Budapest – Part 2

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Buda

Viewed from the embankments of the Danube, Buda forms a collage of palatial buildings, archaic spires and outsize statues, crowning craggy massifs. This glamorous image conceals more mundane aspects, but at times, in the right place, Buda can really live up to it. To experience Várhegy (Castle Hill) at its best, come early in the morning to visit the museums before the crowds arrive, then wander off for lunch or a soak in one of the Turkish baths, and return to catch street life in full swing in the afternoon. The outlying Buda Hills – accessible by chairlift and the Children’s Railway – are obviously less visited during the week, while Gellért-hegy, with its superb views over the city, the Rózsadomb district and the Roman ruins of Óbuda and Rómaifürdő can be seen any time, but preferably when the weather’s fine.

Várhegy

Várhegy (Castle Hill), often referred to simply as the Vár, is Buda’s most prominent feature. A 1500-metre-long plateau encrusted with bastions, mansions and a huge palace, it dominates both the Víziváros below and Pest, over the river, making this stretch of the river one of the most majestic urban waterfronts in Europe. The hill’s grandiosity and strategic utility have long gone hand in hand: Hungarian kings built their palaces here because it was easy to defend, a fact appreciated by the Turks, Habsburgs and other occupiers. Its buildings, a legacy of bygone Magyar glories, have been almost wholly reconstructed from the rubble of 1945, when the Wehrmacht and the Red Army battled over the hill while Buda’s inhabitants cowered underground – the eighty-sixth time that it was ravaged and rebuilt over seven centuries, rivalling the devastation caused by the recapture of Buda from the Turks in 1686.

Though the hill’s appearance has changed much since building began in the thirteenth century, its main streets still follow their medieval courses, with Gothic arches and stone carvings in the courtyards and passages of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Baroque houses, whose facades are embellished with fancy ironwork grilles. Practically every building displays a műemlék plaque giving details of its history (in Hungarian only), and a surprising number are still homes rather than embassies or boutiques – there are even a couple of schools and corner shops. At dusk, when most of the tourists have left, pensioners walk their dogs and toddlers play in the long shadows of Hungarian history.

There are several approaches to Várhegy, mostly starting from the Víziváros. The simplest and most novel is to ride up to the palace by Sikló, a renovated nineteenth-century funicular that runs from Clark Ádám tér by the Lánchíd (Chain Bridge). Alternatively, you can start from Moszkva tér (on metro line 2) and either take buses #16, #16A or #116, leaving from the raised side of Moszkva tér, which terminate by the palace – or walk uphill to the Vienna Gate at the northern end of Várhegy. Walking from Batthyány tér via the steep flights of steps (lépcső) off Fő utca involves more effort, but the dramatic stairway up to the Fishermen’s Bastion is worth the sweat. The most direct approach from Pest is to ride bus #16 from Erzsébet tér across the Lánchíd to Clark Ádám tér – giving you the option of taking the Sikló or staying on the bus and getting off at one of the stops on Várhegy.

Szentháromság tér

North of the palace lies the Várnegyed (Castle District), where, in medieval times, residence was a privilege granted to religious or ethnic groups, each occupying a certain street. Armenians, Circassians and Sephardic Jews also established themselves here during the Turkish occupation. The “liberation” of Buda by a multinational Christian army under Habsburg command was followed by a pogrom and ordinances restricting the right of residence to Catholics and Germans, which remained in force for nearly a century. In 1944, the Red Cross established safe houses here for Jewish refugees, some of whom remained hidden in caves after the others were forced into the ghetto. By the time the Red Army finally took Buda on February 13, 1945, only four houses on the hill were habitable.

The obvious starting point is Szentháromság tér (Holy Trinity Square), the historic heart of the district, named after an ornate Trinity Column erected in 1713 in thanksgiving for the abatement of a plague. To the southwest on the corner of Szentháromság utca stands the former Town Hall of Buda, which functioned as a municipality until the unification of Buda, Pest and Óbuda in 1873. Down the road at Szentháromság utca 7, the tiny Ruszwurm patisserie has been a pastry shop and café since 1827, and was a gingerbread shop in the Middle Ages. Its Empire-style decor looks much the same as it did under Vilmos Ruszwurm, who ran the patisserie for nearly four decades from 1884.

In the small park by the square, Tourinform can supply a free map of Várhegy and rent an audioguide for self-guided walks (3000Ft for 3hr). Nearby is a touch-friendly scale model of the Mátyás Church and Fishermen’s Bastion, labelled in Braille for blind visitors.

The Mátyás Church

The square’s most prominent feature is the neo-Gothic Mátyás Church (Mátyás templom; Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 9am–1pm, Sun 1–5pm; 700Ft; audioguide 400Ft), whose diamond-patterned roofs and toothy spires are wildly asymmetrical but nevertheless coherent in form. Officially dedicated to Our Lady, but popularly named after “Good King Mátyás”, the building is a late nineteenth-century re-creation by architect Frigyes Schulek, grafted onto those portions of the original thirteenth-century church that survived the siege of 1686. The frescoes and altars had been whitewashed over or removed when the Turks turned it into a mosque. Ravaged yet again in World War II, the church was laboriously restored by a Communist regime keen to show its patriotic credentials, and the transition to democracy saw the sanctity of this “ancient shrine of the Hungarian people” reaffirmed – which means that visitors are expected to be properly dressed and respectfully behaved.

Entering the church through its twin-spired Mary Portal, the richness of the interior is overwhelming. Painted leaves and geometric motifs run up columns and under vaulting, while shafts of light fall through rose windows onto gilded altars and statues with stunning effect. Most of the frescoes were executed by Károly Lotz or Bertalan Székely, the foremost historical painters of the day. The coat of arms of King Mátyás can be seen on the wall to your left, just inside; his family name, Corvinus, comes from the raven (corvus in Latin) that appeared on his heraldry and on every volume in the famous Corvin Library.

Around the corner to the left, beneath the south tower, is the Loreto Chapel, containing a Baroque Madonna, while in the bay beneath the Béla Tower beyond the stairs you can see two medieval capitals, one carved with monsters fighting a dragon, the other with two bearded figures reading a book. The tower is named after Béla IV, who founded the church, rather than his predecessor in the second gated chapel along, who shares a double sarcophagus with Anne of Chatillon. Originally located in the old capital, Székesfehérvár, the tomb of Béla III and his queen was moved here after its discovery in 1848. Although Hungary’s medieval kings were crowned at Székesfehérvár, it was customary to make a prior appearance in Buda – hence yet another sobriquet, the “Coronation Church”.

The church also has a small collection of ecclesiastical treasures and relics, including the right foot of St János. The crypt, normally reserved for prayer, contains the red-marble tombstone of a nameless Árpád prince. Otherwise, climb a spiral staircase to the Royal Oratory overlooking the stained-glass windows and embossed vaulting of the nave; here votive figures and vestments presage a replica of the Coronation Regalia, whose attached exhibition is more informative about the provenance of St Stephen’s Crown than that accompanying the originals, on display in Parliament.

Mass is celebrated in the Mátyás Church daily at 7am, 8.30am and 6pm, and at 10am and noon on Sundays and public holidays. The 10am Mass on Sunday is in Latin with a full choir. The church is also a superb venue for concerts during the festival seasons, and evening organ recitals throughout the year. Details appear in listings magazines and on the church’s own website, www.matyas-templom.hu. Tickets are available from any booking agency.

The Fishermen’s Bastion

After the Mátyás Church, the most transfixing sight is the Fishermen’s Bastion (Halászbástya) just beyond, which frames the view of Pest across the river. Although fishermen from the Víziváros reputedly defended this part of the hill during the Middle Ages, the existing bastion is purely decorative. An undulating white rampart of cloisters and stairways intersecting at seven tent-like turrets symbolizing the Magyar tribes that conquered the Carpathian Basin, it was designed by Schulek as a foil to the church. The view of Pest across the river is only surpassed by the vistas from the terrace of Buda Palace, and the Citadella on Gellért-hegy. However, you might baulk at paying 400Ft to go up to the top level – tickets from the machine nearby (students and OAPs get their half-price tickets from an office beside Tourinform) – as the free view from the lower level is just as good.

Between the bastion and the church, an equestrian statue of King Stephen honours the founder of the Hungarian nation, whose conversion to Christianity and coronation with a crown sent by the pope presaged the Magyars’ integration into European civilization (see King Stephen below). The statue is reflected in the copper-glass facade of the Budapest Hilton, opposite, along with the church and the bastion. Incorporating chunks of a medieval Dominican church and monastery on the side facing the river, and an eighteenth-century Jesuit college on the other, the hotel bears a copy of the Mátyás Relief from Bautzen in Germany that’s regarded as the only true likeness of Hungary’s Renaissance monarch – who is shown being crowned by a pair of angels.

King Stephen

If you commit just one figure from Hungarian history to memory, make it King Stephen, for it was he who welded the tribal Magyar fiefdoms into a state and won recognition from Christendom. Born Vajk, son of Prince Géza, he emulated his father’s policy of trying to convert the pagan Magyars and develop Hungary with the help of foreign preachers, craftsmen and merchants. By marrying Gizella of Bavaria in 996, he was able to use her father’s knights to crush a pagan revolt after Géza’s death, and subsequently received an apostolic cross and crown from Pope Sylvester II for his coronation on Christmas Day, 1000 AD, when he took the name Stephen (István in Hungarian).

Though noted for his enlightened views (such as the need for tolerance and the desirability of multiracial nations), he could act ruthlessly when necessary. After his only son Imre died in an accident and a pagan seemed likely to inherit, Stephen had the man blinded and poured molten lead into his ears. Naming his successor, he symbolically offered his crown to the Virgin Mary rather than the Holy Roman Emperor or the pope; she has since been considered the Patroness of Hungary. Swiftly canonized after his death in 1038, St Stephen became a national talisman, his mummified right hand a holy relic, and his coronation regalia the symbol of statehood. Despite playing down his cult for decades, even the Communists eventually embraced it in a bid for some legitimacy, while nobody in post-Communist Hungary thinks it odd that the symbol of the republic should be the crown and cross of King Stephen.

North towards Kapisztrán tér

If you’re not in a hurry to reach the palace, it’s worth exploring the northern reaches of the Várnegyed, whose streets abound in period details. A common medieval feature that’s survived is the sedilia, rows of niches with seats, in the passageway to the inner courtyard. For an example, look no further than the Fortuna restaurant on Hess András tér, which occupies the site of Hungary’s first printing press, set up by András Hess in 1473. Also notice the hedgehog relief above the door of the former Red Hedgehog Inn at no. 3, where Janissaries were billeted in Turkish times.

The Music History Museum (Zenetörténeti Múzeum; Tues–Sun 10am–4pm; 1000Ft; www.zti.hu), at Tàncsics Mihàly utca 7, occupies the Baroque Erdödy Palace where Beethoven was a guest in 1800 and Bartók had his workshop before he emigrated. The collection ranges from a Holczman harp made for Marie Antoinette and a unique tongue-shaped violin in the classical section to hurdy-gurdies, zithers, cowhorns and bagpipes, as well as many Bartók scores and jottings.

Next door, no. 9, was once a barracks where the Habsburgs jailed Hungarian radicals such as Mihály Táncsics – after whom the street is named – but in an earlier age it was home to both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, and called Zsidó utca (Jewish Street). The Ashkenazi community was established in the reign of Béla IV and encouraged by King Mátyás. Though you wouldn’t think so from the outside, no. 26 contains a Medieval Jewish Prayer House (Középkori Zsidó Imaház; May–Oct Tues–Sun 10am–6pm; 400Ft) once used by the Sephardis. All that remains of its original decor are two Cabbalistic symbols painted on a wall, though the museum does its best to flesh out the history of the community with maps and prints – all the real treasures are in the Jewish Museum in Pest.

Sparing a glance for the turbaned Turk’s head above the doorway of no. 24, head on to Bécsi kapu tér, an inclined plaza named after the Vienna Gate that was erected on the 250th anniversary of the recapture of Buda. Beside it, the forbiddingly neo-Romanesque National Archives (no admission) guard the way to Kapisztrán tér, a larger square centred on the Mary Magdalene Tower (Magdolna-torony), whose accompanying church was wrecked in World War II. In medieval times this was where Hungarian residents worshipped; Germans used the Mátyás Church. Today the tower boasts a peal of bells that jingles through a medley by the jazz pianist György Szabados, which includes Hungarian folk tunes, Chopin’s Études and the theme from The Bridge on the River Kwai.

Beyond is a statue of Friar John Capistranus, who exhorted the Hungarians to victory at the siege of Belgrade in 1456, which the pope hailed by ordering church bells to be rung at noon throughout Europe. It shows Capistranus bestriding a dead Turk and is aptly located outside the Military History Museum, located in a former barracks on the north of the square (Hadtörténeti Múzeum; April–Sept 10am–6pm; Oct–March 10am–4pm; closed Mon; 700Ft). This has gung-ho exhibitions on the history of hand-weapons from ancient times till the advent of firearms, and the birth and campaigns of the Honvéd (national army) during the 1848–49 War of Independence, but what sticks in the memory are the sections on the Hungarian Second Army that was decimated at Stalingrad – ask about seeing newsreel footage, as there are no regular shows. The entrance to the museum is on the Tóth Árpád sétány, a promenade lined with cannons and chestnut trees, overlooking the Buda Hills, which leads past a giant flagpole striped in Hungarian colours to the symbolic grave of Abdurrahman, the last Turkish Pasha of Buda, who died on the walls in 1686 – a “valiant foe”, according to the inscription.

Országház utca and úri utca

Heading back towards Szentháromság tér, there’s more to be seen on Országház utca, which was the district’s main thoroughfare in the Middle Ages and known as the “street of baths” during Turkish times. Its present name, Parliament Street, recalls the sessions of the Diet held in the 1790s in a former Poor Clares’ cloister at no. 28, where the Gestapo imprisoned 350 Hungarians and foreigners in 1945. No. 17, diagonally across the road, consists of two medieval houses joined together and has a relief of a croissant on its keystone from when it was a bakery. A few doors down from the former Parliament building, Renaissance sgraffiti survive on the underside of the bay window of no. 22 and a Gothic trefoil-arched cornice on the house next door, while the one beyond has been rebuilt according to its original fifteenth-century form.

The adjacent Úri utca (Gentleman Street) also boasts historic associations, for it was at the former Franciscan monastery at no. 51 that the five Hungarian Jacobins were held before being beheaded on the “Blood Meadow” below the hill in 1795. Next door is a wing of the Poor Clares’ cloister that served as a postwar telephone exchange before being turned into a Telephone Museum (Telefónia Múzeum; Tues–Sun 10am–4pm; 400Ft), entered from Országház utca 30 on weekends and holidays. The curator of the museum strives to explain the development of telephone exchanges since Tivadar Puskás introduced them to Budapest in the early 1900s – activating a noisy rotary one that’s stood here since the 1930s – and you’re invited to dial up commentaries in English or songs in Hungarian, check out the webcam and internet facilities, and admire the personal phones of Emperor Franz Josef, Admiral Horthy and the Communist leader Kádár.

Further down the street on either side, notice the statues of the four seasons in the first-floor niches at nos. 54–56, Gothic sedilia in the gateway of nos. 48–50, and three arched windows and two diamond-shaped ones from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries at no. 31.

The Hospital in the Rock and Buda Castle Labyrinth

Six to fourteen metres beneath the streets lie 10km of galleries formed by hot springs and cellars dug since medieval times. In 1941, a section was converted into a military hospital staffed from the civilian Szent János hospital, which doubled as an air-raid shelter after the Red Army broke through the Attila Line and encircled Budapest in December 1944. In the 1950s a nuclear bunker was added to the complex, maintained in readiness until 2000, a time capsule of the Cold War. English-language tours of the Hospital in the Rock (Sziklakórház; Tues–Sun 10am–8pm; www.sziklakorhaz.hu) run every hour till 6pm; one limited to the hospital (30min; 2000Ft), the other also featuring the bunkers (1hr; 3000Ft). Ramped throughout for wheelchairs and trolleys, its operating theatres contain 1930s X-ray and anaesthetic machines (used in the film Evita) and gory waxworks; bed sheets in the wards were changed every fortnight until 2000.

The ventilation system is run by generators installed in the nuclear bunker built in 1953, with charcoal air-filters, a laboratory for detecting toxins, atropine ampoules to be injected against nerve gas, and an airlock fitted when the bunker was enlarged between 1958 and 1962. To preserve its secrecy, fuel was delivered by trucks pretending to “water” flower beds on the surface, via a concealed pipeline. The entrance to the hospital is at Lovas út 4/b, on the rear hillside beyond the castle walls, reached by descending the steps at the end of Szentháromság utca and then walking 50m uphill.

Just downhill from the steps at Lovas út 4/a is a wheelchair-accessible entrance to the Buda Castle Labyrinth (Budavári Labirintus; daily 9.30am–7.30pm; 2000Ft; www.labirintus.com), a separate maze of caves that most visitors enter from Úri utca 9, at the top of Várhegy. The displays include copies of the cave paintings of Lascaux (Buda’s caves also sheltered prehistoric hunters), and a “bravery labyrinth”, where you have to make your way through a section of cave in total darkness. Masked figures and a giant head sunken into the floor enliven other dank chambers. There’s a cup of warming tea at the end of the optional 25-minute tour.

South towards the palace

Heading south from Szentháromság tér towards the palace, you’ll come to the intriguing Golden Eagle Pharmacy Museum (Arany Sas Patikamúzeum; Mon 10.30am–5.30pm, Tues–Sun 10.30am–6.30pm; 500Ft) at Tárnok utca 18. The first pharmacy in Buda, established after the expulsion of the Turks, its original furnishings lend authenticity to dubious nostrums including the skull of a mummy used to make “Mumia” powder to treat epilepsy; there’s also a reconstruction of an alchemist’s laboratory, complete with dried bats and crocodiles, and other obscure exhibits such as the small, long-necked Roman glass vessel for collecting widows’ tears. The Tárnok coffee house, next door but one, occupies one of the few buildings on the hill to have kept its Renaissance sgraffiti – a red and orange chequerboard pattern covering the facade.

Both Tárnok utca and Úri utca end in Dísz tér (Parade Square), where the mournful Honvéd memorial presages the ramparts and gateways controlling access to the palace grounds. Ahead lies the scarred hulk of the old Ministry of Defence, while to your left is the Castle Theatre (Várszínház), where the first-ever play in Hungarian was staged in 1790 and Beethoven performed in 1808. The last building in the row is the Sándor Palace (Sándor Palota), formerly the prime minister’s residence, where Premier Teleki shot himself in protest at Hungary joining the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia. It is now the residence of the country’s president, a figurehead who is elected by parliament rather than the electorate.

Next door, the upper terminal of the Sikló funicular is separated from the terrace of Buda Palace by a stately gateway and the ferocious-looking Turul statue, a giant bronze eagle clasping a sword in its talons. In Magyar mythology the Turul sired the first dynasty of Hungarian kings by raping the grandmother of Prince Árpád, who led the tribes into Europe. During the nineteenth century it became a symbol of Hungarian identity in the face of Austrian culture, but wound up being co-opted by the Habsburgs, and has today been adopted as an emblem by Hungary’s skinheads.

From here, you can descend a staircase to the terrace of the palace, commanding a sweeping view of Pest. Beyond the souvenir stalls prances an equestrian statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who liberated Buda in 1686. The bronze statues nearby represent Csongor and Tünde, the lovers in Vörösmarty’s drama of the same name.

