Budapest It is the capital of Hungary, a beautiful city that arouses the admiration of all who visit it. It has architectural treasures from its long history and today offers travelers a charming mix of heritage and culture.
So, in our article today let's find out what activities we can do in Budapest.
Budapest
As we said, Budapest is an old city. In these lands the first settlement dates back to a Celtic ocapation before the year 1 BC. Later the Romans would arrive with their city aquincum and the aqueducts, amphitheaters and incredible civil buildings bear his signature.
Budapestesult of the union of Buda and Pest, two military fortresses on the banks of the Danube, and it was in 1361 that it became the capital of Hungary. The ottomans They arrived some time later, in the XNUMXth century they ended up occupying it for a century and a half, also leaving their cultural and architectural legacy. It was the unoccupied part of the country that became part of the Habsburg Empire, one of the empires that would ultimately disappear after the First World War.
After this same conflict, Hungary lost a lot of territory and many inhabitants. Later, after the end of the Second World War and with the city of Budapest partially destroyed, arrived Soviets to stay. The occupation was always conflictive, until finally the fall of the communist system in 1989 opened the doors to freedom.
Activities in Budapest
The city It is in the center of Hungary, the Danube River enters from the north and has three islands, although only the tip of the northernmost island is within its boundaries. The Danube thus separates the city into two. Buda is on the most rugged part of the terrain, while Pest is built on the plain. The Buda Hills are made of dolomite and limestone and have famous caves.
Budapest offers lots of great activities to do. We can start with the classics tourist visits to learn about its historical heritage. The building of Parliament It is neo-Gothic in style and is an icon of the city because kings have been crowned here since the XNUMXth century and it contains the royal jewels. The building was completed in 1902 and has 691 rooms, many of them open to the public.
The guided tour of the North Wing includes the Golden Staircase, the Dome Hall where the Crown of St. Stephen, the national icon, is located, the Grand Staircase, the Congress Hall where the House of Lords functioned until 1944 and much more. Tours are given in eight languages and are 45 minutes long.
Not far away is the monument known as Shoes on the Danube, in honor of the victims of the Holocaust who were forced to walk along the riverbank on a winter day, and take off their shoes before they were shot and thrown into the river.
La Basilica of saint stephen It was completed in 1906 in a neo-Renaissance style. It is named in honor of the founding king of the Hungarian state and his right hand is kept in one of his chapels. Inside there are many mosaics, crystals and statues. The church is 96 meters high and has a beautiful panoramic viewpoint which gives us amazing views of the city below.
A city that has a river crossing it must have bridges and in the case of Budapest the most beautiful is the Chain Bridge. It was built under the orders of Count István Széchenyi, who even traveled abroad to learn more about bridges and materials. He ended up calling to Hungary the English architect William Tierney Clarck and the Scottish engineer Adam Clark. Together they finished the bridge in 1849.
Obviously, the bridge was destroyed in World War II but was later rebuilt. The square at one of its heads, that of Buda, is called Adam Clark. The bridge has two stone gates and huge, beautiful chains that have become part of the icons of Budapest. The Andrássy Avenue appears in the panorama of Budapest in the second half of the XNUMXth century at the hands of Count Gyula Andrássy.
After the revolution of 1848 the count had gone to Paris, and with Parisian life still in his mind when he returned he gave life to this new and elegant street. On the avenue is the building of the State Opera, Paris Department Store, House of Terror Museum, Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum, Hopp Ferenc Oriental Museum, Academy of Fine Arts...
Andrássy Avenue is divided into three sectors or sections and The second oldest underground on the European continent runs about 2300 meters below., with the most elegant stations. Finally, It is a World Heritage Site.
On Buddha's side is the Gellert hill, 235 meters high. It has at the top the Statue of Liberty and it has been a World Heritage Site since 1987. The views from up here are wonderful. At the heart of the hill are the hot springs that feed the city's popular baths. There are also caves: the St. Ivan's Cave, with the Chapel of the order of Saint Paul, for example. And trees and gardens.
La castle area It is one of the most important areas of Budapest, the epicenter of all political changes. Since 1987, the Buda Castle District has been part of the list of UNESCO World Heritage. It concentrates many monuments, houses and buildings built between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries: the Royal Palace, for example, where the National Gallery, National Library, Matthias Church, Budapest Historical Museum. And right next to the palace, the Sándor Palace, today the presidential residence.
The little cobblestone streets go from here to there and it is all very picturesque. The second also starts from here funicular of Europe since 1870. At the time it was a horse-drawn funicular that went up and down the hill. This means of transport is inspired by the Lyon model. A bomb in World War II destroyed it and it was only rebuilt in 1986, now with an electric motor and not a steam engine, but just as picturesque.
The funicular, which you should take as a ride, can carry up to 24 passengers at a time. Each car has a name and today travels 95 seconds from Clark Square to the castle. It operates all year round, every day from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., every five to ten minutes, depending on demand. It is out of operation on Mondays of odd weeks.
Finally, two more things: Margaret Island and Budapest hot springs. The island is 2800 meters long and has an area of 100 hectares. It offers a lot to the visitor, including medicinal baths, 200-year-old trees, the ruins of a Dominican convent and a water tank from 1911, as well as gardens that can be visited along small paths and a musical fountain 36 meters in diameter, with a water jet that reaches 25 meters high.
Taking advantage of the thermal springs in the hills around the city, baths in the city of Budapest itself are the order of the day. The most famous building is For Gellert, but they are also famous and elegant Rudas, the Veli Bej and the Dandár. Not missing from the list are Széchenyi and the Lukács, where there are usually night parties, circus shows and lights. It is really worth spending some time in any of them.
What do you think of our list of activities in Budapest?