Exploring beyond Sofia
Menu
  • Bulgaria
    • Ecopaths
    • One place – two seasons
    • Southwest region
      • Blagoevgrad region
      • Kyustendil region
      • Pernik region
      • Sofia region
    • Thracian – Rhodope region
      • Gabrovo region
      • Haskovo region
      • Kardzhali region
      • Lovech region
      • Pazardzhik region
      • Plovdiv region
      • Smolyan region
      • Stara Zagora region
    • Danube region
      • Pleven region
      • Silistra region
      • Vidin region
      • Vratsa region
    • Black Sea region
      • Burgas region
      • Dobrich region
      • Shumen region
      • Varna region
  • Abroad
    • France
      • Lyon
      • Strasbourg
      • Toulouse
    • Germany
    • Hungary
      • Budapest
    • Iceland
    • Italy
      • Florence
      • Genoа
      • Milan
      • Pisa
      • Siena
      • Turin
      • Venice
      • Verona
    • Netherlands
    • Portugal
      • Aveiro
      • Azores
      • Braga
      • Cascais
      • Guimaraes
      • Lisbon
      • Porto
      • Sintra
    • Romania
    • Seychelles
    • Spain
      • Barcelona
      • Valencia
    • United Kingdom
      • Aberdeen
      • Edinburgh
  • Guests
  • About me
    • About me
    • Contacts
    • Collaboration
    • Blog life events
  • Български
Exploring beyond Sofia
  • Bulgaria
    • Ecopaths
    • One place – two seasons
    • Southwest region
      • Blagoevgrad region
      • Kyustendil region
      • Pernik region
      • Sofia region
    • Thracian – Rhodope region
      • Gabrovo region
      • Haskovo region
      • Kardzhali region
      • Lovech region
      • Pazardzhik region
      • Plovdiv region
      • Smolyan region
      • Stara Zagora region
    • Danube region
      • Pleven region
      • Silistra region
      • Vidin region
      • Vratsa region
    • Black Sea region
      • Burgas region
      • Dobrich region
      • Shumen region
      • Varna region
  • Abroad
    • France
      • Lyon
      • Strasbourg
      • Toulouse
    • Germany
    • Hungary
      • Budapest
    • Iceland
    • Italy
      • Florence
      • Genoа
      • Milan
      • Pisa
      • Siena
      • Turin
      • Venice
      • Verona
    • Netherlands
    • Portugal
      • Aveiro
      • Azores
      • Braga
      • Cascais
      • Guimaraes
      • Lisbon
      • Porto
      • Sintra
    • Romania
    • Seychelles
    • Spain
      • Barcelona
      • Valencia
    • United Kingdom
      • Aberdeen
      • Edinburgh
  • Guests
  • About me
    • About me
    • Contacts
    • Collaboration
    • Blog life events
  • Български
Abroad, Budapest, Hungary

O! Buda-Pest

posted by Dario
Mar 28, 2022 55 0 0
Share

The capital of Hungary – a city with an impressive past, beautiful architecture and intriguing atmosphere with notes of both sides of Europe – east and west. This is Budapest – a collection of cultures, people, stories and three cities – Buda and Obuda on the west bank of the Danube, and Pest – on the east bank, where its name comes from.

For a long time I wanted to visit this city, so after throwing the idea of ​​Budapest to friends, we found ourselves celebrating the New Year here. Honestly, I am very pleased that I spent the holidays in this city and I hope that the following lines will inspire you for your next trip to Hungary.

But what is Budapest today and why is it one of the most popular destinations in Europe? With this article and the next one I will show you the city through my eyes and share points of interest from the capital to visit.

Get ready, because we have a long and interesting tour of the Hungarian capital!

  • Hungarian Parliament
  • Heroes’ Square
  • St. Stephen’s Basilica
  • Fisherman’s Bastion
  • Matthias Church
  • Dohany Synagogue
  • Three museums not to be missed in Budapest
    • Hungarian National Museum
    • House of Terror
    • Museum of Fine Arts
  • Budapest Zoo

Hungarian Parliament

Built during the Golden Age of Budapest, when the city was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this monumental Gothic Renaissance building dominates the banks of the Danube. The building is one of the largest in Hungary and is home to hundreds of parliamentary offices. Although the impressive building looks fantastic from every angle, to see all its splendor, it is worth seeing it on the other side of the Danube.