Buda Palace

As befits a former royal residence, the lineage of Buda Palace (Budavári palota) can be traced back to medieval times, with the rise and fall of various palaces on the hill reflecting the changing fortunes of the Hungarian state. The first fortifications and dwellings, hastily erected by Béla IV after the Mongol invasion of 1241–42, were replaced by the grander palaces of the Angevin kings, who ruled in more prosperous and stable times. This process reached its zenith in the reign of Mátyás Corvinus (1458–90), whose palace was a Renaissance extravaganza to which artists and scholars from all over Europe were drawn by the blandishments of Queen Beatrice and the prospect of lavish hospitality; the rooms had hot and cold running water, and during celebrations the fountains and gargoyles flowed with wine. After the Turkish occupation, and the long siege that ended it, only ruins were left – which the Habsburgs, Hungary’s new rulers, levelled to build a palace of their own.

From Empress Maria Theresa’s modest beginnings (a mere 203 rooms, which she never saw completed), the Royal Palace expanded inexorably throughout the nineteenth century, though no monarch ever lived here, only the Habsburg Palatine (viceroy). After the collapse of the empire following World War I, Admiral Horthy inhabited the building with all the pomp of monarchy until he was deposed by a German coup in October 1944. The palace was left unoccupied, and it wasn’t long before the siege of Buda once again resulted in total devastation. Reconstruction work began in the 1950s in tandem with excavations of the medieval substrata beneath the rubble, which were incorporated in the new building, whose interior is far less elegant than the prewar version, being designed to accommodate cultural institutions.

The complex houses the Hungarian National Gallery (Wings A, B, C and D), the Budapest History Museum (E) and the National Széchenyi Library (F) – the first two of which are definitely worth seeing and could easily take an afternoon. There are separate entrances for each.

The Hungarian National Gallery

Most people’s first port of call is the Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria; Tues–Sun 10am–6pm; 900Ft for permanent displays, 800Ft for visiting shows; www.mng.hu), devoted to Hungarian art from the Middle Ages to the present. It contains much that’s superb, but the vastness of the collection and the confusing layout can be fatiguing. Though all the paintings are labelled in English, other details are scanty, so it’s worth investing in a guidebook (3500Ft) or guided tour (3300Ft for up to five people; book a couple of days in advance on 06-20/4397-326). The main entrance is on the eastern side of Wing C, overlooking the river, behind the statue of Eugene of Savoy. Don’t buy a special ticket (500Ft) to see the separate Habsburg crypt, containing the tombs of several Habsburgs who ruled as palatines of Hungary up until 1849, until you’ve checked that a tour is scheduled, as they require at least 25 people (06-20/4397-331).

On the ground floor of the museum, marble reliefs of Beatrice and Mátyás and a wooden ceiling from a sixteenth-century church are the highlights of a Medieval and Renaissance Lapidarium, which you need to pass through to reach the fantastic collection of fifteenth-century Gothic altarpieces at the rear of Wing D. Notice the varied reactions to the Death of the Virgin from Kassa and the gloating spectators in the Jánosrét Passion. From the same church comes a St Nicholas altar as long as a limo and lurid as a comic strip. The pointed finials on the high altar from Liptószentmária anticipate the winged altarpieces of the sixteenth century on the floor above. To get there without returning to the foyer, use the small staircase near the altarpieces and turn left, left and left again at the top.

The first floor picks up where downstairs left off by displaying late Gothic altarpieces with soaring pinnacles. Much of the Baroque art in the adjacent section once belonged to Prince Miklós Esterházy or was confiscated from private owners in the 1950s. Don’t miss Ádám Mányoki’s portrait of Ferenc Rákóczi II, a sober look at a national hero that foreshadowed a whole artistic genre in the nineteenth century. This and other National Historical art fills the central block, where you’ll be confronted by two vast canvases as you come up the staircase: Zrínyi’s Sortie by Peter Krafft depicting the suicidal sally of the defenders of Szigetvár, and the Reoccupying of Buda Castle by Gyula Benczúr. At the end near Wing B, you’ll find Sándor Lilzen-Mayer’s St Elizabeth of Hungary offering her ermine cape to a ragged mother and child, and two iconic scenes by Bertalan Székely: The Battle of Mohács, a shattering defeat for the Hungarians in 1526; and The Women of Eger, exalting their defiance of the Turks in 1552. Wing B covers other trends in nineteenth-century art, with sections devoted to Mihály Munkácsy and László Paál – exhibited together since both painted landscapes, though Paál did little else whereas Munkácsy was internationally renowned for pictures with a social message – and Pál Szinyei Merse, the “father of Hungarian Impressionism”, whose models and subjects were cheerfully bourgeois.

On the stairs to the floor above you’ll pass three huge canvases by the visionary artist Tivadar Kosztka Csontváry, whose obsession with the Holy Land and the “path of the sun” inspired scenes like Look Down on the Dead Sea and Ruins of the Greek Theatre at Taormina. The second floor covers twentieth-century Hungarian art up to 1945, starting with the vibrant Art Nouveau movement off to the right of the atrium. Pictures by János Vaszary (Golden Age) and Aladár Körösfői Kriesch (founder of the Gödöllő artists’ colony) are set in richly hand-carved frames, an integral part of their composition. József Rippl-Rónai was a pupil of Munkácsy whose portraits went mostly unrecognized in his lifetime. Here you’ll also find Csontváry’s magically lit Coaching in Athens at the Full Moon.

Since all the Socialist art was evicted in the 1990s, the third floor has been used for temporary exhibitions of graphics or photos by Hungarian artists. On fine days, visitors can ascend to the palace’s dome for a view of the city.

The Mátyás Fountain and National Széchenyi Library

The courtyard outside is flanked on three sides by the palace, and overlooks Buda to the west. In the far corner stands the flamboyant Mátyás Fountain, whose bronze figures recall the legend of Szép Ilonka. This beautiful peasant girl met the king while he was hunting incognito, fell in love with him, and died of a broken heart after discovering his identity and realizing the futility of her hopes. The man with a falcon is the king’s Italian chronicler, who recorded the story for posterity. It is also enshrined in a poem by Vörösmarty.

A gateway guarded by lions leads into the Lion Courtyard, totally enclosed by further wings. To the right is the National Széchenyi Library (Országos Széchenyi Könyvtár; Tues–Sat 10am–8pm, closed mid-July to late Aug). Founded in 1802 on the initiative of Count Ferenc Széchenyi, the father of István, it receives a copy of every book, newspaper and magazine published in Hungary. You can only visit the reading room on guided tours (200Ft; 1/487-8657) or with a reader’s pass (6000Ft; passport required to apply). During library hours, a passenger lift (100Ft) in the adjacent building by the Lion Gateway – open to all – provides direct access to and from Dózsa tér, at the foot of Várhegy.

The Budapest History Museum

On the far side of the courtyard, the Budapest History Museum (Budapest Történeti Múzeum; mid-March to mid-Sept daily 10am–6pm; mid-Sept to Oct daily except Tues 10am–6pm; Nov to mid-March daily except Tues 10am–4pm; 1600Ft, audioguide 850Ft; www.btm.hu) covers two millennia on three floors before descending into the vaulted, flagstoned halls of palaces of old. Due to the ravages inflicted by the Mongols and the Turks there’s little to show from the time of the Conquest or Hungary’s medieval civilization, so most of the second floor is occupied by Budapest in Modern Times, an exhibition that gives an insight into urban planning, fashions, trade and vices from 1686 onwards, with items ranging from an 1880s barrel organ to one of the Swedish Red Cross notices affixed to Jewish safe houses by Wallenberg. The remains of the medieval palace are reached from the basement via an eighteenth-century cellar. A wing of the ground floor of King Sigismund’s palace and the cellars beneath the Corvin Library form a stratum overlaying the Royal Chapel and a Gothic Hall displaying statues found in 1974. In another chamber are portions of red marble fireplaces and a massive portal carved with cherubs and flowers, from King Mátyás’s palace.

If you feel like walking down the hillside into the Víziváros, the river-facing route switchbacks past a Rondella and the former Palace Gardens (whose crumbling statues and terraces are on the World Monument Fund’s list of endangered sites) to end up at the lower terminal of the Sikló. Aiming for the Tabán, it’s better to leave the castle grounds by the Ferdinánd Gate near the Mace Tower, from which steps run directly down to Szarvas tér.

The Víziváros

Originally a poor quarter where fishermen, craftsmen and their families lived, the Víziváros (Watertown) between Várhegy and the Danube was repopulated after the expulsion of the Turks by Croatian and Serbian mercenaries and their camp followers. Today it’s a reclusive neighbourhood of mansions and old buildings meeting at odd angles on the hillside, reached by alleys which mostly consist of steps rising from the main street, Fő utca. Some of these are still lit by gas lamps and look quite Dickensian on misty evenings.

Batthyány tér and around

The district’s main square, named Batthyány tér after the nineteenth-century prime minister, was originally called Bomba tér after the ammunition depot sited here for the defence of the Danube. Now home to a long-established market and the underground interchange between the red metro line and the HÉV rail line to Szentendre, it’s always busy with shoppers and commuters. To the right of the market is a sunken, two-storey building that used to be the White Cross Inn, where Casanova reputedly once stayed. Many of the older buildings in this area are sunken in this way: ground level was raised several feet in the nineteenth century to combat flooding. The twin-towered St Anne Parish Church, on the corner of the square, sports the Buda coat of arms on its tympanum. Its interior is ornate yet homely, the high altar festooned with statues of St Anne presenting Mary to the Temple in Jerusalem, accompanied by a host of cherubim and angels, while chintzy bouquets and potted trees welcome shoppers dropping in to say their prayers.

To the Lánchíd and Sikló

Heading south along Fő utca from Batthyány tér, you’ll notice a spiky polychrome-tiled church on Szilágyi Desző tér, where an inconspicuous plaque commemorates hundreds of Jews massacred beside the Danube by the Arrow Cross in January 1945, when Eichmann and the SS had already fled the city. Further on, you can see the old Capuchin Church featuring Turkish window arches, at no. 30 on the left-hand side, and the Institut Français at no. 17, which celebrates Bastille Day with an outdoor concert beside the Danube.

A block or two later you emerge onto Clark Ádám tér, facing the majestic Lánchíd (Chain Bridge), which has a special place in the history of Budapest and in the hearts of its citizens. As the first permanent link between Buda and Pest (replacing seasonal pontoon bridges and ferries), it was a tremendous spur to the country’s economic growth and unification, linking the rural hinterland to European civilization so that Budapest became a commercial centre and transport hub. The bridge symbolized the abolition of feudal privilege, as nobles, hitherto exempt from taxes, were obliged to pay the toll to cross it. It also embodied civic endurance, having been inaugurated only weeks after Hungary lost the 1849 War of Independence, when Austrian troops tried and failed to destroy it. In 1945 it fell to the Wehrmacht, who dynamited all of Budapest’s bridges in a bid to check the Red Army. Their reconstruction was one of the first tasks of the postwar era; the Lánchíd reopened on the centenary of its inauguration, and is now honoured with its own Bridge Festival (Hídünnep) in June.

The bridge was the brainchild of Count István Széchenyi, a horse-fancying Anglophile with a passion for innovation, who founded the Academy of Sciences and brought steam engines to Hungary, amongst other achievements. Designed by William Tierney Clark, it was constructed under the supervision of a Scottish engineer, Adam Clark (no relation), who personally thwarted the Austrian attempts to destroy it by flooding the chain-lockers. Whereas Széchenyi later died in an asylum, having witnessed the triumph (and subsequent defeat) of Kossuth and the 1848 Revolution, Adam Clark settled happily in Budapest with his Hungarian wife.

During his time in Budapest, Clark also built the tunnel (alagút) under Várhegy which, Budapesters joked, could be used to store the new bridge when it rained. Next to the tunnel entrance on the river end is the lower terminal of the Sikló, a nineteenth-century funicular running up to the palace (daily 7.30am–10pm, closed every other Monday; 700Ft one-way, 1300Ft return; Budapest Card not valid). Constructed on the initiative of Ödön, Széchenyi’s son, it was only the second funicular in the world when it was inaugurated in 1870, and functioned without a hitch until wrecked by a shell in 1945. The yellow carriages are exact replicas of the originals, but are now lifted by an electric winch rather than a steam engine. In the small park at its foot stands Kilometre Zero, a zero-shaped monument from which all distances from Budapest are measured.

To the Király Baths and Bem tér

From Batthyány tér, Fő utca runs north to Bem tér, named after the Polish general Joseph Bem, who fought for the Hungarians in the War of Independence. The statue of Bem with his arm in a sling was a rallying point for the crowds that marched on Parliament at the beginning of the 1956 Uprising. Bambi, at the junction of Frankel Leó utca, is a Budapest institution, retaining its 1970s furnishing and fierce waitresses.

You can identify the nearby Király Baths (Király Gyógyfürdő; 1300Ft) by four copper cupolas, shaped like tortoise shells, poking from its eighteenth-century facade. The Király has separate days for men (Tues, Thurs & Sat 9am–8pm) and women (Mon, Wed & Fri 7am–6pm). Together with the Rudas, this is the finest of Budapest’s Turkish baths, whose octagonal pool, lit by star-shaped apertures in the dome, was built in 1570 for the Buda garrison. The baths’ name, meaning “king”, comes from that of the König family who owned them in the eighteenth century.

Approaching the baths from the south, you’ll pass the hulking Fascist-style Military Court of Justice at Fő utca 70–72, where Imre Nagy and other leaders of the Uprising were secretly tried and executed in 1958. The square outside has now been renamed after Nagy, whose body lay in an unmarked grave in the New Public Cemetery for over thirty years.

A century ago, the neighbourhood surrounding Bem tér was dominated by a foundry established by the Swiss ironworker Abrahám Ganz, which grew into the mighty Ganz Machine Works. The original ironworks only ceased operation in 1964, when it was turned into a Foundry Museum (Öntödei Múzeum; Tues–Sun 9am–4pm; 400Ft). You can still see the old wooden structure and the foundry’s huge ladles and cranes in situ, together with a collection of cast-iron stoves, tram wheels, lampposts and other exhibits. The museum is located at Bem utca 20, 200m from Bem tér, or barely a block from Margit körút.

The Tabán, Gellért-hegy and beyond

South of the Vár lies the Tabán district, once Buda’s artisan quarter, inhabited by Serbs (known as Rác in Hungarian), and subsequently a seedy pleasure zone until the area was razed in the 1930s and replaced by an anodyne park that was later carved up by flyovers. Thankfully, the city planners spared Tabán’s historic Turkish baths, and its traditions of lusty nightlife have been revived by the neighbouring outdoor bars.

The Tabán and its Turkish baths

In the more sedate reaches of the Tabán below the Vár, the Semmelweis Medical Museum at Apród utca 1–3 (Tues–Sun: March–Oct 10.30am–6pm; Nov–Feb 10.30am–4pm; www.semmelweis.museum.hu; free) honours the “saviour of mothers”, Ignác Semmelweis (1815–65). He discovered the cause of puerperal fever (a form of blood poisoning contracted in childbirth) and a simple method for preventing the disease, which until then was usually fatal: the sterilization of instruments and the washing of hands with carbolic soap. Inside are displayed medical instruments through the ages, including such curios as a chastity belt.

An even better reason to come to the Tabán, though, is to visit its Turkish baths, where you can immerse yourself in history. The relaxing and curative effects of Buda’s mineral springs have been appreciated for two thousand years. The Romans built splendid bathhouses at Aquincum, to the north of Buda, and, while these declined with the empire, interest revived after the Knights of St John built a hospice on the site of the present Rudas Baths, near where St Elizabeth cured lepers in the springs below Gellért-hegy. However, it was the Turks who consolidated the habit of bathing – as Muslims, they were obliged to wash five times daily in preparation for prayer – and constructed proper bathhouses which function to this day.

Two lie at the southern end of the Tabán by the Erzsébet híd bridgehead. The Rác Baths (Rác Gyógyfürdő), tucked away beneath Hegyalja út, retain an octagonal stone pool from Turkish times, but at the time of writing were closed as part of a major redevelopment that will turn them into a luxury spa hotel complex. Heading on towards the Rudas Baths, you’ll pass the Drinking Hall (Ivócsarnok; Mon, Wed & Fri 11am–6pm, Tues & Thurs 7am–2pm), beneath the road to the bridge, which sells inexpensive mineral water from three nearby springs. Beyond the bridge, the Rudas Baths (Rudas Gyógyfürdő; 2200Ft) harbour a fantastic octagonal pool constructed in 1556 on the orders of Pasha Sokoli Mustapha. Bathers wallow amid shafts of light pouring in from the star-shaped apertures in the domed ceiling, surrounded by stone pillars with iron tie-beams and a nest of smaller pools for parboiling oneself or cooling down. The Rudas has separate days for mixed (Fri noon–4am, Sat 6am–5pm & 10pm–4am, Sun 6am–5pm), men-only (Mon & Wed–Fri 6am–8pm) and women-only (Tues 6am–8pm) bathing.

Gellért-hegy

Gellért-hegy is as much a feature of the waterfront panorama as Várhegy and the Parliament building: a craggy dolomite cliff rearing 130m above the embankment of the Danube, surmounted by the Liberation Monument and the Citadella. The hill is named after Bishop Ghirardus (Gellért in Hungarian), who converted pagan Magyars to Christianity at the behest of King Stephen. After his royal protector’s demise, vengeful heathens strapped Gellért to a barrow and toppled him off the cliff, where a statue of St Gellért now stands astride a waterfall facing Erzsébet híd.

Before ascending the hill, take a look at the Gellért Hotel facing Szabadság híd, a famous Art Nouveau establishment opened in 1918, which Admiral Horthy commandeered following his triumphal entry into “sinful Budapest” in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, its balls were the highlight of Budapest’s social calendar, when debutantes danced on a glass floor laid over its pool. The attached Gellért Baths (Gellért Gyógyfürdő) are magnificently appointed with majolica tiles and mosaics, and a columned, Roman-style thermal pool, with lion-headed spouts. To enjoy its waters (May–Sept daily 6am–7pm; Oct–April Mon–Fri 6am–7pm, Sat & Sun 6am–5pm; 2800Ft/3100Ft with a locker/cubicle), you must first reach the changing rooms by a labyrinth of passages; staff are usually helpful with directions. At the far end of the pool are steps leading down to the separate thermal baths (daily 6am–6pm), with segregated areas and ornate plunge pools for men and women. Tickets cover both sections, and towels, bathrobes, bathing caps and swimsuits can be rented. From May to August you can also use the outdoor pools, including one with a wave machine, on the terraces behind the main baths.

On the hillside opposite the entrance to the baths lies the sepulchral Cave Church (Sziklatemplom) where Mass is conducted by white-robed monks of the Pauline order – Hungary’s only indigenous order (founded in 1256). The order once provided confessors to the monarchy, and had a monastery beside the church, until the whole order was arrested by the ÁVO at midnight Mass on Easter Monday, 1951, and the chapel was sealed up until 1989. Flickering candles and mournful organ music create an eerie atmosphere during services (daily 8.30–9.30am, 11am–noon, 4.30–6.30pm & 8–9pm), but tourists are only allowed to enter between times. Outside the entrance stands a statue of St Stephen with his horse.

From here, you can follow one of the footpaths to the summit – about a twenty-minute climb. The hillside, which still bears fig trees planted by the Turks, was covered in vineyards until a phylloxera epidemic struck in the nineteenth century. Kids will enjoy the long tubular slides on the hotel-facing slopes of the hill.

The Liberation Monument and Citadella

Whether you walk up or travel part-way by bus (#27 from Móricz Zsigmond körtér to the Busuló Juhász stop, followed by a 10min walk), the summit of Gellért-hegy affords a stunning panoramic view, drawing one’s eye slowly along the curving river, past bridges and monumental landmarks, and then on to the Buda Hills and Pest’s suburbs, merging hazily with the distant plain.

