Budapest City Guide

Overlooking a Parisian-style boulevard in the heart of the former Pest district of the city, the Hungarian State Opera House is one of Europe’s most architecturally lavish concert venues – so you should catch a show there if the opportunity arises. Despite its grandeur, tickets for Budapest’s Hungarian State Opera House are relatively inexpensive. For those not keen on seeing a show, hour-long tours operate throughout the day.

Visitors interested in learning more about Budapest’s communist past should pay a visit to Memento Park – an open-air museum housing the monumental statues which dotted the city during Hungary’s Communist period. Located beyond the western hills of Buda, the part contains statues of several communist figureheads, including Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, as well as other plaques, sculptures and monuments dedicated to the People’s Republic of Hungary at the time of Soviet occupation.

If you are interested in the art of photography, then the Hungarian House of Photography deserves to be your next port of call after visiting the Hungarian National Gallery and the Museum of Applied Arts. Featuring a fine selection of contemporary and historical photographs from numerous national and international photographers, this excellent art centre regularly changes its exhibits.

As a city whose foundations are awash with thermal hot springs, Budapest’s bathing heritage dates back to the Romans. Thousands of tourists and locals alike regularly frequent the city’s thermal bathing spots, with the most popular baths being Gellért and Széchenyi. If you’d prefer somewhere quieter, then we’d recommend Veli Bej, a unique Turkish bathhouse first built in the 1570s, which tends to attract more locals than visitors.

Sampling some of Budapest’s best culinary delights could not be easier at the Great Market Hall, where you’ll find hundreds of independent food vendors housed under one roof. Located at the end of the pedestrian shopping street of Váci utca, this grand market offers an impressive array of local produce – from caviar and spices, to pastries and confectionary. The building itself is a delight to explore, having been restored to its former neo-Gothic glory.

One of the great cultural icons of Europe; the Hungarian Parliament Building is the most recognisable landmark of the Budapest skyline, and perhaps the entire Danube River. Built following the unification of Pest, Buda and Óbuda in 1873, the Parliament Building is the biggest building in Hungary and the tallest building in Budapest. In total, over 100,000 people were involved in its construction, and half a million precious stones were incorporated into its design.

One of the world’s oldest museums dedicated to faith, Budapest’s Jewish Museum is a historic exhibition celebrating the religious objects and scriptures of Judaism. Located beside the Dohány Street Synagogue in Pest, the museum was established in 1896 as a means of recording and showcasing historic objects of Jewish origin. The museum serves as both a reference library of Jewish artefacts and a place to remember those who lost their lives.

Folk music has long been associated with Hungary, emerging from Budapest’s working classes in the 1700s. Known locally as Magyar népzene, Hungarian folk music combines musical traditions from several countries in central Europe, including Austria and Poland. There are several places to experience Hungarian folk music in Budapest, including Fono and the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble.

A moving memorial on the banks of the river; Shoes on the Danube Bank is a sculptural tribute to the thousands of Jews murdered in Budapest during WWII. Designed by sculptor Gyula Pauer, the Shoes on the Danube Bank depicts several pairs of shoes left on the banks of the river, in memoriam of the thousands who were shot by the Arrow Cross Party in 1944.

Nourishing the people of Budapest for centuries, goulash is a traditional peasant dish that became Hungary’s national dish during the Soviet years. Traditionally made using beef, goulash contains a mix of spices, with paprika being the primary flavour. Eaten straight from the pan with a hunk of bread, there’s no heartier dish on the continent. 

Try it: You’ll find goulash on the menu of many traditional Hungarian restaurants in Budapest, but one of the best – and most unique – places to sample it is the Vagon Restaurant, which is housed inside a turn-of-the-century train car.

Try it: The M10 restaurant in Buda is a wonderful place to try traditional Hungarian dishes, all within a stone’s throw of the majestic Buda Castle.

If you’re looking for lunch on the go, it has to be lángos. This street food favourite is beloved by locals, who enjoy it as much as the Italians do pizza. Lángos is essentially deep-friend dough, served with a mixture of sweet or savoury toppings. Perfect anytime of the day, it’s a classic Hungarian treat you have to try.