Hungarian Parliament

Hungarian Parliament from above
Hungarian Parliament by night

You can take advantage of the guided tours, where you will learn about the history of the city and how the government works. (If you plan to visit the place, buy your tickets in advance, as the queues can get really long.)

Heroes’ Square

Heroes’ Square is an important point of the city, which pays tribute to the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Hungary. The site is home to an iconic monument that includes images of the Seven Magyar Leaders believed to have brought the Hungarian people from Central Asia to the Carpathian Basin.

On the central pillar is the Archangel Gabriel holding the Hungarian crown. On either side of the central column are two corresponding colonnades depicting various other historical Hungarian figures.

Heroes' Square

St. Stephen’s Basilica

This is the largest church in Hungary. Named after the first king of Hungary, the church consists of richly decorated architecture, magnificent works of art and is crowned by a massive dome. It was completed in 1905, after 50 years of construction.

St. Stephen's Basilica

Fisherman’s Bastion

Although the Fisherman’s Bastion looks like a medieval monument, it was actually built in the early 20th century in neo-Gothic style, specifically to act as a panoramic observation platform across the Danube, Margaret Island and Pest.

It is named after the fishermen’s guild, which was responsible for protecting this section of the city walls during the Middle Ages.

The seven towers of the Bastion represent the seven Hungarian tribes that helped settle the Magyars in the Carpathian Basin. The place is suitable to visit at any time of the day, because every view from here is worth it!

Fisherman's Bastion

Fisherman's Bastion architecture

Matthias Church

Next to the Fisherman’s Bastion is one of the most impressive architectural buildings in Budapest – the Matthias Church. It is believed to be one of the most beautiful in Europe. Today’s appearance of the building was built in the magnificent late Gothic style – the second half of the XIV century, and was restored in the late XIX century. Its roof is covered with colored tiles, Gothic-style towers, white stone walls and distinguishes it from other architectural structures of the Hungarian capital.

Matthias Church

Dohany Synagogue

This synagogue is one of the largest in the world outside of Israel, although its Jewish population has declined since World War II. The interior and garden were restored in the 1990s, with much of the funding coming from the population of the Hungarian Jewish diaspora around the world. In the garden you can see a monument to a weeping willow, metal leaves of which  bear the names of some of those killed in the war. There is also a monument to Swedish diplomat Roallen Wallenberg, who helped save hundreds of Hungarian Jews from concentration camps and ghettos.

Dohany Synagogue

Three museums not to be missed in Budapest

Budapest has many museums on various topics, here I will share with you the most important and those that I think will best present the history and culture of Hungary.

Hungarian National Museum

The Hungarian National Museum is home to thousands of exhibits showing the country’s history, art, religion and archeology, including exhibitions from areas now considered outside Hungary.

The grand neoclassical building of the museum itself is worth a visit, even if you do not plan to see the inside.

The tranquil gardens outside the museum are considered a popular meeting place and are especially preferred during the summer months.

Hungarian National Museum
Hungarian National Museum inside

Useful information:
Ticket price:
3400 Hungarian forints, which is approximately 18.66 lev (this ticket also includes temporary collections);

Work time:
Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00;

Time to visit the museum:
2-3 hours;

House of Terror

The House of Terror represents organized exhibitions on the successive fascist and communist regimes that ruled Hungary in the 20th century. The building itself is the former headquarters of the Fascist Cross of the Arrows party, and the building was later used as a prison and torture site by Hungary’s State Security Service.

The exhibition includes information on both regimes, as well as testimonies of some of the victims. In addition to exhibitions on fascist and communist “security services”, the building often houses other temporary exhibitions.

House of Terror

Useful information:
Ticket price:
3000 Hungarian forints, which is approximately 16.46 lev (this ticket also includes temporary collections);

Work time:
Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00;

Time to visit the museum:
2:00 hours;

Museum of Fine Arts

The Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest was founded in 1896, when the collections of several institutions were merged to be housed under one roof, namely the roof of the neoclassical building from 1906, which houses the museum today.