On the summit stands the Liberation Monument (Felszabadulási emlékmű) – a female figure brandishing the palm of victory over 30m aloft. Originally commissioned by Admiral Horthy in memory of his son – killed in a plane crash on the Eastern Front – the monument was ultimately dedicated to the Soviet troops who died liberating Budapest from the Nazis. Its sculptor, Zsigmond Kisfaludi-Strobl, substituted a palm branch for the propeller it was meant to hold and added a statue of a Red Army soldier at the base of the monument, to gain approval as a “Proletarian Artist”. Having previously specialized in busts of the aristocracy, he was henceforth known by his compatriots as “Kisfaludi-Strébel” (strébel meaning “to climb” or “step from side to side”). The monument survived calls for its removal following the end of Communism, but its inscription was rewritten to honour those who died for “Hungary’s prosperity”, and the Soviet soldier was banished to the Memento Park.

The Citadella or fortress behind the monument was built by the Habsburgs to dominate the city in the aftermath of the 1848–49 Revolution. When the historic Compromise was reached in 1867, Budapest’s citizens breached the walls to affirm that it no longer posed a threat to them – though in fact an SS regiment did later hole up here during World War II. Today it has been usurped by a private company, charging visitors 1200Ft to set foot inside the walls (daily 8am–dusk) to view an outdoor exhibition on the hill’s history since the Celtic Eravisci lived here two thousand years ago, and a dull re-creation of a Nazi bunker in a concrete cellar. There’s also a hotel, reached by a separate entrance.

Farkasréti Cemetery

Two kilometres west of Gellért-hegy in the hilly XI district, the Farkasréti Cemetery (Farkasréti temető; daily 7.30am–5pm; free) is easily reached by riding tram #59 from Moszkva tér to the penultimate stop or by catching bus #8 from Március 15 tér in Pest. Among the 10,000 graves in the “Wolf’s Meadow Cemetery” are those of Béla Bartók (whose remains were ceremonially reinterred in 1988 following their return from America, where he died in exile in 1945), his fellow composer Zoltán Kodály, and the conductor Georg Solti (who left Hungary in 1939 to meet Toscanini and thus escaped the fate of his Jewish parents). Less well known abroad are the actress Gizi Bajor, Olympic-medal winning boxer László Papp, and Hungary’s Stalinist dictator Mátyás Rákosi (to avoid vandalism, only the initials on his grave are visible). Also look out for the many wooden grave markers inscribed in the ancient runic Székely alphabet.

But the real attraction is the amazing mortuary chapel by architect Imre Makovecz – one of his finest designs (1975) – whose wood-ribbed vault resembles the inside of a human ribcage, with a casket for corpses where the heart would be. Be discreet, as the chapel is in constant use by mourners. Anyone keen to see more of Makovecz’s work should pay a visit to Visegrád, north of Budapest.

Memento Park

One of Budapest’s most popular attractions, the Memento Park or Statue Park (Szoborpark; daily 10am–dusk; 1500Ft; www.mementopark.hu) brings together 42 of the monuments that once glorified Communism in the capital, to celebrate its demise. The park is way out beside Balatoni út in the XXII District, 15km southwest of the city centre; getting there involves taking bus #47-49v from Deák tér to Etele tér, and then a Volán bus from stand 7 or 8 towards Diósd-Érd, which takes ten minutes to reach the park. More expensive but simpler is the Memento Park bus that leaves from in front of Le Meridien hotel by Deák tér at 11am daily throughout the year, with an additional service at 3pm in July and August (3950Ft including entry to the park – tickets from the Volánbusz office across the road from the Meridien).

Built in stages (1994–2004) as an “unfinished project”, the complex is an anti-temple to a bankrupt ideology. Visitors are greeted by a replica of the Stalin grandstand, from which Party leaders reviewed parades; the giant boots recall the eight-metre-high Stalin statue toppled in 1956. Beyond lies Witness Square, representing all those squares in Eastern Europe where people defied Communism. In the Barrack Hall you can watch Life of an Agent, a montage of ÁVO training films on how to bug or search premises and recruit informers. Across the way, the Red Star Store sells Lenin and Stalin candles, model Trabant cars and selections of revolutionary songs, which can be heard playing from a 1950s’ radio set.

The park proper lies behind a bogus Classical facade framing giant statues of Lenin, Marx and Engels. Lenin’s once stood beside the Városliget, while Marx’s and Engels’ are carved from granite quarried at Mauthausen, a Nazi concentration camp in Austria, later used by the Soviets. Inside the grounds you’ll encounter the Red Army soldier that guarded the foot of the Liberation Monument on Gellért-hegy, and dozens of other statues and memorials, large and small. Artistically, the best are the Republic of Councils Monument – a giant charging sailor based on a 1919 revolutionary poster – and Imre Varga’s Béla Kun Memorial, with Kun on a tribune surrounded by a surging crowd of workers and soldiers (plus a bystander with an umbrella).

The Tropicarium and Nagytétényi Castle Museum

Two more sights are located still further out in Buda. A must-see for kids, the Tropicarium (daily 10am–8pm; 1900Ft, child 1200Ft; www.tropicarium.hu) is the largest aquarium-terrarium in Central Europe. Its saltwater section has an eleven-metre-long glass tunnel for intimate views of sand tiger and brown sharks, while the freshwater part has piranhas, mouth-breeding cichlids from Africa’s Great Lakes, and an outdoor pool to show fish lying dormant when it freezes over. Even better is the mini-rainforest complete with macaws, marmoset monkeys, iguanas and alligators, kept steamy by a downpour with thunder and lightning effects, every fifteen minutes. The Tropicarium is in the Campona Shopping Centre, Nagytétényi út 37–43, in Buda’s XXII district; take bus #3 from Móricz Zsigmond körtér or #14 or #144 from Kosztolányi Desző tér.

Further out in the XXII district, the Nagytétényi Castle Museum (Nagytétényi Kastélymúzeum; Tues–Sun 10am–6pm; 600Ft; 800Ft for temporary exhibitions; www.nagytetenyi.hu) is strictly for lovers of antique furniture. Its 28 rooms display furniture from the Gothic to the Biedermeier epochs, owned by the Applied Arts Museum; the most outstanding exhibit is a walnut-veneered refectory from Trencsen Monastery. In July and August, historical dances and concerts are held in the grounds (1/207-0005 for details). To get there, take bus #3 from Móricz Zsigmond körtér (30–45mins) or the Tropicarium (15min) to the Petőfi utca stop, cross the road and follow Hugonnay utca down past the children’s playground to the kastély.

Around Moszkva tér and the Rózsadomb

The area immediately north of Várhegy is largely defined by the transport hub of Moszkva tér and the reclusive residential quarter covering the Rózsadomb (Rose Hill), but the Millenarium Park and Mammut malls have created a focus for the area, whose interest previously lay in the ambience of the Rózsadomb, Gül Baba’s tomb in the backstreets, and easy access to the Buda Hills.

Moszkva tér and the Millenarium Park

Once a quarry, and subsequently an ice rink and tennis courts, the busy transport nexus of Moszkva tér (Moscow Square) has kept its name due to the sheer cost of renaming all the vehicles, maps and signs on which it appears. Among the useful services that run from here are the red metro; buses #16, #16A or #116 to Várhegy; bus or tram #61 to Hűvösvölgy; and trams #4 and #6 to Margit-sziget and Pest’s Nagykörút. Trams #4 and #6 run along Margit körút, past the Mammut malls (fronted by a statue of the woolly beast), and can get you within walking distance of Gül Baba’s tomb.

The main attraction of the area lies behind the mall, where the site of the former Ganz Machine Works has been transformed into the Millenarium Park (daily 6am–11pm; free) with water features, vineyards and plots of corn to represent different regions of Hungary. Kids can be let loose on the fantastic playground, and visitors of all ages can enjoy the performances at the outdoor theatre, indoor and outdoor concerts and an ever-changing rota of events in the converted factory buildings; get details from the information centre (daily 10am–6pm; 1/336 4057, www.millenaris.hu) in Building G.

A big draw for those with kids or an interest in science is the Palace of Miracles (Csodák palotája; mid-June to late Aug daily 10am–6pm; rest of the year Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat & Sun 10am–6pm; 1200Ft, family 3440Ft; www.csodapalota.hu) in Building D. This interactive playhouse is the brainchild of two Hungarian physicists and aims to explain scientific principles to 6- to 12-year-olds, using devices such as optical illusions, a bed of nails, a simulated low-gravity “moonwalk” and a “miracle bicycle” on a tightrope. Nearby in Building B, the House of the Future (Tues–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat & Sun 10am–6pm; 1500Ft, family 4500Ft) offers digital-based temporary exhibitions on futuristic themes.

The Rózsadomb

Budapest’s most exclusive neighbourhood lies beyond smog-ridden Margit körút and the backstreets off Moszkva tér. If you’re coming from Bem tér, consider a preliminary detour to the rather over-restored tomb of Gül Baba on Mecset utca, just above Margit körút (Tues–Sun: May–Sept 10am–6pm; Oct–April 10am–4pm; 500Ft). This small octagonal building is a shrine to the “Father of the Roses”, a Sufi Dervish who participated in the Turkish capture of Buda but died during the thanksgiving service afterwards. Restored with funds from the Turkish government, the tomb now stands in a pristine little park with marble fountains and arabesque tiles. Carpets and examples of calligraphy adorn the shrine, which fittingly stands in a rose garden, surrounded by a colonnaded parapet with fine views.

The Rózsadomb (Rose Hill) itself is as much a social category as a neighbourhood, for a list of residents would read like a Hungarian Who’s Who. During the Communist era this included the top Party funcionárusok, whose homes featured secret exits that enabled several ÁVO chiefs to escape lynching during the Uprising. Nowadays, wealthy film directors and entrepreneurs predominate, and the sloping streets are lined with spacious villas and flashy cars.

Heading downhill to the riverbank just north of Margit híd, you can find the Neoclassical Lukács Baths (Lukács Gyógyfürdő; Mon–Sat 6am–7pm, Sun 6am–5pm; 1700Ft/1900Ft with a locker/cabin), harbouring a mixed thermal pool and a small swimming pool. The courtyard leading to the baths is festooned with plaques of gratitude in different languages from those who have benefited from the medicinal waters. In 2008 a large thermal cave lake was opened up under the Lukács – though plans to open it to the public may take a while. The adjacent Császár Komjádi Pool (Császár Komjádi Uszoda; daily 6am–6pm; 1320Ft) has a Turkish bath-hall dating from the sixteenth century, plus an excellent modern outdoor swimming pool that gets covered over in winter; the entrance is on the embankment side.

Óbuda and Rómaifürdő

Óbuda is the oldest part of Budapest, though that’s hardly the impression given by the factories and high-rises that dominate the district today, hiding such ancient ruins as remain. Nonetheless, it was here that the Romans built a legionary camp and a civilian town, later taken over by the Huns. Under the Hungarian Árpád dynasty this developed into an important town, but in the fifteenth century it was eclipsed by Várhegy. The original settlement became known as Óbuda (Old Buda) and was incorporated into the newly formed Budapest in 1873. The tiny old town centre is as pretty as Várhegy, with several museums worth seeing, but to find the best-preserved Roman ruins you’ll have to go to the Rómaifürdő district, further out.

Óbuda

After its incorporation within the city, Óbuda became a popular place to eat, drink and make merry, with garden restaurants and taverns serving fish and wine from the locality. Some of the most famous establishments still exist around Fő tér, the heart of eighteenth-century Óbuda, with its ornate Trinity Column. While there’s no denying the charm of their Baroque facades and wrought-iron lamps, many are simply trading on past glories; see also Óbuda’s eating places.

There’s more to enjoy from a cultural standpoint. Directly opposite the Árpád híd HÉV exit at Szentlélek tér 6, the Vasarely Museum (Vasarely Múzeum; Tues–Sun 10am–5.30pm; 800Ft; www.vasarely.tvn.hu) displays eyeball-throbbing Op Art works by Viktor Vasarely (1906–99), the founder of the genre, who was born in Pécs in southern Hungary, emigrated to Paris in 1930 and spent the rest of his life in France.

Around the corner at Fő tér 1, the Baroque Zichy mansion contains a courtyard seemingly unchanged since Habsburg times, at the back of which is the Kassák Museum (Kassák Múzeum; Wed–Sun 10am–5pm; 300Ft), dedicated to the Hungarian Constructivist Lajos Kassák (1887–1967) and featuring his paintings, magazine designs and possessions. Another door off the yard leads to the Óbuda Museum (Óbudai Múzeum; Tues–Sun 10am–6pm; 300Ft), a fascinating local history collection with reconstructed living rooms from a Sváb (German) community on the edge of Buda, and a middle-class household in thrall to Art Nouveau.

Across the square at no. 4, another Baroque mansion houses the charming Kun Collection of Folk Art (Kun Zsigmond Népműveszéti Gyűjtemény; Tues–Sun 10am–5pm; 300Ft): peasant furniture, ceramics and textiles collected by “Uncle Zsigmond”, as he was fondly known, who lived to the ripe old age of 107; the museum was his former apartment.

Whatever the weather, you’ll see several figures sheltering beneath umbrellas just off Fő tér, life-sized sculptures by Imre Varga, Hungary’s best-known living artist, whose oeuvre is the subject of the Varga Museum (Varga Imre Múzeum; Tues–Sun 10am–6pm; 500Ft) at Laktanya utca 7. Pathos and humour pervade his sheet-metal, iron and bronze effigies of famous personages, including Pope John Paul II and Bartók.

Roman remains

Óbuda’s Roman remains lurk in a concrete jungle. On Flórián tér, 500m west of Fő tér, weathered columns rise amid a shopping plaza, while the old military baths (thermae maiores) are exposed in the pedestrian underpass beneath the Szentendrei út flyover. The largest ruin is a weed-choked, crumbling military amphitheatre (amfiteátrum) which once seated up to 13,000 spectators, at the junction of Pacsirtamező utca and Nagyszombat utca, 800m further south – accessible by bus #86 or by walking 400m from Kolosy tér, near the Szépvölgyi út HÉV stop.

North of Óbuda, the riverside factory belt merges into the Rómaifürdő (Roman Bath) district, harbouring a campsite, a lido and the ruins of Aquincum. Originally a settlement of camp followers spawned by the legionary garrison, Aquincum eventually became the provincial capital of Pannonia Inferior. The ruins (Tues–Sun: May–Sept 9am–6pm; late April & Oct 9am–5pm; Nov 10am–4pm; 900Ft; www.aquincum.hu) are visible from the Aquincum HÉV stop, a brief walk from the site. Enough of the foundation walls and underground piping survives to give a fair idea of the town’s layout, with its forum and law courts, its sanctuaries of the goddesses Epona and Fortuna Augusta, and the collegia and bathhouses where fraternal societies met. Its bare bones are given substance by an excellent museum (opens at 10am, same ticket) and smaller exhibitions around the site. Its star exhibit is the mosaic of Nessus abducting Deianeira, which originally consisted of sixty thousand stones, selected and arranged in Alexandria before shipment to Europe. The Floralia Festival (May 17–18) and Aquincum Summer (mid-May to mid-Sept at weekends) see theatrical performances, crafts-making displays, mock gladiator battles and other events staged here.

The Buda Hills

Thirty minutes or less by bus from Moszkva tér, the Buda Hills provide a welcome respite from Budapest’s summertime heat. While some parts can be crowded at the weekend with walkers and mountain-bikers, it’s possible to ramble through the woods for hours and see hardly a soul during the week. If your time is limited, the most rewarding options are the “railway circuit” or a visit to the caves – though the Bartók or Kiscelli museums will be irresistible to some. Exploring the hills by trail-bike is a more ambitious option, if you’ve got a day to spare and the stamina. Velo-Touring (XI, Előpatak utca 1 1/319-0571, www.velo-touring.hu) rents 21-gear bikes (3530Ft for 5hr; 23,500Ft deposit) and can advise on routes. Bikes can be carried on the Cogwheel and Children’s railways.

The “railway circuit”

This is an easy and enjoyable way to visit the hills that will especially appeal to kids. The whole trip can take under two hours if connections click, or a half-day if you prefer to take your time. You begin at the lower terminal of the Cogwheel Railway (Fogaskerekűvasút, now designated as tram #60), which is two stops from Moszkva tér on tram #18 or #61 or bus #22, #56 and others heading up Szilágyi Erzsébet fasor; alight opposite the cylindrical Budapest Hotel. The train was the third such railway in the world when it was inaugurated in 1874, and was steam-powered until its electrification in 1929. Running every ten minutes or so (daily 5am–11pm; BKV fares and passes apply), its cogs fitting into a notched track, the train climbs 300m over 3km through the villa-suburb of Svábhegy; for the best view, take a window seat on the right-hand side, facing backwards.

From the upper terminal on Széchenyi-hegy, it’s a minute’s walk to the Children’s Railway (Gyermekvasút). A narrow-gauge line built by Communist youth brigades in 1948, it’s almost entirely run by 13- to 17-year-old members of the Scouts and Guides movement, enabling them to get hands-on experience if they fancy a career with MÁV, the Hungarian Railways company. Watching them solemnly wave flags and salute departures, you can see why it appealed to the Communists. Trains depart for the eleven-kilometre, 45-minute journey to Hűvösvölgy every 45–60 minutes (Tues–Sun 9am–5pm, June–Aug also Mon; 450Ft to any mid-station, 600Ft from terminus to terminus). In summer, they sometimes run heritage trains, pulled by a steam engine or vintage diesel loco, for which a 200Ft supplement is charged.

The first stop, Normafa (more quickly reached on bus #90 or #90A from Moszkva tér), is a popular excursion centre with a modest ski-run and sledging slopes. Its name (Norma-tree) comes from a performance of the famous aria from Bellini’s Norma given next to an old tree here by the actress Rozália Klein in 1840. At the next stop, Csillebérc, kids and adults can enjoy an adventure playground (Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat & Sun 9am–7pm; 1200–2800Ft per hr; www.kalandpalya.com), with tree-top walkways and wire-slides – at Challengeland.

Alighting at János-hegy, one stop on, it’s a fifteen-minute climb to the top of János-hegy (527m), the highest point in Budapest. The Romanesque-style Erzsébet lookout tower (daily 8am–8pm; free) on the summit offers a panoramic view of the city and the Buda Hills. By the buffet below the summit is the upper terminal of the chairlift or Libegő, meaning “floater” in Hungarian (May–Sept 10am–5pm; Oct–April 9.30am–4pm; closed every other Mon; 500Ft), which wafts you down over trees and gardens to the suburb of Zugliget, from where #158 buses return to Moszkva tér.

Wild boar, which prefer to roam during the evening and sleep by day, are occasionally sighted in the forests above Hárshegy, one stop before the terminus at Hűvösvölgy. Hűvösvölgy (Cool Valley) is a rapidly expanding suburb spreading into the hills and valleys beyond, also linked directly to Moszkva tér by the #56 bus. The Art Nouveau bus terminus, with its covered stairways leading to the train station, has been restored to its original elegance.

Caves, the Bartók house and other sights

The hills to the west of Óbuda feature a network of caves that are unique for having been formed by thermal waters rising up from below, rather than by rain water. Two sites offer guided tours (some English spoken) every hour on the hour, if there are five people. In both cases the starting point is Kolosy tér in Óbuda (accessible by bus #86 from Flórián tér or Batthyány tér, or bus #6 from Nyugati tér in Pest), from where you catch bus #65 five stops to the Pálvölgyi Cave, or bus #29 four stops to the Szemlőhegyi Cave. As the two caves are ten minutes’ walk apart, it’s possible to dash from one to the other and catch both tours within two hours.

