The city of Budapest actually consists of two parts, Buda and Pest. Buda is hilly and Pest is flat. The Royal Palace is situated in the hills of the city part Buda. On one of the hills situated on the Donube is this wonderful palace from the 13th century. Originally it was a fortress to protect the inhabitants of the country from the Mongolians. They had destroyed a large part of Hungary. The thick walls would have to protect the country from new attacks. seven centuries long the palace was used by the monarchy of Hungary. In the past the fortress has been damaged multiple times by attacks. The palace was rebuilt time and time again and fortified against new attacks. The palace was last severely damaged during the World War II. There were heavy battles between the Russians and Germans on these grounds. The Royal Palace was burned down during the war, just like many houses in those times. In the years thereafter the palace was reconstructed again. In the palace you can find different museums that will tell you about the history.
Before the Hungarian monarchy had their own palace, they lived in the neighbourhood Óbuda. Óbuda is the oldest part of Budapest. During excavations they found different ruins from Roman times. In the middle of the square Flórián tér you can find ruins. The square itself is not so special, it is fun however to see the excavations. It is enjoyable to walk to Szentlélek tér. This is the centre of Óbuda. The Zicky Palace is one of the biggest attractions in this part of the city. In the garden of this palace, different concerts are held in during the summer months. The palace is used as a historical museum. This ancient neighbourhood has an island named Óbuda island. This island is famous for Sziget festival, which attracts 400.000 visitors yearly.
Underneath Budapest lie about 30 kilometres worth of caves. The cave system originated from hot springs. In the past the caves were used as shelters or wine cellars. The longest cave of the city was discovered in 1904 and this is now known as the Pálvölgyi cave. The cave is formed through hot springs, just like the other caves here. The cave is 13 kilometres long and is partly open to the public. You need to be in good physical health to visit this cave as you need to climb quite a bit due to the differences in height. Because of the warm water, different minerals and stalactites have been formed. Because of the lighting and calming music, the cave has a magical appearance.
Alongside the river banks of the Danube lies the Parliament, a beautiful gothic building and also the biggest parliament in Europe. The building is the most photographed building of the city. Officially the building is on the other side of the Danube, on the Pest side of town. It is recommended to take a picture from the Buda side. From the Buda side you can get the whole building in one shot. The best place is from the metro station Betthyánny tér. It is possible to go inside the building every day of the week. When there is a meeting only a limited amount of people are allowed access at once.
The biggest church of Budapest is the St. Stephen's Basilica. There is space for 8.000 people to attend a service. The construction of the church started in 1851 to the designs of Jezsef Hild. Unfortunately he didn't get a chance to see the finalising of the building. He died before the church was finished. Miklós Ybl took over the tasks after the death of the architect. During the construction there appeared to be some engineering mistakes in the building. Even during the constructions the church collapsed. Ybl chose a to make a completely new design in neo-romantic style. In 1906 the church was finally opened for the public. During the bombings in World War II the church became severely damaged. The church was beautifully renovated after the war and is worth visiting. In the church the right hand of Saint Stefanus is displayed. This hand is mummified.
One of the things that you should have seen inBudapest is the central market hall. This is an indoor market with dozens of stalls in which you can primarily buy food products. Open your taste buds to try Hungarian salami or enjoy the local delicacies. In the market hall there is a restaurant which serves only local dishes. If you want to taste the real Hungary then the market is fun to visit.
Budapest is surrounded by water and there are different restaurants on the water. You can eat whilst making a boat trip over the Danube. Going for dinner on the Danube is not even that expensive. It is also a unique experience and of course super romantic to make a tour on a restaurant boat.
Hungary and Budapest have known two horrible regimes in the past. With the museum the House of Terror they try to bring to life what this period was about. The house in which the museum is showcased was in both periods the headquarters of the regime. Different people have been held captive in the building, tortured and even murdered. In the house all of the horror scenario's are showcased and this shows that freedom in Hungary was not always a given.
During a visit to Budapest you should have at least visited one of the hot springs. The Romans already discovered that they are warm water sources underneath Budapest. They built multiple Roman baths in the area of the source. Today there are dozens of bathing houses where you can enjoy warm water. Besides swimming in the hot springs, people offer treatments and massages.
Especially for the the thousandths' birthday of Hungary the Heroes' square was built. The construction of the square took quite a while, from 1896 to 1922. On the square there are different statues of kings. Old prime minister Imre Nagy was hanged by the communist regime. To restore his honour, he was given a state funeral on the Heroes' Square.
