Map of Budapest & sights:
http://www.talkingcities.co.uk/budapest_pages/sights_budapest_map.htm
Places to see:
Halasz Bastya: Fishermen’s Castle
Matyas Templom: Matthews Church
When your
back is to the Matyas Church entrance, go about hundred yards, on the right side of the the street there is a place called "Ruszwurm" .The best pastry in Budapest can be had there. It has about ten seats. If you like chocolat torte order the "Dobos torta". It is a layered chocolat cake. When you go in, there is a display case, just point, you do not need to speak Hungarian.
You can also visit the catacombs of the "Matyas Church".
Royal Place
Lanchid: ChainBridge
- If you go to the Castle on the Buda side, walk across the "Lanc Hid" ("Chain bridge") from the Pest side and take the cable car up the hill.
Gellert Mountain:
Gellert Baths & Hotel
Citadella
Heroes Square:
Hosok Tere: Heroes Square http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/HU/PestHiosokTere.html
Vajdahunyad Castle
Museum of Fine Arts
Pairlament: http://www.holidayhungary.com/pictures/budapest/parliament.htm
Restaurants:
http://www.gundel.hu/ (world fameous & very close to the Heroes Square)
The Parliament Building has group tours (availalbe in several languages). I would highly recommend this one.
Pick up "Pesti Musor" for useful tips.
www.origo.hu
The second best place is for pastry is at the end of the the "Vaci utca". ( A famous shopping street, at the Pest side, near the Danube). The "Vorosmarty" has a magnificient interior of yesteryear. I am sure that many people disagree about the pastries, they like other places better.
Other restaurants to go to: the "Orszaghaz", the "Szaz eves" and if you like really special dishes, like boar meat with berries... etc, visit almost any restaurant on the Buda side in the woods. I think the "Gundel" is overpriced, little turisty. Eating is a "serious business" in Hungary and everybody will offer hundreds of different suggestions about restaurants.
The Margit island is a great place to spend a day. Please note that the island is a car free area. You can only drive as far as the hotel, enter the island at the south side. You can visit the grave of Szent Margit. (History lesson: learn about the Mongol invasion of Hungary). Rent a bike and bike around the island. Also you can go to the swimming pool there. You can go to a pool ("Strand") anywhere in Hungary, it is amazing so many pools and baths for a landlocked country.
For a really authentic market experience go to the "Nagy Csarnok" ("Big market"). It is a big indoor market on the Pest side toward Csepel island. (History lesson: "Csepel" was the name of the person who looked after "Attila's" horses.) You can buy all kinds of food there. Many local folks shop for food there. You can also by magnificient folk customs, blouses .. etc. If you are hungry from all the shopping, on the second floor please try the "Langos" ("Lang=Flame). A dough cooked in lard or oil. Can not miss it, people lined up front of it.
If you go toward the "Vajadhunyad Castle", take the old subway (if it is still running). It is the oldest subway in the world. (History lesson: the people who built the subway in New York City, went to Budapest to study how the subway was built in Budapest. Instead of tunneling, they dug it from the street level).
Budapest also has the largest synagogue of Europe, built in the Moorish style. It is called the "Dohany utcai synagogue" (the "Dohany=Tobacco" street synagogue). It is at the Pest side at the outer edge ot the Jewish Quarter. Many magnificient churches also can be find all over the city.
At the Buda side in "O Buda" ("O=Old") you can find "Aquincum". Roman ruins, amphitheather, part of a aquaduct... Worth a visit.
Also a great day tips is to go to "Szentendre" at the Danube bend. It has a great restaurant called "Aranysarkany" (The Golden Dragon). Read the poem in the restaurant menu (have someone translate it for you), it has a suggestion by a poet from long ago about the restaurant. Szentendere has a magnificient ceramic museum. It pays homage to the greatest Hungarian woman ceramic artist of all time. It also has an outdoor museum, showing all the different authethentic Hunagarian farm houses moved there.
Also a great side trip is to go to "Esztergom", to see the cathedral there. You can go up to the cupola and walk around the dome outside.
Of course the nicest part of Hungary is the "Great Plains" ("Nagy Alfold"), and "Hortobagy", that is where is was born.