The Pálvölgyi Stalactite Cave (Pálvölgyi cseppkőbarlang; tours hourly Tues–Sun 10am–4pm; 1250Ft) at Szépvölgyi út 162 is the more spectacular of the two labyrinths, discovered in 1904 by a quarryman searching for a sheep that disappeared when the floor of the quarry fell in. Half-hour tours start on the lowest level, boasting rock formations such as the “Organ Pipes” and “Beehive”, before ascending a crevice to the upper level, ending at “Paradise”, overlooking the hellish “Radium Hall” 50m below.

Quite different is the Szemlőhegyi Cave (Szemlőhegyi barlang; tours hourly Mon & Wed–Sun 10am–4pm; 1250Ft) at Pusztaszeri út 35, with less convoluted and claustrophobic passages and no stalactites. Instead, the walls are encrusted with cauliflower- or popcorn-textured precipitates. Discovered in 1930, the cave has exceptionally clean air, and its lowest level is used as a respiratory sanatorium.

A fifteen-minute uphill slog from the Szemlőhegyi cave, the Kiscelli Museum (Kiscelli Múzeum; Tues–Sun: April–Oct 10am–6pm; Nov–March 10am–4pm; 700Ft; www.btmfk.iif.hu) occupies a former Trinitarian monastery at Kiscelli utca 108. Its collection includes the Biedermeier furnishings of the Golden Lion pharmacy which used to stand on Kálvin tér, sculptures and graphics by twentieth-century Hungarian artists, and antique furniture exhibited in the blackened shell of the monastery’s Gothic church, which makes a dramatic backdrop for concerts, film shows and other events (see www.kiscell.org). The museum can be reached by bus #165 from Kolosy tér or bus #60 from Batthyány tér.

Music lovers can make a pilgrimage to the Bartók Memorial House at Csalán utca 29 (Bartók Béla Emlékház; Tues–Sun 10am–5pm; 800Ft; www.bartokmuseum.hu), which can be reached by taking bus #29 from the Szemlőhegyi Cave to the Nagybányai út stop, or bus #5 from Moszkva tér to the Pasaréti stop and then a short walk. Bartók and his family lived in the villa from 1932 until they emigrated to America in 1940. Besides an extensive collection of Bartók memorabilia, you can see some of his original furniture and possessions, including folk handicrafts collected during his ethno-musical research trips to Transylvania with Zoltán Kodály. Chamber music concerts (tickets up to 2000Ft) are held here from March until June (1/394-2100 for information).

Before returning to Moszkva tér, it’s worth a brief detour to see the delightful Napraforgó utca housing estate, built in 1931. Its 22 houses – designed by as many architects – embody different trends in Modernist architecture, from severe Bauhaus to folksy Arts and Crafts style.

Margit-sziget

A saying has it that “love begins and ends” on Margit-sziget (Margaret Island), for this verdant expanse just upriver from the city centre has been a favourite spot for lovers since the nineteenth century, though until 1945 a stiff admission charge deterred the poor. Today it is one of Budapest’s most popular recreation grounds, its thermal springs feeding outdoor pools and ritzy spa hotels. There are two entrances to the island: from Árpád híd at the northern end and Margit híd to the south. Trams #4 and #6 stop at the southern entrance, tram #1 stops at the northern entrance, and bus #26 (from Nyugati tér, by Nugati pu. metro) runs up the middle of the island and finishes at the Árpád híd metro (both stations are on the blue metro line). Motorists can only approach from the north of the island, via the Árpád híd, at which point they must leave their vehicles at a paying car park. Near both entrances you can rent bikes, pedaloes and electric cars, which tend to be rather battered but will get you around. Runners will love the low-impact jogging path around the island’s circumference.

Walking down from the tram stop on Margit híd, you’ll find picnickers unloading cars and people streaming in to party in the woods or at outdoor bars and clubs like Cha-cha-cha and Sárk kert. Revellers are greeted by a fountain that emits bursts of grand music, beyond which, off to the left, is the Hajós Alfréd Pool (known as the “Sport”; Mon–Fri 6am–3pm, Sat & Sun 6am–6pm; 1300Ft), named after the winner of the 100-metre and 1200-metre swimming races at the 1896 Olympics, who was also the building’s architect. The main attraction here is the all-season outdoor fifty-metre pool, where the national swimming team trains on weekdays from 9am. Another venue, the Palatinus Strand (May–Aug daily 9am–7pm; 1800Ft, 2000Ft at weekends), lies nearly a kilometre further north. With a monumental entrance from the 1930s, it can hold as many as ten thousand people at a time in numerous open-air thermal pools, complete with a water chute, wave machine and segregated terraces for nude sunbathing.

Further north, an outdoor theatre (Szabadtéri Színpad) by a conspicuous water tower, hosts plays, operas, concerts and fashion shows over summer, and is a handy spot for a beer or snack. To the east stands a ruined Dominican church and convent; Béla IV vowed to bring his daughter up as a nun here if Hungary survived the Mongol invasion, and duly confined 9-year-old Princess Margit when it did. She apparently made the best of it, acquiring a reputation for curing lepers and other saintly deeds, as well as for not washing above her ankles. The convent fell into ruin during the Turkish occupation, when the island was turned into a harem. The Premonstratensian Chapel, northeast of the water tower, dates back to the twelfth century, when the order first established a monastery on the island. Two luxury spa hotels can be found beyond: the refurbished fin-de-siècle Ramada Grand, with an inviting café and beer terrace, and the modern, less appealing Thermal. Beside the latter is a Japanese Garden with warm springs that sustain tropical fish and giant water lilies.

< Back to Budapest – Part 2

Eating and drinking

Hungarians relish eating and drinking, and Budapest is great for both. Though Magyar cuisine naturally predominates, you can find everything from Middle Eastern to Japanese food, bagels to Big Macs. The diversity of cuisine is matched by the range of outlets and prices – from de luxe restaurants where a meal costs an average citizen’s monthly wage, to backstreet diners that anyone can afford.

Breakfast and brunch venues

A lot of bars are open from early morning, but the ones below distinguish themselves in what they offer. A popular development in the city’s restaurant scene is Sunday brunch, usually an all-you-can-eat buffet for a fixed price. Brunch at Gundel is a great way to taste its cuisine without the usual formality, and will set you back 5800Ft; most of the top hotels also lay on a spread. Prices can be slightly higher there, but most of the hotels have children’s play areas. Brunch usually starts around noon and lasts till about 3pm; booking is advisable.

In addition to the places below, three bars in Pest that are breakfast favourites are the Sirály on Király utca, which best captures the old coffee-house tradition of artists and writers sitting round reading newspapers, Vian on Liszt Ferenc tér and the laid-back Kiadó nearby on Jókai tér.

Bambi I, Frankel Leó utca 2–4. See map of Budapest. This excellent old bar not far from the Margit híd on the Buda side is also a good breakfast venue with its omelettes and coffee.

Nothin But the Blues VIII, Krúdy Gyula utca 6. Down in the streets behind the National Museum, it serves a full English breakfast of baked beans, bacon, Cumberland sausage and hash browns, with unlimited tea or coffee (1100Ft) – a rarity in Budapest – with tables outside.

Princess Outlets at the exits of metro stations all over the city. Sweet and savoury puff pastries to go – try a mushroom or cheese-filled bürek.

Sir Morik IX, Ráday utca 15. Another Pest café popular with neighbourhood expats for its range of freshly brewed coffees from around the world and for its croissants and pastries – which you have to carry to the tables outside if you don’t want to perch on a stool indoors.

Coffee houses, cafés and patisseries

Daily life in Budapest is still punctuated by the consumption of black coffee drunk from little glasses, though cappuccinos and white coffee are becoming ever more popular. These quintessentially Central European coffee breaks are less prolonged these days than before the war, when Budapest’s coffee houses (kávéház) were social club, home and haven for their respective clientele. Free newspapers were available to the regulars – writers, journalists and lawyers (for whom the cafés were effectively “offices”) or posing revolutionaries – with sympathy drinks or credit to those down on their luck. Today’s coffee houses and patisseries (cukrászda) are less romantic but still full of character, whether fabulously opulent, with silver service, or homely and idiosyncratic. However, the tendency to aim either at the rich business visitor and charge high prices (such as the Lukács) or lure in a younger clientele via loud music (such as the Angelika) is driving away the older regulars and cutting off these institutions from their roots.

Pest

Astoria Kávéház V, Kossuth utca 19. See map of Downtown Pest. The Astoria hotel’s Mirror coffee house/bar dates from the turn of the last century and is still a popular meeting place.

Art Nouveau Café, Bedő House, V, Honvéd utca 3. This restored Art Nouveau gem of a building just north of Szabadság tér is a delightful spot for a coffee break.

Azték V, in the Röser-bazár, a courtyard running between Károly körút 22 and Semmelweis utca 19 www.choxolat.hu. Perhaps the best place in the city for chocolate gourmands, selling home-made chocolate as well as imported products (all made with a minimum of sugar) and fabulous hot chocolate – ask for the extra-thick variety, which will warm you up on a winter’s day. You can sit at the tables inside, or outside in summer in the courtyard. Sat open till 2pm, closed Sun.

Centrál Kávéház V, Károlyi Mihály utca 9. In its heyday, the decades around World War I, this large coffee house was a popular venue in Budapest’s literary scene, and after many years as a dowdy university club, it has now been restored to its former grandeur. Serves a wide range of food throughout the day, from cheap favourites such as creamed spinach to more expensive dishes.

Frőhlich VII, Dob utca 22. Kosher patisserie a 5min walk from the Dohány utca synagogue, and a great people-watching place. Specialities include the best flódni (apple, walnut and poppy-seed cake) in the city. Mon–Thurs 9am–6pm, Fri 7.30am–3pm, Sun 10am–4pm; closed Sat & Jewish holidays.

Gerbeaud V, Vörösmarty tér 7. A Budapest institution with a gilded salon and terrace, and good service; always packed with tourists.

Király VII, Király utca 19. Small patisserie with a few tables, serving excellent pastries, cakes and ice cream.

Lukács VI, Andrássy út 70. One of the city’s old coffee houses, this was beautifully restored by the bank with which it now shares the building. However, prices have shot up, sadly ending its status as a popular locals’ haunt.

Mai Manó VI, Nagymező utca 20. Small, friendly, smoky café that spills out onto the street from underneath the Mai Manó Photography Museum. Serves sandwiches, croissants and good coffees.

Muvész VI, Andrássy út 29. There’s an air of faded grandeur in this coffee house that’s more notable for its decor – chandeliers and gilt – than for its rather standard cakes. In summer the inside room gets very stuffy and smoky, with no a/c. Still, the presence of elderly ladies in fur hats bears witness to the venue’s success in retaining a loyal clientele over the years.

Múzeum Cukrászda VIII, Múzeum körút 10. Friendly hangout near the National Museum that is usually packed with students. Fresh pastries arrive early in the morning. Open daily 24hr.

New York VII, Erzsébet körút 9-11. This coffee house was a popular haunt of writers in the early 1900s. Recently restored as part of the Boscolo hotel, it has lost none of its magnificence, but high prices mean it has struggled to win back its place among today’s impoverished intelligentsia.

Szalai V, Balassi Bálint utca 4. Old-style cake shop, one of the few remaining in Budapest, serving very good cakes, and with a few tables beneath its large gilt-framed mirrors for those who want to eat in. May–Oct closed Tues, Nov–April closed Mon.

Buda

Ági Rétes II, Retek utca 19. Rétes all baked on the cosy premises of this patisserie a few metres from the Fény utca market by Moszkva tér. For such a minute place – there is just one table – the range of strudels is impressive: down a coffee as you try the plum (szilva), cheese (túrós) cherry (meggyes) or poppyseed (mákos) varieties. Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 10am–2pm.

Angelika I, Batthyány tér 7. Atmospheric old coffee house in a former convent – even the funky refit with new furniture, staff and loud music can’t totally destroy the place, though you are less likely to get old ladies meeting for their regular coffees these days. Also has a lively terrace.

Artigiana Gelati XII, Csaba utca 8. Exotic flavours of the best quality ice cream in town, a couple of minutes up the road from Moszkva tér. Closed Mon.

Cziniel III, Nánási út 55. Large, popular café north of the Roman ruins at Aquincum, with excellent ice creams and chestnut purée. With its own play area, it’s a good place to bring children, and it’s also handy if you’ve been on the riverbank enjoying the bars and restaurants on the Római-part or want to head further out from Aquincum (take bus #34 from the ruins).

Daubner III, Szépvölgyi út 29. It is a trek to get to this patisserie in Óbuda, and it has no tables, but the place is always crowded, especially at weekends, when people will patiently queue up for its delicious cakes, such as the plum slipper (szilvás papucs) or pumpkin-seed scone (tökmagos pogácsa). The family sold the whole business off recently – recipes and all. It remains to be seen if standards fall. Closed Mon.

Rétes Büfé XII, Normafa. This hut at the top of the Buda Hills by the old tree where Bellini’s aria was sung is a place of pilgrimage for families, walkers and (in winter) skiers who flock to the hills. You can expect to queue for the excellent rétes on fine days. The Rétes Kert across the road is run by the same crowd.

Ruszwurm I, Szentháromság tér 7. Near the Mátyás Church in the Várhegy, this diminutive Baroque coffee house can be so packed that it’s almost impossible to get a seat in summer. Delicious cakes and ices.

Tranzit Art Café XI, Kosztolányi Dezső tér. The listed 1960s bus station at the side of the square has been turned into a delightful no-smoking café, while in summer the long concrete shelter where the buses once drew up is a very relaxed scene. One of the few cafés with baby-changing facilities.

Sandwich bars, self-service restaurants and fast-food diners

Budapest has taken to fast food in a big way, and you’ll have little trouble finding a McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Subway or Burger King if you want one. For a quick bite in a less commercial setting, the Chinese stand-up joints and Turkish kebab outlets all over town are cheap, though you may wonder what goes into some of the food. The recent economic hardships have encouraged a revival of cheap local eateries, and if you want to eat like the average Hungarian, look out for a önkiszolgáló étterem (self-service restaurant), a főzelék establishment (serving dishes of creamed vegetables, főzelék, which taste much better than they sound), or another Hungarian peculiarity, the étkezde – a small lunchtime diner where customers sit at shared tables and eat hearty home-cooked food. All the places listed below are in Pest, except for the Retek utca branch of Duran Sandwich Bar.

Bombay Express VI, Andrássy út 44. Pop into this self-service Indian place two blocks from the Oktogon for vegetable samosa, dahl, chicken tikka masala, lamb Hyderabad or spicy kebabs, to eat in or take out.

Duran Sandwich Bar V, Október 6 utca 15 & XII, Retek utca 18. A sandwich and coffee chain – filling a surprising gap in Budapest. The artistic open sandwiches (180–250Ft) of caviar, puréed paprika, smoked beef, pickled herring and suchlike really zap the taste buds. Both branches open Mon–Fri 8am–5.30pm, Sat 9am–1pm.

Falafel VI, Paulay Ede utca 53. See map of Downtown Pest. Despite its long-standing popularity, Budapest’s foremost falafel joint hasn’t changed its working formula or expanded to glossy new premises. You just pay your money and stuff your pitta breads as full as you can. Seating upstairs. Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat 10am–6pm.

Hummus Bar VII, Kertész utca 39 and V, Alkotmány utca 20. See map of Downtown Pest. Two small outlets of this new chain serving very good falafel, hummus and salad combinations. Seating in the gallery at both outlets.

Kádár Étkezde VII, Klauzál tér 10. See map of Downtown Pest. Diner with delicious home cooking; traditional Budapest Jewish food (non-kosher) on Friday. Mon–Sat 11.30am–3.30pm; closed mid-July to mid-Aug.

Kis Mama Konyhája IX, Lonyay utca 7. See map of Downtown Pest. Self-service lunchtime joint near the Great Market Hall, offering decent and very cheap food – mostly Hungarian, but there’s also pasta and pizza. Mains from 600Ft. Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 10am–3pm.

Marie Kristensen Sandwich Bar IX, Ráday utca 7. The Danish flavour the name implies is hard to spot – this is just a decent, regular sandwich bar just off Kálvin tér. Closed Sun.

Sahara VIII, József körút 82. See map of Budapest. Close to the Corvin cinema at Ferenc körút metro station, this bright place serves the freshest, tastiest Turkish/Middle Eastern food in the city, eaten at shared tables. Takeaway service available. No smoking downstairs – you can smoke shishas upstairs. No alcohol.

Vapiano V, Bécsi utca 5. See map of Downtown Pest. Fast food Italian-style near Deák tér in central Pest. Excellent pastas and salads made with fresh ingredients before your eyes. You are given a card as your enter, and you go up to the pizza, pasta, salad or dessert counter to order; your purchases are recorded on your card and you pay as you leave. Pasta and pizzas 1200–2000Ft.

Restaurants

The biggest change in the city’s culinary scene has been the appearance of a number of very good restaurants offering high-quality food and the best in Hungarian wine. Places such as Klassz and Café Kör are hardly cheap even by Western standards, but are extremely popular regardless and always packed. There has also been a welcome diversification in recent years, with many new places offering Chinese and Japanese food, mainly to wealthy tourists and nouveau-riche natives. Restaurants with Hungarian Gypsy bands tend to be touristy, but do have a certain distinctive charm. It is wise to reserve a table if you’re determined to eat somewhere in particular, though you can usually find an alternative within a couple of blocks.

We’ve included phone numbers where booking is advisable, though of course not all staff will speak English. While more and more restaurants have introduced no-smoking sections, smoking is generally accepted (though a total ban in restaurants is expected soon). Many of the places listed here take credit cards – a surprising exception being the excellent Café Kör.

A final note of caution: waiters in Budapest are known to make “mistakes” with your bill, and foreign visitors are especially easy targets for overcharging. Other more common tactics include offering expensive “specials of the day”, overcharging or demanding exorbitant amounts for the wine. Don’t be shy about querying the total, and avoid the seedier tourist joints in the Belváros.

Pest

The busy streets of Pest have perhaps the best restaurants in the city, but also the most tacky rip-offs too, particularly within the Nagykörút. Most of the following are easily accessible from downtown Pest, though you should reserve a table to avoid a wasted journey.

Within the Nagykörút

The places below appear on the map of Downtown Pest.

Alföldi V, Kecskeméti utca 4 1/267-0224. Traditional cheap eaterie in the centre up from Kálvin tér that has changed little in almost forty years – with the same crumpled table cloths, grumpy service and pogácsa (savoury scone). It is heavy Hungarian food from the plains (the Alföld) – big bean and goulash soups, all very cheap.

Belcanto VI, Dalszínház utca 8 1/269-2786. Right across from the Opera House, this is a smart place where the waiters periodically burst into song, making for a lively atmosphere. It serves good international food, but with mains starting at 5000Ft, this isn’t a cheap evening out.

Bock Bisztró VII, Erzsébet körút 43-49 1/321-0340. A great place to eat, both classy and relaxed, with friendly staff and delicious, reasonably priced food (mains 2800–4400Ft), and children’s portions at 70 percent of the full price. Meat takes pride of place here, in true Hungarian fashion, but there are also modern takes on classic dishes: the Esterházy chicken and smoked duck breast are both recommended. Located within the Grand Corinthia hotel, the Bock takes its name from one of Hungary’s top vintners, József Bock, and its stock includes many labels that you won’t find elsewhere in the city. Many wines can be ordered by the glass. Booking essential. Unobtrusive live guitar or accordion music in the evenings. Closed Sun.

Bouchon VI, Zichy Jenő utca 33 1/1/353-4094. Pleasant restaurant set up by former Café Kör staff. Matching the Kör would be a challenge, but the friendly manager runs a cheerful place serving traditional Hungarian fare. Mains from 2300Ft, and you can order a wide selection of wines by the glass. Small portions are available at 70 percent of the full price. Closed Sun.