On the ground floor you will find exhibitions of classical antiques and 19th century paintings and sculptures. The exhibition of classical antiques covers five halls and consists of more than 5,000 items. The collection of paintings includes works by German, Austrian, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian and British masters. On the second floor, the sculpture exhibition consists of more than 100 European sculptures from the German Late Gothic, the Italian Renaissance and the Austrian Baroque, among others.

Here you will also find a collection of Egyptian artefacts, including decorated sarcophagi and portraits of mummies in the basement. Here is the classical part, containing Greek, Etruscan and Roman works. The collection of Greek vases and urns ranks among the best and most complete in Europe.

Museum of Fine Arts painting
Museum of Fine Arts walk
Museum of Fine Arts hall
Museum of Fine Arts inside

Useful information
Ticket price:
3400 Hungarian forints, which is approximately 18.66 lev (this ticket also includes temporary collections);

Work time:
Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00;

Time to visit the museum:
3-4 hours;

Budapest Zoo

The Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden have a history dating back to the 19th century. It is one of the oldest zoos in the world, as well as the oldest zoo in Hungary. The zoo covers an area of ​​over 18 hectares of land and is home to more than a thousand different animal species.

Budapest Zoo

The park has unique buildings and is divided into different thematic areas to present in the most natural way the rich diversity of life in different continents.

Personally, I was most impressed by the fact that in some places it is possible to enter the enclosures of animals and be inches away from them. This was possible with small kangaroos, most tropical birds and more. The good arrangement, cleanliness and attitude towards the animals in the park really impresses.

Budapest Zoo flamingo
Budapest Zoo lemur
Budapest Zoo giraffe
Budapest Zoo polar bear

Useful information:
Ticket price:
3,300 Hungarian forints, which is approximately 18.11 lev;

Work time:
Every day from 10:00 to 16:00, the weather may change depending on the season and holidays;

Time to visit the museum:
3-4 hours;

This is only a small part of what Budapest has to offer but I hope that with these examples I have shown you what a rich variety of sights it has and can show you. So do not miss this opportunity to enrich your knowledge and put in your annual plans the Hungarian capital.

Share

Previous

Boyana waterfall and Boyana lake

Next

The street inhabitants of Budapest

About me

Travel Blogger

Dario Dionisi



If you want to know something more about me – my soul is a traveler, my origin is Italian and my true essence is a faithful friend. I am always open to new ideas and will be very happy if you want to contact me at dario@beyondsofia.com

Subscribe

Be with me in every adventure!

* indicates required

legenddario

legenddario
To the Rhodopes we go! On this adventure we visit To the Rhodopes we go!

On this adventure we visited Sitovo waterfall - a place far away from the human and industrial hand and completely preserved by the surrounding nature. 

It is located in the Rhodopes, 30 km from Plovdiv, right at the junction between the beautiful Rhodope villages Sitovo and Lilkovo. They can be reached by a unpaved, but relatively flat road. The left road continues to Sitovo, and the right - to Lilkovo. 

Under the bridge at the fork, which turns to Lilkovo, the passing river has formed a cascade of waterfalls. The waterfalls have a maximum drop of about 2 meters and are extremely picturesque as you can see from the pictures.

 #Waterfall #Bulgaria #hike
Skakavitsa is the name of the highest waterfall in Skakavitsa is the name of the highest waterfall in the Rila Mountains. Located in Rila National Park. The waterfall is located on the Skakavitsa River in the Skakavishka Valley at the foot of the eastern slope of Kabul Peak, Northwestern Rila. It is located at 1950 m above sea level, and the height from which the water falls is 70 m.

The hike can be challenging during the winter but the final destination is pure wonderland. Although you can visit the waterfall every season because it is always “working”. Skakavitsa is in fact one of the most majestic and amazing waterfalls in Bulgaria, so don’t miss to visit it.

#Bulgaria #Waterfall #hike
Happiness is having a travel partner and dog like Happiness is having a travel partner and dog like Yuki-Doro!

Can't describe how much I love this little sassy piece of fur. 😄

Anyway about our new destination - Slivodolsko praslkalo. It is located in the Dobrostan part of the Western Rhodopes. The nearest settlement is the village of Yugovo located in the southeast.

The water falls from a height of 49 meters, making the waterfall the highest in the Rhodopes.

