabeth Bridge and Liberty Bridge are popular too. It’s impossible to avoid one of the bridges, since I’m sure you’ll have to cross the river at some point. They all provide a great spot to take photos of the city and throw things into the river.
9. PARLIAMENT BUILDING: This is one attraction that I missed, unfortunately. It’s got 691 rooms and 12.5 miles of hallway, and tours are given in eight languages. It was inspired by the Palace of Westminster, so it a lot more attractive than the boring, functional buildings that house most country’s legislatures. Tours are only given when Parliament is not in session, and the times of the day and the week they are given seems to change a lot, so if you’ve got a burning desire to tour the place, check the schedule of Hungary’s Parliament meetings before buying your ticket to Budapest.
8. THE NATIONAL MUSEUM: Only about half of the museum has information in English, so brush up on your Hungarian before coming here (or on your ESP; it’s easier than Hungarian). Most of the exhibits are fairly visual and flashy, anyway, so they’ll keep your interest even if you don’t know what they’re about. Lots of historical information about Hungary; if you like history, you’ll love the museum. There are lots of cool Communist propaganda posters for sale in the gift shop.
7. THE MUMMIFIED HAND OF ST. STEPHEN: You can’t see it unless somebody puts a coin in the box. Just wait behind people and look over their shoulders when they add one. Photos aren’t allowed, but you can usually get away with sneaking one. It’s small and shriveled, like you’d expect. The church is nice too, of course, but if you’ve gotten this far in Europe, you’re probably bored to death of churches. People still use it for prayer all the time, so don’t swear in English while flashing your camera every three seconds. It’s newer than a lot of popular churches – it wasn’t completed until 1905.
6. UNDERGROUND: There’s even stuff to see under the city. There are more than 200 caves under the hills Buda is built on, and they stay pleasantly warm even when the city above them is frozen. They were formed by the warm thermal waters pushing from below them. There are also plenty of manmade structures underground – some of the are the remnants of medieval wine cellars, and medieval dungeons have been preserved under the Buda castle. Many of the caves under Castle Hill were joined together by the Turks for military use, and you can take guided tours of this labyrinth. There is also, of course, the subway, which I am sure you will take at some point. Riding without a ticket, which is so easy and common in Germany and in other eastern bloc countries, is not a good idea in Budapest. The subways are well-patrolled by agents who are on the lookout for tourists riding without a ticket. Made an honest mistake in not stamping your ticket? Doesn’t matter. Either pay or get locked up. They get a commission for each ticket they write. The fine is 10 euros, which is nothing compared to the 40 euro fines in Germany but is still a lot more than the fifty cents a ticket costs.
5. HERO’S SQUARE: Hero’s Square was built in 1896, to commemorate the 1,000 anniversary of the arrival of Hungarians in Hungary. Before then, it was inhabited by Slavs, like every country around Hungary. It’s full of massive statues and carvings of Hungary’s medieval national heroes, and Hungary’s tomb of the unknown soldier. Bundle up if it’s winter, because it’s a large open area and can get quite windy.
4. A BIG MEAL: Thick goulash, dark bread and meat made from parts of the animal Americans don’t usually use are the staples of every Eastern European country, but they are at their most appetizing in Hungary. Hungarian cooks take more time spicing and preparing their food than their Slavic neighbors. The city is filled with Burger Kings and McDonaldses, but don’t waste your time there. Get a real Hungarian meal, and check your close-minded western distaste for tripe and goose liver at the border. The best soup I ever had was a lamb brain soup at a Hungarian restaurant. A decent meal at a regular restaurant will run you less than 10 bucks. Be careful, though – traditional Hungarian meals can be quite hearty, and I have seen people go without eating for more than 24 hours afterwards.
3. GETTING DRUNK: Getting drunk is more than something to do at parties in Eastern Europe. It is part of one’s weekly routine. Like all Eastern European countries, Hungarians booze like crazy. Unicum is one of their national favorites. It’s a dark red liquor that tastes a little like cough syrup. Palinka is their real national liquor, though. It runs from 60% to 80% alcohol. The cheaper ones taste like antifreeze, and probably aren’t much better for you; the fruit-flavored ones (peach is popular) are quite pleasant, but will still have you throwing up after a few. They drink them out of shotglasses about twice the size of ours. Red wine is very popular, too. They drink it out of big soda glasses. Budapest has plenty of nice bars, but I can’t remember most of them. One that I will recommend is “Marxim.” It has a communist-era theme, with Castro libre cocktails, Stalin pizzas and barbed wire separating the tables. Have fun, but don’t do anything stupid like getting into a drinking contest with a Hungarian. I don’t care if it’s with an 80-pound middle school girl. She will still drink you under the table.
2. THE TERROR MUSEUM: Out of all the museums I visited in Europe, this is the one I remember the most vividly. The museum has all sorts of displays telling the story of the incomprehensible brutality of the Nazis and the Communists in Hungary. Although it is in Hungarian, there are plenty of handouts available in English that explain everything, and many of the exhibits have audio in English. The building it is housed in used to be the secret police headquarters in the ’50s, and the basement has been restored to how it was then, with its tiny stone cells where dissidents were tortured and killed. You’ll leave with so much more understanding of what people in Eastern Europe have been through. Anybody who still entertains any romantic notions about communism needs to visit this little island of the Gulag Archipelago.
1. THE CASTLE: Budapest’s castle district is on a hill overlooking the Danube, and the view of the city from its walls and towers is breathtaking. Plus, they make a great place to throw snowballs at people in the winter. It’s a huge complex, consisting of many different buildings built by different rulers and in various states of disrepair. You can’t skip the Fisherman’s Bastion, an area of the walls made up of seven round towers, symbolizing the seven medieval branches of the Hungarian tribe. The section of the wall was defended by the Fisherman’s Guild, hence the name. You get the best view from here, and the best selection of snowball targets. St. Matthias Church is another one you can’t miss. And don’t skip the Mary Magdalene Tower, which is all that remains of the only church that the Turks allowed to remain Christian while they ruled Budapest.