Café Kör V, Sas utca 17 1/311-0053. Buzzy place near the Basilica, with a very relaxed feel and English-speaking staff. Its wines and grilled meats are excellent, as are the salads, and the specials of the day (displayed on a board) are recommended – the roasted pike-perch in garlic is always a favourite. Main courses 2000–4000Ft. Booking essential. The only downside to the intimacy of the place is that smoking is allowed throughout. No credit cards. Closed Sun.

Carmel VII, Kazinczy utca 31 1/322-1834. Long-established Jewish restaurant that turned glatt kosher in 2008. The food has improved recently and the decor has become classier with a/c. In August and September there are klezmer-style concerts on Thursdays from 8pm (2000Ft). Open till 4pm on Fri, closed Sat.

Csarnok V, Hold utca 11 1/269-4906. Good, down-to-earth Hungarian restaurant that used to serve the workers at the market a few doors along; the clientele is now more upmarket, but its unpretentious feel has been preserved. Specialities are mutton, lamb and bone-marrow dishes from 1400Ft upwards, and there are also traditional dishes such as pacal (tripe). Closed weekends.

Eklektika VI, Nagymező utca 30 1/266-1226. Laid-back café-restaurant with a youngish clientele and a strong arty feel, with changing displays by local artists on the walls. It’s open all day, serving buffet breakfast, an all-you-can-eat lunch, and great suppers at a very reasonable price – mains from 1800Ft.

Fausto’s Osteria VII, Dohány utca 5 1/269-6806. This excellent and elegant Italian restaurant was originally opened by master chef Fausto DiVora. Even though he has moved to his new, more upmarket Fausto’s off Andrássy út, the service and cooking remain outstanding. Mains start at 2600Ft, but the three-course chef’s menu is just 2800Ft. Both restaurants closed Sun.

Fészek VII, Kertész utca 36 1/322-6043. Housed in an artists’ club on the corner of Dob utca, this has a wonderful arcaded courtyard under the shade of a huge chestnut tree in the summer, and it is worth visiting for the setting alone. Shame the food on the huge menu does not achieve the same standards. In winter the restaurant moves into the sparse but elegant inside room, and the menu is much smaller. Main courses from 1600Ft.

Fülemüle VIII Kőfaragó utca 5 1/266-7947. Popular and relaxed restaurant a few minutes’ walk from Rákóczi út, serving dishes typical of middle-class secular Jewish Budapest: sólet (beans), goose soup with matzo dumplings, and duck leg with cabbage and “broken” potato. Prices are reasonable, with mains from 2600Ft.

Gerlóczy V, Gerlóczy utca 1 235-0953. This atmospheric corner café on quiet Károly Kammermayer tér, not far from the busy Károly körút, gets packed at lunchtime with office staff popping in for a quick lunch. The food is adequate bistro fare.

Govinda V, Vigyázó Ferenc utca 4 1/473-1310. Hare Krishna vegetarian restaurant serving good, inexpensive set meals (1800Ft for a large plate), accompanied by the whiff of soporific incense. Closed Sun.

II Terzo Cerchio VII, Dohány utca 40 1/354-0788. The Third Circle of Dante’s hell was full of gluttons, and this Florentine-run pizzeria has its share. It’s popular with Italian visitors, which must be a good sign, and serves up good food at reasonable prices: pastas and pizzas from 1600Ft.

Károlyi V, Károlyi Mihály utca 16 1/328-0240. It’s the courtyard setting in the heart of the city, inside the gates of the Petőfi Museum and backing onto the Károlyi garden behind, that makes this place so special. The interior is also pleasant, and even nicer when the piano player takes his breaks. The food is good-sized portions of trad Hungarian fare. Mains 1700–3500Ft.

Két Szerecsen VI, Nagymező utca 14 1/343 1984. Buzzy place just off Andrássy út, good for coffee and breakfast but also for supper. Excellent starters, including a very good aubergine spread on toast, among its tapas dishes. Mains start at 1900Ft and include the interesting breast of duck in a red wine chocolate sauce with mashed potato (2700Ft). It offers a starter and main course, plus half a bottle of wine for 7500Ft, but the wine list is small and surprisingly expensive. Open till 1am.

Klassz VI, Andrássy út 41 1/413 1545. This strikingly decorated restaurant-cum-wine bar is one of the best places in Budapest – klassz means “super”, which describes it well. Since it’s small, popular and does not take reservations, you’ll need to get there early to be sure of a table. Its wines include top Hungarian vintages, most of which are available by the glass, and the staff can advise on what goes well with what. The duck in a honey sauce is delicious (2400Ft), and there’s also mangalica – a Hungarian breed of hairy pig that’s very in vogue on Budapest menus, but may be a touch fatty for some tastes. Closes 6pm Sun.

Kőleves VII, Dob utca 26 1/322-1011. The latest incarnation of this restaurant on the corner of Kazinczy utca has a relaxed, art-house vibe but slow service. Mains cost 1500–3700Ft and include veal and chicken dishes (stuffed with olives, goat’s cheese etc), and smoked Turkey leg with sólet (Jewish baked beans). The menu of the day is 900Ft.

Krizia VI, Mozsár utca 12 1/331-8711. Small and elegant Italian restaurant not far from the Opera House serving fabulous food, with mains from 2600Ft, and good three-course menus for just 1200–2600Ft. The owner makes his own salami and jams. Closed Sun.

Lou Lou V, Vigyázó Ferenc utca 4 1/312-4505. One of the top places in the city – although recent staff changes may undermine its standing. The select French-influenced menu is strong on duck, liver and fish, accompanied by top Hungarian wines, and presentation is excellent, as is the service. Non-smoking section. Mains from 4700Ft, lunch menus 4900Ft. Closed Sat lunch and Sun.

M VII, Kertész utca 48 1/322-3108. Small, wood-panelled place, near the Music Academy and spread over two floors, with a boho atmosphere, slow service and pleasant enough food. The menu includes lots of salads and chicken dishes; a starter, main course and wine will cost about 3700Ft.

Menza VI, Liszt Ferenc tér 2 1/413-1482. Good, moderately priced establishment with stylish retro decor, and retro Hungarian dishes, too, such as hagymás rostélyos (braised steak piled high with onions; 1890Ft), and kolozsvári töltött káposzta (stuffed cabbage; 1490Ft) that evoke nostalgic memories among the locals. There’s a two-course lunch menu for 890Ft. It’s on popular drinking square Liszt Ferenc tér, however, and some of the area’s loud swagger seems to have rubbed off.

Múzeum VIII, Múzeum körút 12 1/267-0375. This grand nineteenth-century restaurant, with ceiling frescoes and Zsolnay tiles, is under new management, who can hopefully give its old-school approach a modern twist without losing the high standards in the kitchen. Part of the restaurant has been turned back into a coffee house, serving lighter fare and sandwiches. Mains from 2700Ft, Sat lunch menu 3300Ft.

Pomo D’Oro V, Arany János utca 9 1/302-6473. A large, rustic Italian restaurant at the river end of this street, where the interior is split into many different levels, giving it a cosy feel. The woodburning oven turns out excellent pizzas from 1400Ft, while mains start at 1900Ft. A wide range of Italian wines, and some Hungarian too, though all are quite pricey. They serve a small portion – kisadag – for children and will provide pencils and paper on request. The deli next door also has seating and serves pasta dishes from 1300Ft.

Rézkakas V, Veres Pálné utca 3 1/318-0038. The smart “Golden Cockerel” (as the name translates) is one of the best places to eat in traditional Hungarian style, with an excellent Gypsy band playing away in the corner. Popular with foreign visitors, so expect to pay from 3000Ft up to 7000Ft for a main course.

Soul Café IX, Ráday utca 11–13 1/217-6986. One of the better places to eat on Ráday, offering European fusion cooking – Hungarian, French, Italian and a soupçon of North African – and a good selection of Hungarian wines (try the Tüske Pince rosé). Day menu 980Ft, business menu 1980Ft. Open till 1am.

Trattoria IX, Ráday utca 16 1/215-2888. Another reliable option on Ráday, serving tasty pizza, pasta and antipasto with gusto. Tables outdoors, a/c inside and free wi-fi.

Trattoria Toscana V, Belgrád rakpart 13 1/327-0045. On the Danube riverfront near Szabadság Bridge, this is a favourite spot for authentic Italian cuisine at reasonable prices, in appealing faux-Tuscan surroundings. The atmosphere is relaxed despite the smart business clientele. A clown entertains the kids on Sundays from September to June. Mains from 2400Ft.

Via Luna V, Nagysándor József utca 1 1/312-8058. Popular Italian-style restaurant – its name referring to the neighbouring Hold (moon) utca – close to Arany János utca metro station. Pizzas (from 1400Ft) and good, filling salads.

Beyond the Nagykörút

For locations, see map of Budapest.

Bagolyvár XIV, Állatkerti körút 2 1/468-3110. Sister to the Gundel, but offering traditional Hungarian family-style cooking at far lower prices. Housed in an intriguing Károly Kós-style building, it aims to recreate the atmosphere of the interwar middle-class home, both in its menu and its service (all the staff are women – reflecting the quaint idea that in those days all women stayed at home). It’s an excellent introduction to Hungarian cooking. Mains 2000–3300Ft, with a three-course menu at 3000Ft.

Chez Daniel VI, Szív utca 32 1/302-4039. Fresh ingredients, including fish, are a plus at this pricey French restaurant run by idiosyncratic master chef Daniel Labrosse. In summer things move out into the atmospheric courtyard. Booking recommended.

Firkász XIII, Tátra utca 18 1/450-1118. Done up like a journalists’ haunt from the turn of the last century, Firkász serves decent traditional Hungarian food, with creamed veg stews and the like at reasonable prices – mains from 2000Ft.

Gundel XIV, Állatkerti körút 2 1/321-3550. Budapest’s most famous restaurant offers plush surroundings and an expensive – but good – menu (mains from 5700Ft). The all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch (11.30am–3pm; 5800Ft) is the cheapest way of getting a taste. Smart dress is required, though ties aren’t compulsory for brunch. Booking essential. At the side of the building, the 1984 Wine Bar (Mon–Sat 5–11pm) offers a cheaper taste of Gundel cuisine, to accompany a good selection of vintages.

Kispozsonyi XIII, Pozsonyi út 18. Atmospheric (and smoky) local joint with filling Hungarian dishes; its popularity means you may have to wait for a table. The small terrace affords an escape from the fumes in the summer. Mains 1000–1800Ft.

Lanzhou VIII, Luther utca 1b 1/314-1080. Popular with the local Chinese community – always a good sign – the Lanzhou is excellent value with a large menu of Chinese specialities, such as spicy tripe, at very reasonable prices.

Okay Italia XIII, Szent István körút 20. A relaxed, lively restaurant that’s an old favourite with expats and locals alike, serving up very good pasta and pizza at reasonable prices.

Olimpia VII, Alpar utca 5 1/321-2805. Small place by the Garay tér market hall with nothing Greek about it except the decor. There is no menu, just a choice of three- to six-course meals for up to 6000Ft, served up in a quirky, personable manner. The dishes are small but the combinations are fascinating and delicious, while wines are spectacular, though not cheap. Booking absolutely essential.

Taj Mahal VI, Szondi utca 40 1/301-0447. One of the best places for Indian food in the city, a smart restaurant where all the chefs are from Delhi. Has food from all regions – the dosai are especially good. Closed Mon.

Buda

Despite the plethora of tourist traps in Várhegy, Buda offers some excellent possibilities. There is no typical style of Buda restaurant: they range from stylish eateries to small friendly locals. The “historic” restaurants in Várhegy tend to charge exorbitant prices for mediocre food – the Rivalda is the exception, and is the only one included in the list below. Further out, in Óbuda, you’ll find a quirkier selection of restaurants – but it’s worth booking before you make the journey.

Várhegy, central Buda and the Tabán

Arcade XII, Kiss János altábornagy utca 38 1/225-1969. See map of Budapest. Upmarket place, with a low-key modern interior and a small terrace, serving excellent international cuisine with a strong French influence. There’s also a range of good Hungarian wines. A meal will set you back 9000Ft a head with half a bottle of wine, unless you go for more expensive corks such as the Gere Kopár.

Café Pierrot I, Fortuna utca 14 1/375-6971. See map of Várhegy. A rare elegant hangout in the Communist era, Pierrot remains one of the better places in the Castle area today. It serves good, well-presented food, though the prices are steep by local standards and the easy-listening piano music can get a bit much. Salads from 2800Ft, mains from 3500Ft.

Carne di Hall II, Bem rakpart 20 1/210-8137. See map of Várhegy. Under the same management as Lou Lou in Pest, and serving food that’s just as good, even if the pun in the name (a reference to Carnegie Hall) doesn’t quite work. Service is leisurely. Delicious steaks and chocolate torte. Mains 2500–4500Ft.

Csalogány 26 I, Csalogány utca 26 1/210-7892. See map of Várhegy. Another fine bistro down the hill towards the river from Moszkva tér that has avoided the temptation to go for showiness and high prices. You may have to wait for your meal, as the exacting chef oversees everything in a very small kitchen. Mains from 2800Ft, lunchtime menu 1200Ft for two courses, 1400Ft for three. Booking essential. Mon–Fri noon–3pm & 7pm–midnight, Sat 7pm–midnight.

Gusto’s II Frankel Leó utca 1/316-3970. See map of Budapest. Near the Buda side of Margit Bridge, this charming little bar serves light meals (and very good tiramisu) at moderate prices – main dishes start at 1500Ft. Booking essential. Closed Sat evening & Sun.

Horgásztanya I, Fő utca 27 1/489-0236, See map of Várhegy. An enjoyable fish restaurant that has resisted the forces of modernization, with decor that has remained unchanged for many years, and a regular clientele. Some of the best fish soups in the city are served in generous portions from 900Ft; mains start at 1900Ft.

Márkus Vendéglő II, Lövőház utca 17 1/212-3153. See map of Budapest. Close to Moszkva tér, this is a great no-frills option after a long walk in the Buda Hills. Large portions of traditional Hungarian dishes, including an excellent Jókai bableves (a filling, smoky bean soup) and various stuffed turkey dishes. Prices are still pretty reasonable, with soup, main course and glass of wine at 4100Ft. Menus in English are available.

Rivalda I, Szinház utca 5–9 1/489-0236. See map of Várhegy. Unlike so many other places on Castle Hill, the Rivalda attracts a loyal local clientele. Prices are fairly steep, but in return you get cooking of a high standard (the chicken with mustard maple syrup and the chocolate gateau are especially recommended) and wacky, theatrically inspired decor. Mains from 3400Ft, and two- or three-course lunch menus at 4000Ft.

Tabáni Terasz I, Apród utca 10 1/201-1086. See map of Várhegy. An excellent setting, with the summer terrace offering views up to the Buda Palace, and a cosy interior in winter, too. Large portions, with refreshing variations on traditional dishes, such as duck steak grilled with honey and smoked salt at 3100Ft.

Óbuda

Kéhli III, Mókus utca 22 1/368-0613. See map of Budapest. One hundred years ago this was the favourite haunt of one of Hungary’s great gourmands, the turn-of-the-century writer Gyula Krúdy, and today the Kéhli still serves the dishes he loved, such as beef soup served with bone marrow on garlic toast (a starter, for 2000Ft). Set in one of the few old buildings in Óbuda to survive the 1960s planning blitz, it’s a big place and does attract large groups, but there are plenty of local regulars, too. Most main courses are 3000–4000Ft, and portions are generous; you eat your fill to the accompaniment of a lively Hungarian Gypsy band (from 8pm).

Kerék III, Bécsi út 103 1/250-4261. See map of Budapest. There is an unchanging feel about the “Wheel”, a small place just near the amphitheatre in southern Óbuda. It serves traditional Hungarian food, such as bableves füstölt csülökkel (bean soup with smoked pork knuckle; 750Ft) and vasi pecsenye (pork marinated in garlic and milk; 1400Ft) at very reasonable prices. No haute cuisine here, just locals out for a meal. Srámli (accordion) music is provided by a couple of old musicians (Mon–Sat from 6pm), and there’s outside seating in summer.

Kisbuda Gyöngye III, Kenyeres utca 34 1/368-6402. See map of Budapest. Excellent Hungarian food in the elegant surroundings of the “Pearl of Little Buda”, which is filled with furniture typical of a well-to-do, fin-de-siècle Budapest home. Piano music and small courtyard at the back. Booking essential. Mains 2300–4000Ft.

Bars and clubs

It’s hard to draw a firm line between places to eat and places to drink in Budapest, since some patisseries double as cocktail bars, and restaurants as beer halls (or vice versa), while the provision of live music or pool tables blurs the distinction between drinking spots and clubs.

Budapest’s nightlife scene is small – spend a few evenings drinking and clubbing and you’ll be spotting familiar faces. The scene centres on two main areas in Pest: Liszt Ferenc tér (the place to see and be seen; and where most of the larger bars have big screens for football); and semi-pedestrianized Ráday utca, running down from Kalvin tér, which, with its innumerable cafés and terraces, styles itself “Budapest’s Soho”. There’s also another concentration of bars in the VII and VIII districts that take over the courtyard and surrounding rooms in condemned buildings. These kert or “garden” bars have become an established feature: some move to new sites each year, but others have settled in one address. Finally, there are the outdoor bars, mainly on Margit-sziget and around the river.

The majority of wine bars are nothing like their counterparts in the West, being mainly working men’s watering holes offering such humble snacks as zsíros kenyér (bread and pork dripping with onion and paprika). Conversely, beer halls (söröző) are often quite upmarket, striving to resemble an English pub or a German bierkeller, and serving full meals. And then there are the bohemian kert bars: these may have live music or DJs, table football (csocsó), film screenings and other attractions, and serve whatever people are drinking, as well as pálinka, the powerful Hungarian schnapps – places such as Szimplakert that have managed to survive in spite of local protests at the noise levels. Enduringly popular places such as West Balkán move from ruin to ruin but retain their name – a look in the listings magazines will usually reveal their new location should they move. Of the outdoor summer bars, you’ll find several at the southern end of Margit-sziget, while Zöld Pardon is down near Petőfi híd – many of them have dancefloors, and charge a small entry fee.

The club scene is especially varied in the summer, when it expands into several large outdoor venues, and there are also one-off events held in the old Turkish baths or sites further out of town (advertised via promotional posters at bus stops). DJs to look out for include Sterbinszky and Kühl, the more alternative Naga and Mango, and anything with the Tilos Rádió stamp on it. Expect to pay 500–4000Ft to get into a club, and be warned that it’s worth keeping on the right side of the bouncers, who don’t play around here.

Most places open around lunchtime and stay open until after midnight, unless otherwise stated, though bars in residential areas have to close their terraces at 10pm. There is a good network of night buses that can help you make your way home, taxis are easy to flag down, and the streets are generally safe. See Pest for warnings about rip-offs in restaurants, which apply equally to bars. Most bars do not take credit cards. Bear in mind that Budapest’s bars are very smoky – the average Hungarian adult gets through more than 3000 cigarettes a year, and most of them seem to be smoked in late-night bars. Hungary is expected to follow the EU line on smoking bans in the near future, but the government is dithering over when this will happen.

Pest

Downtown

For locations, see map of Downtown Pest.

Castro Bistro VII, Madách tér 3. This smoky bar with a misleadingly Cuban name is very close to Deák tér. Good music, beer and Serbian food attract a mixed crowd of Hungarians and foreigners. Free wi-fi. Mon–Thurs 10am–midnight, Fri 10am–1am, Sat noon–1am, Sun 2pm–midnight.

Ellátó VII, Klauzál tér 2. Set up in 2007 and an instant success, its dilapidated look of bare bricks and old paintwork give it a relaxed feel. The kitchen serves up decent retro dishes, with a strong Serbian flavour. Mon–Wed noon–2am, Thurs–Fri noon–4am, Sat–Sun 5pm–4am.