This waterfall is absolutely magical so it is worth to do the hike to reach the place even if at some spots it is a little bit difficult but the pleasure and views at the end is worth doing the hike!

#bulgaria #hike #dog
We are continuing with the exploration of the Bulg We are continuing with the exploration of the Bulgarian waterfalls. This time we are finding ourselves in the Rhodope mountains. 

There we went to the beautiful village of Manastir. Near the village is situated the waterfall "Holy Spirit". Its height is about 15 meters and is the highest in the period April - June. The waterfall is located on the river Manastirska and is about 1.5 km walk from the center of the village of Manastir. It was declared as natural landmark in 1965, and the area of 0.5 ha around it is protected.

Curious fact:
The village of Manastir is the highest altitude village on the Balkan Peninsula - 1500 meters above sea level.

#Waterfall #Bulgaria #hike
Our last gem waterfall in Belasitsa mountain will Our last gem waterfall in Belasitsa mountain will be the Sramejlivetza waterfall or directly translated in english the Shy waterfall.

The waterfall is located on the river Kameshnitsa between the villages Samuilovo and Kamena. It is locked by a rock in the shape of the letter "P", which surrounds the entire gorge, starting from the waterfall. It is 21 meters high, making it the highest waterfall in the Belasitsa mountain.

It is quite impressive and its totally worth it to go over all the obstacles that the trail has.

#waterfall #bulgaria #hike
Exploring the Mangaro waterfall another nature gem Exploring the Mangaro waterfall another nature gem of Belasitsa mountain.

#Bulgaria #waterfall #hike
Let’s open the season of the waterfalls! Finall Let’s open the season of the waterfalls!

Finally, the warm spring days have arrived and was time to start exploring the awakening waterfalls in Bulgaria. For my first stop I choose the village of Skrat – a place in the very corner of Southwest Bulgaria.

The first waterfall is called waterfall Dubitsata - an easily accessible spot. The hike is around 40-50 min depending of your speed of walking.

It is a wonderful place to explore and to dive into the Belasitsa mountain’s nature.

The face of our mountain expert Yuki-Doro is the living proof of this experience!

#Waterfall #Bulgaria #hike
Click bait post! Just joking, or maybe not? Last Click bait post! Just joking, or maybe not?

Last week we had the chance to visit once again one my most favourite Eco paths in Bulgaria – View to nine mountains.

I always say that only because you visited a place once that doesn’t mean automatically that this spot is not worth visiting again. On the contrary, it is much more worth it to do that. In that way you can see how the place has developed, changed or just refresh your old memories here or even create new ones!

An adventure is always an adventure no matter whether the place is new or old, it is just up to you and how you will live it!

#bulgaria #hike #dog
The Radetzky was an Austro-Hungarian passenger ste The Radetzky was an Austro-Hungarian passenger steamship built in 1851 in the shipyard in Óbuda, Hungary, and used for regular services on the Danube, mainly between Orşova, Austria-Hungary and Galaţi, Romania. Named after Bohemian nobleman and Austrian general Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, it is most notable as part of the history of Bulgaria as the ship which revolutionary and poet Hristo Botev and his band bloodlessly hijacked and used to reach Kozloduy, Bulgaria.

On 29 May 1876, after the ship left the port of Bechet, the Bulgarian revolutionaries, who had boarded it from different ports disguised as gardeners, forced the captain Dagobert Engländer to change course and transport the group to the Bulgarian port of Kozloduy, from where they would attempt to organize an anti-Ottoman uprising as a follow-up to the already crushed April Uprising of the same year.

Nowadays the steamship Radetzky is a national relic of Bulgaria. A village in Sliven Province bears its name, Radetski, and national writer Ivan Vazov wrote a poem based on the events of May 1876, which is today a popular patriotic song called Still White Danube Undulates.

#Bulgaria #history #museum
God's Bridge also known as Jabokrek, is a natural God's Bridge also known as Jabokrek, is a natural rock bridge in the Chirensko-Lilyashki karst region about 15 km north of Vratsa. It is about 20 meters high, 25 meters wide, and along its main axis the "tunnel" formed by the Lilyachka River is about 100 meters long. During the dry months of the year, the river under the bridge dries up and there are several ponds full of frogs. Hence the other name under which this rock phenomenon is known.