Giero VI, Paulay Ede utca 58. Run by a Roma family, who also provide the music. There are just three tables, as a third of the space is given over to the musicians – who play for themselves, their friends, or customers if the band likes them. In summer the Giero sometimes turns into a jazz bar.

Gül Baba Szeráj VI, Paulay Ede utca 55. Furnished with Turkish kelims, cushions and lamps, with shishas, wine-tasting nights with food (3500Ft) and muted reggae music, this is a nice place to chill out and talk.

Katapult VII, Dohány utca 1. Small, popular and very red bar opposite the big synagogue. Mon–Sat 10am–2am, Sun 2pm–midnight.

Kuplung VI, Király utca 46. A surprisingly large bar down a narrow alleyway in what was once a police stable and later a moped repair shop (the name means “clutch”). Has table football and, in its highly soundproofed side-room, regular live music and DJs. Daily till 4am.

Mélypont V, Magyar utca 23. A retro basement bar with a strong flavour of 1970s Hungary, “Rock Bottom” is full of memorabilia that won’t mean much to the average non-Hungarian. Popular with a youngish crowd, and has table football. Mon–Fri 4pm–1am, Sat 6pm–1am, Sun 6pm–midnight.

Morrison’s VI, Révay utca 25 www.morrisons.hu. A long-established dance bar that’s very popular with students who clearly like its heaving, sweaty atmosphere. The opening of an offshoot, Morrison’s II, at V, Honvéd utca 40, has hardly helped to alleviate the crush. Entry 500Ft after 9pm. Mon–Sat 7pm–4am.

Old Man’s Music Pub VII, Akácfa utca 13 www.oldmans.hu. Large, popular joint near Blaha Lujza tér, with live local bands every day from 9–11pm. Daily 3pm–dawn.

Paris-Texas IX, Ráday utca 22. Stylish bar with pool tables and a good atmosphere. Daily noon–3am.

Piaf VI, Nagymező utca 25. This old favourite is basically a small ground-floor bar and cellar frequented by the odd Hungarian film star and lots of wannabes, with occasional jazz or rock live sets. Entry 1000Ft. Daily 10pm–6am.

Sark VII, Klauzál tér 14. Small, heaving bar, decorated with massive murals. DJs and good live music (world/klezmer/Roma) downstairs from September to May. From June to September much of the action moves to the Sark kert at the southern tip of Margit-sziget. Daily noon–3am.

Sirály VI, Király utca 50 www.siraly.co.hu. The “Seagull” bar is located in one of those condemned buildings that could at any time be closed down, part of an arty cultural centre which seems to rev up the bohemian, lefty feel. Regular jazz and theatre downstairs. Daily 10am–midnight.

Sixtus VII, Nagy Diófa utca 26. The “Sistine Chapel” has long been a smoky favourite with sections of the expat community, but has a good local following, too. It’s a cosy place, with just two rooms. Mon–Fri 5pm–2am, Sat 8am–2am.

Spoon V, on the river by the Inter-Continental hotel www.spooncafe.hu. Set in a boat on the Danube in a great setting, looking across to the Lanchíd and the Buda Palace; the men’s toilets have grandstand views of the Royal Palace. There’s also a restaurant, which is good but expensive. Daily noon–2am.

Szimplakert VII, Kazinczy utca 14 www.szimpla.hu. One of the oldest kert bars, spilling over from room to room and with good music, regular film showings (600Ft) in the garden and free wi-fi access (noon–7pm). It has become a standard stop for stag parties, and the main courtyard is packed and noisy at night from mid-May onwards, though it makes a delightful and quiet refuge by day. Several bars (one for cocktails) and bicycle storage. Daily noon–midnight.

Szóda VII, Wesselényi utca 18 www.szoda.com. Busy bar with a retro look behind the main synagogue, with pleasantly laid-back music from the DJs and inexpensive drinks; it also serves food and has free wi-fi access. Mon–Fri 9am–midnight, Sat & Sun 2pm–midnight or later.

Around the Nagykörút

Corvintető VIII, Blaha Lujza tér 1–2 www.corvinteto.hu. See map of Budapest. Inspired rooftop bar above the old Corvin department store on this busy square, this is a popular venture that will stay open until the building is redeveloped, some time in the next couple of years. You take a lift on the left-hand side of the building – on the way up the lift attendant offers shots of Unicum, the medicinal national drink. Live music or DJs from 9pm, entry 1000Ft or so when music starts. Daily 6pm–5am.

Csiga VIII, Vásár utca 2. See map of Budapest. By the Rákóczi tér market hall, this friendly, smoky corner bar is popular with locals and expats. Good food and occasional live music. Mon–Sat 11am–1am.

Jelen VIII, Márkus Emilia utca 2–4. See map of Budapest. Another in a succession of great, friendly bars run by Dutch resident Hans, with high ceilings and good music; gets packed as the evening progresses. Live music on Thursdays, funk DJs on Fridays, and good pálinka and food. It’s in the far right-hand corner of the same former department store as Corvintető. Thurs–Sat 4pm–4am, Sun–Wed 4pm–2am.

Kiadó VI, Jókai tér 3. See map of Downtown Pest. This popular new bar is across Andrássy út from the places around Liszt Ferenc tér, but feels as though it’s in another city – much more laid-back than its neighbours, with few pretensions. The ground-floor rooms are open all day from 10am, breakfast and snacks are served during the day; the other door to the right leads downstairs to a cosy bar with sofas, open from 5pm. Both upstairs and downstairs are divided into smaller intimate sections, giving the place a friendly feel. Open daily till 1am.

Moyo VI, Liszt Ferenc tér 10. See map of Downtown Pest. One of the smaller bars on the north side of this popular partying square that distinguishes itself from its bigger rivals by its friendly staff and good food. Outside seating, too. Daily 11am–midnight.

Pótkulcs VI, Csengery utca 65b www.potkulcs.hu. See map of Budapest. Through the small metal door in the wall at no. 65/b, you’ll find yourself in a shaded yard, with the bar straight ahead, and a room with sofas and table football off to the left. The “Spare Key” is a laid-back place that attracts a good range of visitors, and the music is excellent too, ranging from klezmer and Roma bands to underground, folk and jazz. Gets very smoky in winter, but has outside seating when the weather’s warmer. Mon–Wed & Sun 5pm–1.30am, Thurs–Sat 5pm–2.30am.

Tokaji Borozó V, Falk Miksa utca 32. See map of Budapest. Lively, smoky old-style cellar wine bar serving wines from the Tokaj region in northeast Hungary – at 100Ft for a small glass this is not top-end stuff – as well as snacks such as lepcsánka (potato pancakes) and zsíros kenyér. Mon–Fri noon–9pm.

Trafó Bar Tangó IX, Liliom utca 41 www.trafo.hu. See map of Budapest. The cellar bar at the vibrant Trafó arts centre has live music and DJs, and gets very crowded. Daily 6pm–4am.

Trocadero Café V, Szent István körút 15. See map of Budapest. Excellent Latin music and dancing at this club just up from Nyugati Station. Entry fee varies. Daily 9pm–5am.

Vian VI, Liszt Ferenc tér 11. See map Downtown Pest. One of the least pretentious bars on this posiest of squares, with pleasant staff, a relaxed atmosphere and good food. Free wi-fi access. Daily 9am–midnight.

Buda

Bambi I, Frankel Leó utca 2–4. See map of Budapest. One of the few surviving Socialist-Realist bars, with stern waitresses and red plastic-covered seats. It serves breakfast, omelettes, snack lunches, cakes and alcohol all day long. Mon–Fri 7am–9pm, Sat & Sun 9am–8pm.

Kecskeméti Borozó II, Széna tér. See map of Várhegy. By Moszkva tér, on the corner of Retek utca, this is a crowded, sweaty and smoky stand-up wine bar. A notice on the wall reads “We do not serve drunks”, but that would rule out most of the people inside. However, it does serve that staple of Hungarian bar fare, zsíros kenyér. Mon–Sat 9am–11pm.

Lánchíd Söröző I, Fő utca 4. See map of Várhegy. Atmospheric little bar, handily placed at the Buda end of the Chain Bridge. It’s a quiet place in daytime, frequented by tourists and the odd regular, but in the evening Robi, the manager, brings in concert DVDs – he loves his music, as the photos of him with BB King and others on the walls testify. Excellent toasted sandwiches. Daily 10am–midnight.

Libella XI, Budafóki út 7. See map Budapest. Friendly unmarked spot near the Gellért Hotel. Popular with the student crowd from the nearby Technical University for its bar snacks, chess and draughts. Mon–Fri 8am–1am, Sat noon–1am, Sun 4pm–1am.

Móri Borozó I, Fiáth János utca 16. See map of Várhegy. Large, cheap neighbourhood venue just up from Moszkva tér, unchanged in more than twenty years. Electronic darts in the room at the far end, and trad Hungarian snacks such as zsíros kenyér. June–Aug daily 4–11pm; Sept–May Mon–Sat 2–11pm, Sun 2–9pm.

Platán I, Döbrentei tér. See map of Budapest. Popular meeting place near the river, under the plane trees at the foot of the Tabán, with outdoor tables. Serves sandwiches and has wi-fi access. Daily till 10pm.

Outdoor venues

Cha-Cha-Cha Terasz XIII, Athletics Club, Margit-sziget. See map of Budapest. The best of the Margit-sziget bars, at the southern end of the island: turning off Margit híd it is the second bar along on the left. This buzzy place is the summer venue of an established bar on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út, and has 1970s and 1980s music (Hungarian and Western) for dancing and retro/Indie videos (or sports TV) on the big screen, but though it opens mid-May, it doesn’t really come alive till mid-June. Late May–Sept daily 6pm–2am.

Római-part III, Rómaifürdő. This is not one bar, but a whole string of open-air bars and cheap eateries lining the riverbank north of Óbuda; the food is mainly of the deep-fried meat and fish with chips variety. Take the HÉV train from Batthyány tér to Rómaifürdő and it’s a 10min walk down to the river. Daily noon–10pm.

Sark kert XIII, Margit-sziget. See map of Budapest. Another summer island bar: walking up from Margit híd you pass Cha-Cha-Cha and it is on the right. Can feel like an unfinished campsite at a Red Sea resort: it is fairly basic in its seating and facilities, but it is a lively place once the crowds arrive. Has occasional live music. Late May–Sept daily 6pm–2am.

Zöld Pardon XI, Goldmann György tér www.zp.hu. Camden Lock by the Danube: a large, heaving club near the Petőfi bridgehead, where you can dance to drum’n’bass, deep house and jungle. With an average age of 16 (lots of 14-year-olds), the clientele are all about texting and posing. Live music at 9pm, six bars (one cocktails-only). Bring some 100Ft coins to get through the turnstiles.

Gay Budapest

Budapest’s gay scene has taken wing in recent years, with new, overtly gay clubs replacing the old, covert meeting places.

Most of the bars listed on below levy an entry fee or set a minimum consumption level – being gay in Budapest is an expensive privilege. Some venues give you a card when you enter, on which all your drinks are written down; you pay for your drinks and the entry fee as you leave. Be warned that if you lose the card, you’ll have to pay a lot of money. You can find listings for places and events in English in the gay freebie monthly Na Végre, found at most gay venues.

Aside from the bars and clubs, the Turkish baths are a popular meeting place. Gay activity in the public steam baths was dealt a blow by a TV report in early 2005 showing video footage of gay encounters, taken secretly in the Király baths. Swimming costumes are at present compulsory at the Király and the baths are patrolled, so that action is not as widespread as it once was, but there’s still more here than at the other public steam baths. The sun terrace at the Palatinus strand and the roof terrace at the Széchenyi remain popular gay meeting places. Note that increased entry fees mean that you see fewer young local men and more tourists in the baths.

The Budapest gay scene is very male-dominated. There is a lesbian group, Ösztrosokk, that meets at Tűzoltó utca 22 on the last Saturday of every month (7pm–4am; entry 500–600Ft; www.osztrosokk.femfatal.hu), but otherwise perhaps the best spot for women is Eklektika, a laid-back lesbian-run café/restaurant. Another restaurant with a particularly gay clientele is Club 93 (V, Vas utca 2; 11am–midnight), a cheap pizzeria near Astoria that is popular after 8pm.

Bars and clubs

Action V, Magyar utca 42 www.action.gay.hu. See map of Downtown Pest. Near Kálvin tér in Pest, this is a hardcore gay bar, full of young men looking for one-night stands. The entrance is tricky to find – it’s 15m along from the big “A” sign on the door. Dark room, video room and live shows on Friday (700Ft entry). Minimum consumption 1600Ft. Daily 9pm–5am.

Capella V, Belgrád rakpart 23 www.capellacafe.hu. See map Downtown Pest. Drag queens and lots of kitsch, with decor as outrageous as the acts, on the Pest riverbank. It’s become a well-known haunt, and prices are highish. Popular with straights, though more gays come on Wednesdays. Drag shows start at midnight and 1am. Entry 500Ft Wed & Thurs, 1500Ft Fri & Sat, up to 3500Ft on special occasions. Daily 10pm–5am.

CoXx (formerly Chaos) V, Dohány utca 38 www.coxx.hu. See map of Downtown Pest. The most cultured of the gay bars, this men-only venue in Pest is a friendly place to meet. The ground floor is a gallery and internet café; downstairs is a dancefloor, video rooms and numerous other spaces. Minimum consumption 1000Ft. Daily 9pm–4am.

Le Café M V, Nagysándor József utca 3 www.lecafem.com. See map of Downtown Pest. The former Mystery Bar is a small, friendly place near the Arany József utca metro in Pest, for talking rather than dancing (there’s no disco), and it’s a good place to start or end the evening. Internet café too, with wi-fi. Free entry. Mon–Fri 4pm–4am, Sat & Sun 6pm–4am.

< Back to Budapest – Part 2

Entertainment

The range of entertainment available in Budapest includes everything from clubbing and folk dancing to opera-going and jazz. There are several sources of listings information in English, details of which appear under Information, maps and tours. There are also a number of festivals and events which occur annually.

Live music: rock and pop

Budapest attracts every Hungarian band worth its amplifiers and a growing roll call of international stars, appearances by whom are well publicized in the media. Posters around town – particularly around Deák tér, Ferenciek tere and the Astoria underpass – publicize concerts by local bands. Concert ticket prices range from 1000Ft for local bands up to as much as 15,000Ft for stadium gigs by international superstars. Apart from the venues detailed below, bands appear at the places listed in Live music: jazz and Folk music and táncház sections; at the vast Puskás Ferenc Stadion, the smaller Kisstadion or the Papp László Sportaréna (all near Stadionok metro station). A number of bars also have live music, such as Jelen, Kuplung, Pótkulcs, Sark and Simplakert (see Pest). The biggest venue of all is the Óbudai (or Hajógyári) sziget north of Margit-sziget, which hosts the week-long Sziget festival (www.sziget.hu/fesztival), one of the big European music events, in mid-August.

A38 XI, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/464-3940, www.a38.hu. Housed on a boat that was reputedly given to Hungary in return for writing off the Ukrainian debt and is moored on the Buda side of the river, just below Petőfi híd, it has a separate admission charge (500Ft) for each of its three decks, where top international and Hungarian performers play rock, jazz, folk and world music.

Millenáris Park II, Fény utca 20–22 1/336-4000, www.millenaris.hu. The Fogadó concert hall here regularly hosts good rock, folk and jazz concerts and festivals, some featuring international acts. In summer, concerts are held on the park’s outdoor stages.

Palace of Arts (Művészetek palotája) IX, Komor Marcell utca 1 1/555-3000, www.mupa.hu. This substantial complex on the riverbank in southern Pest has a top-of-the-range concert hall, theatre and museum, and as the shop window for the capital’s culture scene, it sees a superb range of concerts, attracting top international classical, jazz and world music orchestras and acts.

Petőfi Csarnok XIV, Zichy Mihály út 14 1/363-3730, www.petoficsarnok.hu. On the edge of the Városliget, this big hall is often used by local and international rock and jazz groups, as well as hosting weekend flea markets and occasional craft fairs.

Trafó IX, Liliom utca 41 1/215 1600, www.trafo.hu. A dynamic contemporary arts centre in a former transformer station, it pulls full houses with concerts and theatre and dance performances, by Hungarian and foreign artistes. Good bar downstairs.

Festivals and events: the Budapest year

The two highlights of Budapest’s cultural calendar are the Spring Festival (www.btf.hu) in late March and the Autumn Festival (www.bof.hu) held sometime between late September and late October. Both offer music, ballet and drama, including star acts from abroad.

The ten-day Budapest Film Festival is usually in February, while the first major national holiday of the year is on March 15, when Budapest decks itself out in flags and cockades in honour of the 1848 Revolution, and there are patriotic gatherings at the Petőfi statue and the National Museum. Easter is marked by church services and outbreaks of locsolkodás (splashing) – when men and boys visit their female friends to spray them with cologne and receive a painted egg or pocket money in return. The fall of Communism has put paid to grandiose parades on April 4 and May 1, but May Day remains a national holiday, with a big party in the Városliget organized by the trade unions. In early June Vörösmarty tér and Szent Istvan tér are packed with bookstalls for the very popular Book Week (Könyvhét), and there is music and dancing, too.

Two festivals in mid-June are Athe Sam Roma Arts Festival (www.godorklub.hu), an international event in the Gödör Klub in central Pest that showcases Roma music, art, theatre and film; and the Bridge Festival (Hídünnep; www.budapestbridge.hu) which commemorates the building of the Lánchíd in the 1840s and marks the start of Summer on the Chain Bridge, a two-month long festival that sees the Lánchíd closed to cars each weekend until the middle of August to make way for music, food and craft stalls and jugglers and dancers. Each weekend has a different theme, from theatre to world music or jazz. In late June or early July Gay Pride Budapest is the largest event in the gay calendar, a four-day festival culminating in a march along Andrássy út to the Városliget.

Two big summer events are the Sziget Festival, one of the largest open-air rock and pop gatherings in Europe, held on an island north of the city in early August, and the Hungarian Grand Prix, usually held in mid-August. St Stephen’s Day (Aug 20), honouring the founder of the Hungarian state, occasions day-long celebrations at the Basilica, a craft fair and folk dancing at different venues in the Vár and a spectacular display of fireworks at 9pm from barges in the river between the Erzsébet and Margit bridges – check at Tourinform for the precise location so that you can get the best vantage point. Up to one million people gather on the river bank, and the traffic jam that follows the display is equally mind-blowing. If you want to eat out that night, you should book a place well in advance, as all the restaurants are packed. At the end of the month the Jewish Summer Festival (www.jewishfestival.hu) attracts an international range of classical, jazz and klezmer music, films and exhibitions.

September heralds the start of the grape harvest, marked in Budapest by the annual Wine Festival (www.winefestival.hu). The country’s top producers set out their wares on the terrace of the Royal Palace in the Castle district. There is also a Harvest parade through the streets on the hill with folk music and dancing. In October there are two national anniversaries: the Anniversary of the Arad Martyrs on October 6 marks the shooting of the thirteen Hungarian generals in 1849 in Arad (Nagyvárad) in present-day Romania, when the 1848 Revolution was crushed by the Austrians with Russian help. Wreaths are laid at the Eternal Flame. And then October 23 is a national holiday commemorating the 1956 Uprising: ceremonies take place in Kossuth tér, by the nearby Nagy Imre statue, and at Nagy’s grave in the New Public Cemetery. Bear in mind that 1956 has left a divided inheritance and tempers can flare.

On All Saints’ Day (Mindenszentek napja), November 1, cemeteries around the city stay open late and candles are lit in memory of departed souls, making for an incredible sight as darkness falls.

On December 6, children hang up Christmas boots for “little Jesus” to fill, and people prepare for the Christmas Eve feast of jellied carp or turkey. Festivities build up towards New Year’s Eve, when revellers gather on the Nagykörút, engaging in noisy battles with toy trumpets at the junction with Rákóczi út.

Live music: jazz

When it comes to jazz (or dzsessz, as it sometimes becomes in Hungarian), don’t be fooled by the small number of regular venues in Budapest. The country boasts some brilliant jazz musicians, such as György Vukán, György Szabados, Béla Szakcsi Lakatos and the award-winning pianist Kálmán Oláh. But a new phenomenon is Roma jazz: players in their early twenties or even late teens who are taking the jazz world by storm. Those in the know rate Gábor Bolla as one of the finest tenor saxophone players not just in the city but in Europe, while the pianist Dezső Oláh, the violinist Lajos Sárközi and the Pecek Lajos Trio are also rising names.

One jazz club to look out for is the Harmonia Jazz Workshop (Harmónia Jazz Műhely), which is looking for a new home and may hold sessions at the Budapest Jazz Club (VIII, Múzeum utca 7, by the National Museum) and elsewhere.

Benczúr House (Benczúr Ház) VI, Benczúr utca 27 1/321-7334, www.benczurhaz.hu. Mainstream jazz venue in a very grand nineteenth-century villa off the top of Andrássy út that today houses the Post Office Cultural Centre.

Columbus Jazz Club V, Vigadó tér 1/266-9013, www.majazz.hu. Jazz venue on a boat moored in central Pest that hosts top Hungarian as well as international players.

Gödör Klub V, Erzsébet tér 06-20/201-3868, www.godorklub.hu. Underground venue at the bottom of the steps in the middle of the square – this was once a huge hole (gödör in Hungarian) dug for the new National Theatre, but construction was abandoned after a change of government. Nicknamed the National Hole as years of vacillation followed, it was finally turned into a park and a music venue. It’s not a very intimate space but it has a very good range of concerts – jazz, folk, alternative Hungarian pop and Roma acts.

Jazz Garden V, Veres Pálné utca 44A 1/266-7364, www.jazzgarden.hu. Cellar jazz bar and restaurant. Performers include Hungarian stars Béla Szakcsi Lakatos and Aladár Pege, as well as local resident American blues guitarist Bruce Lewis. Daily except Tues 6pm–2am.

Sirály VI, Király utca 50 www.siraly.co.hu. Regular jazz and theatre downstairs in this bohemian place, a very deluxe squat.

Take Five VI, Paulay Ede utca 2 06-30/986-8856, www.take5.hu. One of the best venues in the city, a largish cellar club below the Vista travel agency just off Deák tér that gets many of the top performers on its nightly programme. Most performers do two sets, starting at 9pm.

Folk music and táncház

Hungarian folk music and dancing underwent a revival in the 1970s, as a form of rebellion against the Communist state that frowned on anything it deemed “nationalist”. Enthusiasts started “dance houses” or táncház modelled on traditional Hungarian village barn dances, drawing inspiration from Hungarian communities in Transylvania, regarded as pure wellsprings of Magyar culture. The movement still exists today, though it has lost the edge of its early years, and has been extended to other cultures – you’ll also see adverts for Greek (görög), Roma and other dance houses. Visitors are welcome to attend the gatherings (350–800Ft admission; see www.tanchaz.hu for more) and learn the steps. There are two dance houses especially for children, where language is no barrier and parents join in. Bear in mind that many dance houses close for the summer months.

Concerts of Hungarian folk music by the likes of Muzsikás, Téka, Tükrös, Ökrös, Csík and Kalamajka take place regularly, while there are also performances by groups such as Vujicsics, inspired by South Slav music from Serbia, Croatia and Bulgaria. Two singers to look out for on the circuit are Beáta Pálya, whose repertoire draws on her Hungarian and Roma roots as well as other cultures, and Ági Szalóki, who captures the traditional female folk sound – she accompanies bands such as the Ökrös Ensemble as well as performing solo. There has been a sudden growth in Roma groups, such as Romano Drom, the Szilvási Folk Band and Parno Graszt, while the old Jewish musical traditions are continued by klezmer performers such as Di Naye Kapelye, who are far closer to the original spirit than the ubiquitous easy-listening Budapest Klezmer Band. An entertaining blend of the two styles is the Fellegini Klezmer Gypsy band, led by Balázs Fellegi. Apart from the venues listed below, performances take place and in bars such as Pótkulcs and Sirály.

A38 This floating venue attracts top international and Hungarian folk and world music performers.

Aranytíz Cultural Centre V, Arany János utca 10, www.aranytiz.hu. The Kalamajka ensemble plays here to a packed dancefloor on Saturday nights from late September through to early June, with dance teaching from 7pm; the children’s session begins at 5pm. As the evening rolls on, a jamming session often develops with other bands joining in.

Fonó Music Hall (Fonó Budai Zeneház) XI, Sztregova utca 3 1/206-5300, www.fono.hu. The Fonó is a lively international folk and world music venue, 2km south of Móricz Zsigmond körtér – four stops from there on tram #18 or #47. Every Wednesday evening, there’s a dance house led by Téka, Méta or Tükrös.

Gödör Klub It’s always worth seeing what’s on at this club underneath Erzsébet tér, with its mix of live Hungarian folk, jazz and Roma – it is one of the best venues for Hungarian Roma acts such as Romano Drom, who play here every month. In June the club hosts a big international Roma arts festival.

Millenáris Park The folk band Muzsikás and the top local ethno-jazz group, the Dresch Quartet, are among the Hungarian bands regularly performing here, but they also have international stars in all genres of music.

Muzsikás Children’s Dance House TEMI Fővarosi Művelődésí Háza, XI, Fehérvári út 47 www.muzsikas.hu. Members of the Muzsikás folk band – if they are not away on tour – play while two dancers take children through some basic steps. Most Tuesdays at 5.30pm Sept–May (300Ft for children, 600Ft for adults). The venue is two stops beyond Móricz Zsigmond körtér on trams #18 and #47.

Tickets

Tickets for most big music and theatre events are available from several outlets in the city – the most accessible ones are listed below. Note that there’s often a small handling fee slapped onto ticket prices for major international shows.

Broadway ticket office XIII, Hollán Ernő utca 10 1/340-4040. Mon–Fri 11am–6pm.

Cultur-Comfort VI, Paulay Ede utca 31 1/322-0000, www.cultur-comfort.hu. Near the Opera and next door to the Hotel Pest. Mon–Fri 9am–6pm.

Rózsavölgyi Record Shop V, Szervita tér 5, near Deák tér. Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 10am–3pm.

Thália VI, Nagymező utca 19, next door to the Operetta Theatre 1/428-0791. Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 10am–4pm.

TicketExpress VI, Andrássy út 18 06/30-303-0999, www.tex.hu. A few doors down from the Opera House. Mon–Fri 10am–6.30pm, Sat 10am–3pm.

Opera, ballet and classical music

You can enjoy opera and ballet in Budapest at a very reasonable price, even treating yourself to several glasses of (Hungarian) champagne in the bar during the interval. Most opera productions are in Hungarian, a custom introduced by Gustav Mahler when he was director of the Opera House. The main venue is the Opera House, which has its own box office (inside the main doors or, if they are closed, round on the left-hand side of the building in Dalszinház utca; Mon–Sat 11am–5pm, Sun 4–7pm). Performances are also held at the nearby Thália Theatre, while the other big opera venue, the Modernist Erkel Theatre in Köztársaság tér, is undergoing restoration and may be open in time for its centenary in 2011.

The city excels in its variety of classical music performances. The pick of the larger ensembles is the Budapest Festival Orchestra, conducted by Iván Fischer (www.bfz.hu), and the National Philharmonic under Zoltán Kocsis (www.hunphilharmonic.org.hu). Fischer established his orchestra as the first privately funded ensemble in the country and his radical approach has won accolades all around the world. Kócsis made his name as a brilliant pianist but as a conductor has forged distinction out of an ordinary ensemble. Look out also for performances by three excellent chamber ensembles: the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra, the Budapest Strings (Budapesti Vónosók) and the Weiner Száz Orchestra; and Budapest’s leading period Baroque group, the Orfeo Orchestra under György Vashegyi.

Budapest is equally well supplied with soloists. You’ll be lucky to catch the Hungarian pianist András Schiff (now based in Britain), but other internationally recognized pianists who regularly perform here include Tamás Vasary, Péter Frankl, Desző Ránki and Gábor Csalog. The cellist Miklós Perényi is an old hand on the classical circuit, while of the younger generation the names to look out for are the violinists Barnabás Kelemen and József Lendvai, the cellist László Fenyő and the brilliant pianist Gergely Bogányi.

One genre that has long appealed to the Hungarian spirit is operetta, with Hungarians making a major contribution to the turn-of-the-twentieth-century Viennese tradition through composers such as Ferenc Lehár and Imre Kálmán. Lehár’s The Merry Widow and Kálmán’s The Csárdás Princess still draw the crowds with their combination of grand tunes, extravagant staging and romantic comedy in the suitably over-the-top Operetta Theatre.

Besides the key venues listed below, a few places of worship regularly host concerts, among them the Kálvín tér church; the Lutheran Church on Deák tér (the programme includes free performances of Bach before Easter, details of which are posted by the church entrance); and the Dohány utca synagogue. Mátyás Church on Várhegy stages choral or organ recitals on Fridays and Saturdays between June and September (from 8pm), and less frequently the rest of the year.

The opera, theatre and concert halls take a summer break at the end of May, reopening in mid-September; there is a summer season of concerts at open-air venues, including the outdoor stage on Margit-sziget, the Dominican Yard of the Hilton hotel in the Castle District, and the Vajdahunyad Castle in the Városliget, though the music they offer is fairly mainstream.

A comprehensive listing of classical music events can be found at www.koncertkalendarium.hu, and in the free monthly Koncert Kalendárium, available from ticket offices or in listings magazines.

Bartók Memorial House (Bartók Emlékház) II, Csalán utca 29 1/394-2100, www.bartokmuseum.hu. Concerts – not just of the music of Bartók – are held in the villa where the composer used to live. Tickets are either included in the entry fee or go up to a modest 2000Ft.

Budapest Operetta Theatre (Budapesti Operettszínház) VI, Nagymezo utca 17 1/312–4866, www.operett.hu. The magnificently refurbished home of Hungarian operetta, where you can enjoy works by Lehár and Kálmán, as well as modern musicals.

Music Academy (Zeneakadémia) VI, Liszt Ferenc tér 8 1/342-0179. Founded by Ferenc Liszt in 1875, it hosts nightly concerts and recitals in the magnificent gold-covered Nagyterem (Great Hall) or the smaller Kisterem. The music is excellent and the place has a real buzz.

National Concert Hall (Bartók Béla Nemzeti Hangversenyterem) in the Palace of Arts. This concert hall was designed by a top international architect and has superb acoustics. It attracts top international performers, not just in the classical arena.

Old Music Academy (Régi Zeneakadémia) VI, Vörösmarty utca 35. Performances by young musicians every Saturday morning, in the concert hall of the Liszt Memorial Museum.

Opera House (Magyar Állami Operaház) VI, Andrássy út 22 www.opera.hu. Budapest’s grandest venue, with gilded frescoes and three-tonne chandeliers (dress tends towards smart), though plagued by a lack of money. You can still get cheap seats – tickets start at 800Ft, though they go up to 17,000Ft for the best seats in the best shows.

Thália Theatre (Thália Színház) VI, Nagymező 22 1/331-0500, www.thalia.hu. On Budapest’s “Broadway”, the Thália hosts operas and musicals, as well as theatre and dance.

Theatre

Mainstream Hungarian theatre is in the doldrums at present, and there is little to tempt the visitor in its melodramatic and unsubtle productions in an incomprehensible language. The newly constructed National Theatre (Nemzeti Színház), IX, Bajor Gizi park 1 (1/476-6800, www.nemzetiszinhaz.hu) is aimed at reviving Hungary’s proud traditions, but it has had a troubled birth and less dramatic impact than first hoped. Of the established theatres, the New Theatre (Új Színház), VI, Paulay Ede utca 35 (1/351-1406, www.szinhaz.hu/ujszinhaz) offers reliably solid performances, while locals dress up in their finest for the beautiful Vígszínház, XIII, Szent István krt 14 (1/329 2340, www.vigszinhaz.hu). It is also worth looking out for performances by the provincial theatre company from the town of Kaposvár, in southwest Hungary, or by Hungarian companies from outside the borders, such as from Cluj, Romania.

Alternative theatre tends to be more interesting – and since music and dance play a greater part here, language can be less of a barrier. One Hungarian group that has received considerable critical acclaim abroad is Krétakör, which was a big hit at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival with its interpretation of Chekhov’s The Seagull, by the young director Árpád Schilling. Other names to look out for are László Hudi, Frenák Pál and Péter Halász, who have all spent time with foreign ensembles, bringing fresh new ideas back to Hungary. Two promising names in dance are Réka Szabó, who runs the Tünet (Symptom) group, and Krisztián Gergye. And finally, Hungary has a strong puppet tradition and is served by two puppet theatres (bábszínház): Kolibri Theatre, VI, Jókai tér 10 (1/311-0870), and the Budapest Puppet Theatre, VI, Andrássy út 69 (www.budapest-babszinhaz.hu). Both do shows for children, but the latter also puts on performances aimed at adults – masked grotesqueries or renditions of Bartók’s The Wooden Prince and The Miraculous Mandarin. Alternative theatre venues include the MU Színház, XI, Körösy József utca 17 (1/466-4627, www.mu.hu); the Sirály, a bohemian cultural centre at VII, Király utca 50 (06-20/248-2261, www.siraly.co.hu); the Szkéné Színház, XI, Muegyetem rakpart 3 (1/463-2451, www.szkene.hu) in the main building of the Technical University near the Gellért Hotel; and Trafó. Dynamic contemporary arts centre that has theatre performances by Krétakör and other groups, as well as many good international companies.

Cinema

Hollywood blockbusters and Euro soft-porn films dominate Budapest’s mainstream cinemas, though the city has a chain of art-house cinemas specializing in the latest releases and obscure European films – angol indicates a British film, lengyel Polish, német German, olasz Italian, and orosz Russian.

The main film festivals are the Hungarian Film Festival (www.szemle.film.hu), a parade of the year’s new films in February (tickets from the Corvin Film Palace), and the Titanic International Film Festival (www.titanicfilmfest.hu) in April, an alternative festival of Hungarian and foreign films that has been going for more than fifteen years.

Budapest has some of the most beautiful movie houses around. It is worth checking out the Moorish interior of the Uránia National Film Theatre (Uránia Nemzeti Filmszínház; VIII, Rákóczi út 21, www.urania-nf.hu) – as a showcase for Hungarian film – and the coffered ceiling of the turn-of-the-twentieth-century Puskin, at V, Kossuth Lajos 18 (www.artmozi.hu), while the Cirko-gejzir, V, Balassi Bálint utca 15–17, is an alternative joint complete with Chinese tea before showings. A host of multiplex cinemas has now also appeared in the city, including the Corvin Budapest Film Palace (Corvin Filmpalota; VIII, Corvin köz 1, www.corvin.hu), and every shopping mall has one. Cinema listings appear in the mozi section of the free Hungarian weekly Pesti Est. The times of shows are cryptically abbreviated: n8 or 1/4 8 – short for negyed 8 – means 7.15; f8 or 1/2 8 (fél 8) means 7.30; and h8 or 3/4 8 (háromnegyed 8) means 7.45pm. “Mb.” indicates the film is dubbed – as many are – and fel. or feliratos means that it has Hungarian subtitles.

Cinema-going is cheap, with tickets costing from 800Ft in the smaller cinemas, 1400Ft or more in the multiplexes. In the summer some of the outdoor bars, such as the Szimplakert, show films a couple of times a week; there are also summer outdoor and drive-in cinemas on the edge of town – for more details of these contact Tourinform.

Hungary on film

Hungarians have an impressive record in film, and many of the Hollywood greats were Hungarian émigrés – Michael Curtiz, Sir Alex Korda, George Cukor, and actors Béla Lugosi, Tony Curtis and Leslie Howard to name but a few. In the Communist years Hungarian film continued to make waves, with Miklós Jancsó, Károly Makk, István Szabó, Márta Mészáros and others making films that managed to say much about the oppressive regime in spite of its restrictions. Now the main restriction on film makers is chronic underfunding, but what the Hungarian film industry lacks in money it makes up for in ideas.

Established directors to look out for are Peter Gothár, with his absurd humour and love of the fantastic (Time Stands Still, Let Me Hang Vaska), Ildikó Enyedi (My Twentieth Century and Simon the Magician), Béla Tarr (Werckmeister Harmonies and the epic eight-hour Satan Tango) and János Szász, whose film The Witman Boys won the award for best international film at Cannes in 1997. Other younger stars are Kornél Mundruczó, Szabolcs Hajdú, Ferenc Török and Nimród Antal, whose first film, the black comedy Kontroll, was a big hit abroad; as well as György Pálfi, whose Hukkle similarly won international acclaim. Two new names making feature films are Szabolcs Tolnai, whose film Sand Glass about the writer Danilo Kis won widespread praise; and Péter Fazakas, whose first feature film, Para, was released in 2008.

< Back to Budapest – Part 2

Sports

Apart from popular spectator sports such as soccer, horse-racing, and the Grand Prix, the city offers a range of sports facilities for participators. Swimming is very popular in Hungary, and Budapest has plenty of pools, such as the Hajós Alfréd Pool in the southern part of Margit-sziget and the Császár Komjádi Pool – both have an indoor and an all-season outdoor pool. In summer you can find big outdoor pools at the Palatinus strand, surrounded by grass and fried-food stalls, on the Margit-sziget, at Csillaghegy, III, Pusztakúti utca 3 (Szentendre HÉV to Csillaghegy), and at Rómaifürdő, a water park with three big slides, a family slide and sauna, III, Rozgonyi Piroska utca 2 (Szentendre HÉV to Rómaifürdő) – all three are open daily in the summer (May–Sept) from 9am to 7pm. The thermal baths – including the Rudas, the Lukács and the Gellért – also have swimming pools.

Tennis can be played all year round at the Városmajor Tennis Academy in Városmajor Park, near Moszkva tér (1/202–5337); and at the Thermal Hotel Helia in Angyalföld, XIII, Kárpát utca 62 (1/452-5800) – racquets are available for rent at both; while squash enthusiasts should head for either City Squash Club, II, Marcibányi tér 13 (1/336-0408, www.squashtech.hu), or Top Squash Club, on the fourth floor of the nearby Mammut Mall I (1/345-8193) – both near Moszkva tér.

If it is the gym you need, most of the larger hotels have fitness centres open to non-residents. When it snows, you can ski at Normafa in the Buda Hills. Equipment can be rented from Suli Sí by the entrance of the Csázsár Komjádi pool at II, Árpád Fejedelem utca 8 (1/212-0330), or Bikebase at VI, Podmaniczky utca 19 (daily 9am–7pm; 1/269-5983, www.bikebase.hu). Skates can be rented at the ice rink in the Városliget between November and March – the rink turns into a rowing lake in summer, where you can rent boats, though for the more adventurous there is canoeing on the Danube: the Béke Boathouse, a ten-minute walk from the Rómaifürdő HÉV station (or take bus #34 to the door from the Árpád híd station) at III, Rómaipart 51–53 (1/388-9303), rents out canoes and kayaks. If the Palvölgyi and Szemlőhegyi caves are too easy for you, then Caving under Budapest (06-20/928-4969, www.barlangaszat.hu) leads more demanding two- to three-hour tours from the Pálvölgyi cave – you do need to be fit and fairly agile, as you’ll be climbing on walls and squeezing through passageways, and you are given helmets, headlights and overalls.