The place is quite phenomenal and it’s very interesting to explore. Here you can easily hike for an hour and enjoy the nature that offers not only this but a long side river with small waterfalls, amazing panoramic views and also a bit of history thanks to the vicinity of Borovanska Mogila where remains of a fortress from Roman times are found.

#Bulgaria #nature #hike
Dive in the animal kingdom of Budapest. Being hug Dive in the animal kingdom of Budapest.

Being huge fan of animals, it was a must for me to visit the zoo of Budapest after hearing so much positive feedback.

Saying that, the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden is one of the oldest in the world with its almost 150 years of history. Having more than 2000 species it makes this place one of the best maintained zoos in Europe.

During my visit here, I was surprised how well divided the the zoo is, every continent had its personalized building where you can enjoy the rich variety of animals and plants.

But probably the best part of this whole experience was the chance to be with some of the cage-free animals, without cages or restriction, just to build that special human - animal bond.

#Budapest #zoo #botanicalgarden
The street habitants of Budapest. As a big fan of The street habitants of Budapest.

As a big fan of every type of art I couldn’t resist but make my research to find the best murals and graffities in the Hungarian capital.

Must say -  I wasn’t disappointed! Budapest is famous with the big spaces and buildings that give chance to talented artist to create and make the urban atmosphere more fun and colourful.

Most of them can be found in the centre of the city in the so-called Jewish neighbourhood, also known as the creative spot of Budapest.

#Budapest #art #graffities
The little cultural art universe of Budapest. The The little cultural art universe of Budapest.

The Museum of Fine Arts is a magnificent example of how well preserved and maintained can one art space be. It is made up of international art (other than Hungarian), including all periods of European art, and comprises of more than 100,000 pieces. 

The Museum's collection is made up of six departments: Egyptian, Antique, Old sculpture gallery, Old master paintings gallery, Modern collection, Graphics collection.

Visitors can enjoy the enormous variety of pieces of art from different decades making this museum one of the best spots to visit in Budapest.

#Budapest #museum #art
Hungarian’s most iconic building ✨ I am sure Hungarian’s most iconic building ✨

I am sure that when someone hears about Hungary one of the first thing that pops in their mind is the building of the Parliament and for a reason. It is one of the most beautiful administrative buildings in the world! 🤩

Building this impressive edifice took 17 years, from 1885 to 1902, based on the design by the architect Imre Steindl. Richly decorated, both inside and out, was inspired by the Houses of Parliament in London, thus it was designed in Neo-Gothic style, although it also bears Renaissance and Baroque stylistic flourishes. The third largest parliament in the world, it was built on the 1000th anniversary of the foundation of the state of Hungary. 🤓

Nowadays you can visit the building with a special tour that will show you the most significant places inside and explain you details about the evolution and roles that this place took part in, in the past and now. 👀

#Budapest #building #architecture
Budapest – The little Paris 👀 Many people de Budapest – The little Paris 👀

Many people describe the Hungarian capital as the little Paris but the question is – is it really? 🤔

The answer is yes, in a very strange way. While exploring Budapest I could see the resembling style and symbol of East Europe but at the same time I could feel the Western influence in the buildings, atmosphere and in the overall view. 🧐

The city is a unique mix of both Europes, showing an interesting and intriguing side of the cultural treasure that our continent has. But probably one of the most important events that marked this place is when Budapest became officially a city in 1873, when the three neighbouring cities of Pest, Buda and Óbuda united.  The unification was extremely important and lead to a rapid development of the city that we can see nowadays. 🤓

#Budapest #Hungary #capital
Load more pictures Follow me
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

You Might Also Like

Abroad, Lisbon, Portugal
Jul 29, 2019

Panoramic Views of Lisbon (full list!)

The adventure of being a Portuguese #Lisbon 2 Undoubtedly, each city differs from each other and has its own...

Read More
2 0
Abroad, Genoа, Italy
Jul 25, 2017

The happiness to be an Italian #Genoa

The happiness to be an Italian #Genoa  The Italian Gothic rivieraGenoa aquariumTorre della LanternaCathedral of San...

Read More
0 1

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Copyrights © 2020 Exploring beyond Sofia. All Rights Reserved
Back top
 

Loading Comments...