Football

Hungary’s great footballing days are long past – the golden team of the 1950s that beat England 6–3 with stars such as Ferenc Puskás and József Bozsik is a world away from today’s national squad, struggling to qualify for big tournaments. The club scene is also in deep crisis, with teams floundering in a financial desert.

While international matches are held at the Puskás Ferenc Stadium – generally filling just a third of its 76,000 seats – club football revolves around the turf of three premier league teams.

Ferencváros (aka FTC or Fradi), based at IX, Üllői út 129, near the Népliget metro (www.ftc.hu), is the biggest club in the country and almost a national institution; its supporters, dressed in the club’s colours of green and white, are the loudest presence at international matches too. The club has long had right-wing ties: this was the fascists’ team before the war, and in recent years it has attracted a strong skinhead – and anti-Semitic – element. Fradi has struggled in recent seasons, and financial difficulties have now relegated the club to the second division. It’s in the process of being bought by businessman Kevin McCabe, who also owns the British club Sheffield United.

One of Fradi’s big rivals is MTK, VIII, Salgótarján utca 12–14 (tram #37 from Blaha Lujza tér; www.mtkhungaria.hu). “Em-tay-kah” – as it is popularly known – has traditionally had strong support among the Jewish community, and unlike its neighbour it is still a major contender in the top division. MTK’s ground was the setting for scenes in the film Escape to Victory. The other is Újpest, IV, Megyeri út 13, four stops on bus #30 from Újpest Központ metro station (www.ujpestfc.hu). Formerly the police’s team, Újpest’s purple strip is another regular contender for the Hungarian championship. Its 13,000 all-seater stadium was completed in 2001.

See the daily paper Nemzeti Sport for details of fixtures. The season runs from late July to late November and late February to mid-June. Most matches are played on Saturday afternoons, with tickets costing 800–3000Ft.

Horse-racing

Horse-racing was introduced from England by Count Széchenyi in 1827 and flourished until 1949, when flat racing (galopp) was banned by the Communists. For many years punters could only enjoy trotting races, but in the mid-1980s flat racing resumed at Kincsem Park, X, Albertirsai út 2–6 (Pillangó utca on the red metro, and then either walk or catch #100 bus). Flat racing takes place here on Sundays from spring to autumn; trotting – ügető, where the horse is harnessed to a light carriage – is all year round, mostly on Saturdays. Races are advertised in Fortuna magazine. Both types have a devoted and excitable following, which makes attending the races entertaining; the atmosphere at the tracks is informal, but photographing the racegoers is frowned upon, since many attend unbeknownst to their spouses or employers.

Betting operates on a tote system, where your returns are affected by how the odds stood at the close of betting. The different types of bet comprise tét, placing money on the winner; hely, on a horse coming in the first three; and the popular befutó, a bet on two horses to come in either first and second or first and third. Winnings are paid out about fifteen minutes after the end of the race.

The Hungarian Grand Prix

The Hungarian Grand Prix takes place in summer – usually mid-August – at the purpose-built Formula One racing track, the Hungaroring, at Mogyoród, 20km northeast of Budapest. The event was first held in 1986, but every year financial uncertainties surrounding the event spark rumours concerning its future. Assuming it’s going ahead as normal, you can get details from Tourinform, any listings magazine or the website www.hungaroring.hu.

Tickets are available from Ostermann Forma-1, V, Apáczai Csere János utca 11, third floor (1/266-2040), online at the address above; or from booths in Ferenciek tér. Prices range from €35–90 for the first day to €100–290 for the final day, and €110–400 for a three-day pass – the price being partly determined by the location, and whether you book in advance or (risking disappointment) on the day. You can reach the track by special buses from the Árpád híd bus station; trains from Keleti Station to Fót, and then a bus from there; or by HÉV train from Örs vezér tere to the Szilasliget stop, which is 1800m northeast of Gate C.

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Children’s Budapest

The city offers a healthy range of activities for kids, from state-of-the-art playgrounds to roller-skating parks, with concessions on most entry tickets for under-14s. Don’t expect anything especially high-tech, however, as a lack of cash dogs the facilities, but many of the city’s playgrounds have been refurbished in recent years, and plenty of places have activities specifically for children, from the Palace of Arts, which has events most weekends, to restaurants such as Trattoria Toscana, which has a clown to entertain children at weekends.

From Klauzál tér’s scaled-down assault course to the folksy wooden seesaws and swings erected on Széchenyi-hegy, there are children’s playgrounds all over Budapest – the best are in the Millenarium Park and the Zoo. Improvements to the Zoo have made it a great place to visit; kids can feed the camels and giraffes, tickle the rhinos, and stroke the goats, sheep and farm animals. The Zoo’s new attraction is the Zoo Funhouse (www.jatekmester.hu), a brilliant indoor playcentre for babies and children aged up to 10 – there’s also the chance to be taken by the zookeepers to see the animals being fed. Nearby is Városliget with its mock castle and lake – allowing skating or rowing according to the season – as well as the Transport Museum with its old trains, the fairground and the circus.

Budapest’s public transport – where children under 6 travel free – will keep children happily entertained. Trams are an endless source of fun, the best ride being along the embankment in tram #2. Across the water, the Sikló is a great experience, rising up above the rooftops from the Lánchíd to the Royal Palace. A popular way for families to spend an afternoon in the Buda Hills is to go on the “railway circuit” – the Cogwheel Railway, the Children’s Railway and the chairlift, but the best place for young train buffs is the Hungarian Railway History Park, where kids can clamber over all kinds of locomotives and even get to drive a steam train. In the summer you can also travel on steam trains that run from Nyugati Station.

On the edge of town in southern Buda you can get close to the sharks, feed the stingray and experience the rainforests in the huge aquarium-terrarium at the Tropicarium, while some of the city’s best outdoor fun is to be had up in the Buda Hills at Challengeland, at Csillebérc, where children aged 3–12 can go on ropewalks and swing from tree to tree. Another popular destination is the Görzenál Skatepark at III, Árpád fejedelem útja (1/250-4800; Szentendre HÉV to Timár utca), where you can rollerblade, skateboard and cycle on ramps and jumps to your heart’s content.

Thanks to Budapest’s geology there’s entertainment underground too: the Hospital in the Rock and the Buda Castle Labyrinth on Várhegy or, further out, the natural beauty of the caves in the Buda Hills.

Two other museums that merit a mention are the Natural History Museum, which is full of colour and activity, with interactive games and lots to look at, plenty of it at child height; and the Palace of Miracles, a great interactive playhouse that is a hands-on science museum, and has good explanations in English.

Budapest has a strong tradition in puppetry, or if you want to learn some folk dancing there are two dance houses especially for children.

Finally the Summer on the Chain Bridge festival, every weekend from mid-June to mid-August on the Lánchíd, has regular events aimed at children.

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Shopping

Budapest’s range of shops has expanded massively in recent years, as big international names such as Mango and Benetton have appeared in its streets, and more especially in its range of new malls. Most shops are open Monday to Friday 10am–6pm, and Saturday until 1pm, with most foodstores open from 8am to 6pm or 7pm. Recently some shops in the centre of the city have begun to stay open later on Saturdays. The big shopping malls all have longer opening hours, till around 8pm every day except Sunday, when they close at 6pm. You can usually find a 24-hour – non-stop – shop serving alcohol, cigarettes and some food in the centre of town, though in the residential parts of Buda they may be harder to find.

The main shopping areas are located to the south of Vörösmarty tér in central Pest, in particular in and around pedestrianized Váci utca, which has the biggest concentration of glamorous and expensive shops, as well as branches of popular Western stores including H&M, Mango, Springfield, Esprit and Zara. The nearby Deák Ferenc utca has been jazzed up as “Fashion Street” and attracted names such as Sisley, Tommy Hilfiger and Benetton. The main streets radiating out from the centre – Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út, Andrássy út and Rákóczi út – are other major shopping focuses, as are the Nagykörút (especially between Margit híd and Blaha Lujza tér) and the Kiskörút. Shops in the Várhegy are almost exclusively given over to providing foreign tourists with folksy souvenirs such as embroidered tablecloths, Hussar pots and fancy bottles of Tokaj wine.

Modern shopping malls, combining major shopping centres with entertainment facilities under one roof, have now spread right across the city. Three of the closest to the centre are Mammut (www.mammut.hu) by Moszkva tér, Mom Park (www.mompark.hu), XII, Alkotás utca 53, above Déli Station, and Westend (www.westend.hu), by Nyugati Station.

Budapest has two main flea markets: Petőfi Csarnok (Sat & Sun 7am–2pm; ) in the Városliget, which has expanded fast; and the more expensive but potentially very rewarding Ecseri piac at XIX, Nagykőrösi utca 156 (Mon–Fri 7am–4pm, Sat 7am–noon; take bus #54 from Boráros tér at the Pest end of Petőfi híd), where Saturday is the biggest day and sellers are aware of the money to be made from rich foreign tourists, but where there are also bargains to be found, either early on a Saturday or at closing time.

The most popular souvenirs to bring home are wine, porcelain, foodstuffs (such as paprika, salami and goose liver) and CDs. Budapest’s Antiques Row is Falk Miksa utca, at the Pest end of Margit Bridge. For foodstuffs, head for the market halls, such as the spectacular Great Market Hall (Nagycsarnok) in Pest, and the Fény utca market behind the Mammut malls near Moszkva tér in Buda. There is a burgeoning organic market (bio-piac) at XII, Csörsz utca 18, behind the Mom Park mall, where you’ll find the most brightly coloured paprika in town.

The emergence of a thriving wine industry is reflected in the number of new wine shops in the city. The Budapest Wine Society at I, Batthyány utca 59, near Moszkva tér, has a good selection and the English-speaking staff know their wines (Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat 10am–6pm, www.bortarsasag.hu). In Vino Veritas at VII, Dohány utca 58–62, close to Blaha Lujza tér, has an excellent range of wines. For something a little stronger try the Magyar Pálinka Háza VIII, Rákóczi út 17, which sells Hungarian schnapps in a surprising range of flavours.

One of the best places for porcelain is Haas & Czjzek, at VI, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 23, opposite the Arany János metro station, which stocks pieces by all the main producers.

For music, the Rózsavölgyi store at V, Szervita tér 5, has an excellent selection of classical music, with pop and folk downstairs, plus sheet music; the CD Bar at Krúdy Gyula utca 6 (Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat 10am–4pm, www.cd-bar.hu) is strong on classical music; while the staff at Wave, VI, Révay utca 4 off the bottom of Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út are well informed on underground and Hungarian folk. MesterPorta at I, Corvin tér 7 near Batthyány tér is strong on folk music – you can also get your own hurdy-gurdy here. The more impersonal MCD at V, Sütő utca 2 is a CD megastore off Deák tér with a wide selection of all kinds of music.

The best selection of secondhand classical records and CDs is at Concerto Records, VII, Dob utca 31 (Mon–Fri noon–7pm, Sun noon–4pm), and for secondhand rock and blues records and CDs try Lemez Dokk, VIII, Horánszky utca 27 and Rockin’ Box at VI, Paulay Ede utca 8 (both Mon–Fri noon–6pm).

If you’re looking for English-language books, Bestsellers at V, Október 6 utca 11 has a very good all-round selection; Libri at V, Váci utca 22 is a foreign-language specialist store; Írók Boltja at VI, Andrássy út 45 – the “Writers’ Bookshop”–has a wide range of Hungary-related books at the back; the CEU bookshop at V, Zrinyi utca 12 has a good selection of Hungarian literature in English; and up on Várhegy is Litea at I, Hess András tér 4. For secondhand books, there is The Red Bus bookstore at V, Semmelweis utca 14; upstairs at Alexandra at VII, Károly körút 3 (open daily till 10pm); or Treehugger Dan at VI, Csengery utca 48 (www.treehugger.hu), which is packed with secondhand books and has a gay and lesbian section.

Clothes and footwear have not always been a great attraction in Hungary, but there are some shops making waves: Tisza shoes is the best known, at VII, Károly körút 1. Otherwise, Budapest is strong on quirky designers such as Manier at V, Nyáry Pál utca 4 (www.manier.hu) and Vasseva, at VI, Paulay Ede utca 67 (www.vasseva.com).

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Listings

Airlines Air France, VIII, Rákóczi út 1–3 1/483-8800; British Airways/Qantas, Ferihegy airport desk 1/777-4747; KLM, VIII, Rákóczi út 1–3 1/373-7737; Lufthansa, Ferihegy airport desk 1/411-9900; Malév, XIII, Váci út 26 1/235-3222. 

Airport information Flight arrivals and departures available on 1/296-7000 or from www.bud.hu.

Banks and exchange Cash dispensers can be found across the city. The best places for changing money are the larger banks such as the Magyar Külkereskedelmí Bank at V, Türr István utca 9, by the top of Váci utca; the exchange offices around Vörösmarty tér and Váci utca tend to give poor rates.

Car rental Avis V, Szervita tér 8, by the petrol station under the multistorey car park 1/318-4240, www.avis.hu; Budget Hotel Mercure Buda, I, Krisztina körút 41–43 1/214-0420, www.budget.hu; Europcar V, Erzsébet tér 9–10 1/505-4400, www.europcar.hu; Hertz V, Váci utca 19–21 1/296-0999, www.hertz.hu. All these companies have offices at the airport.

Embassies Australia, XII, Királyhágó tér 8–9 1/457-9777, www.ausembbp.hu; Canada, XII, Budakeszi út 32 1/392-3360, www.kanada.hu; France, VI, Lendvay utca 27 1/374-1100, www.ambafrance-hu.org; Germany, I, Úri utca 64 1/488-3500, www.deutschebotschaft-budapest.hu; Ireland, V, Szabadság tér 7, Bank Center, seventh floor 1/301-4960; UK, V, Harmincad utca 6 1/266-2888, www.britishembassy.hu; US, V, Szabadság tér 12 1/475-4400, www.usembassy.hu. 

Hospitals and dentistry There is 24hr medical help at V, Semmelweis utca 14/b (entrance on Gerlóczy utca) (1/311-6816), near Astoria; and at weekends at II, Ganz utca 13–15 (1/202-1370). A 24hr private clinic with English-speaking personnel is the American FirstMed Center at I, Hattyú utca 14, near Moszkva tér (1/224-9090, www.firstmedcenters.com); the IMS (International Medical Services) offers medical care 8am–8pm weekdays at XIII, Váci út 184 near the Gyöngyösi út station on the blue metro in northern Pest (1/329-8423; Mon–Fri 7.30am–8pm) and during evenings and weekends at III, Vihar utca 29 in Óbuda (1/388-8257, www.imskft.hu). SOS Dental Service, VI, Király utca 14 (1/267-9602) is a round-the-clock private English-speaking dentist – one of many dentists in the street.

International buses and trains Bookings are required on all international train routes. Buy your tickets 24–36 hours in advance at one of the railway stations or ring 1/371-9449 or 06-40/494-949. Hungarian Railways (MÁV) has its online booking service and timetables at elvira.mav-start.hu/. The Vienna-bound Wiener Waltzer often runs late, so reserve sleepers in Budapest. Also bring drinks, as the buffet staff overcharge shamelessly. International bus services depart from Népliget bus station, where you can buy tickets (Mon–Fri 6am–6pm, till 9pm mid-June to mid-Sept, Sat–Sun 6am–4pm).

Internet access Wi-fi access is widely available in many hotels and cafés – you can find hot spots in the city on the website www.hotspotter.hu/en/ – and internet cafés are relatively easy to find in the centre.

Laundry Irisz Szalon, V, Városház utca 3–5 (Mon–Fri 7am–7pm), is one of the few self-service launderettes left in the city; or you can get washing done in the small Laundromat Mosómata near the Basilica at Ó utca 24–26 (Mon–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat–Sun 10am–4pm), where a wash and dry costs 1,600Ft.

Lost property For items left on public transport go to the BKV office at VII, Akácfa utca 18 (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm). Lost or stolen passports should be reported to the police station in the district where they were lost.

Pharmacies Details of each district’s 24hr pharmacy are posted in every pharmacy’s window. Central 24hr pharmacies include those at XII, Alkotás utca 2, opposite Déli Station, and at VI, Teréz körút 41, near Oktogon. For herbal remedies try Herbária, V, Vamház körút 4 or II, Margít körút 42.

Photocopying Copy General at V, Kalman Imre utca 22, just off Bajcsy-Zsilinszky ut, is open 24 hours.

Post offices There are several post offices (posta) with longer opening hours: the main one at V, Petőfi Sándor utca 13 (Mon–Fri 8am–8pm, Sat 8am–2pm); the one by Keleti Station at VIII, Baross tér 11c (Mon–Fri 7am–9pm, Sat 8am–2pm); the one by Nyugati Station at VI, Teréz körút 51 (Mon–Fri 7am–8pm, Sat 8am–6pm); the one in the Mammut Mall by Moszkva tér (Mon–Fri 8am–8pm, Sat 9am–2pm); inside Tesco at XIV, Pillangó utca 15 near the Pillangó utca stop on the red metro (daily 24hr).

Religious services in English Anglican: Sun 10.30am, VII, Almássy utca 6 06-23/452-023; Baptist: Sun 10.30am, International Baptist Church, II, Törökvész út 48–54 (Móricz Zsigmond Gimnázium) 1/319-8525; Roman Catholic: Sat 5pm, Pesti Jézus Szíve Templom, VIII, Mária utca 25 1/318-3479.

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Travel details

Trains

Where only InterCity are given, there are also slightly slower express services to the same destination.

Batthyány tér (HÉV) to: Pomáz (every 10–15min; 30min); Szentendre (every 10–20min; 40min).

Déli Station to: Balatonfüred (every 1–2hr; 2hr 30min–3hr 30min); Balatonszentgyörgy (every 1–2hr; from 3hr); Dombóvár (7 InterCity daily; 2hr); Pécs (6 InterCity daily; 2hr 50min); Siófok (hourly June–Sept, otherwise 8 daily; from 1hr 45min); Székesfehérvár (every 20–30min; from 1hr); Szekszárd (6 daily; from 3hr 10min); Tapolca (every 1–2hr; 4–5hr); Veszprém (7 daily; 2hr); Zalaegerszeg (5 daily; 4hr).

Keleti Station to: Békéscsaba (hourly; 2hr 30min); Eger (hourly; 2hr); Győr (hourly; 1hr 30min–2hr); Kaposvár (6 daily; 3hr); Komárom (every two hours – and hourly from Déli Station; 1hr 10min–1hr 25min); Miskolc (InterCity hourly; 2hr); Sárospatak and Sátoraljaújhely (hourly; 3hr 30min–4hr); Sopron (4 InterCity daily; from 2hr 30min); Szekszárd (5 daily; from 2hr 30min); Szombathely (4 InterCity daily; 2hr 50min); Tata (every 2hr– and hourly from Déli Station; 1hr).

Nyugati Station to: Debrecen (InterCity hourly; 2hr 30min); Esztergom (every 40min–1hr; 1hr 30min); Kecskemét (hourly; 1hr 20min); Nyíregyháza (InterCity hourly; 3hr); Szeged (InterCity hourly; 2hr 30min); Szob (hourly; 1hr); Szolnok (hourly – and also from Keleti; from 1hr 15min); Vác (every 30min; from 25min); Vácrátót (twice an hour; 40min–1hr 10min).

Buses

Árpád híd to: the Danube Bend: Balassagyarmat (7 daily; 2hr); Esztergom (2 daily and Mon–Fri every 40min – also 3 daily from Széna tér, next to Moszkva tér; from 1hr 20min); Pilisszántó (hourly on weekdays; 45min); Pilisvörösvár (every 20min on weekdays – also from Széna tér; from 30min); Vác (hourly; 40min).

Népliget to: Lake Balaton, Transdanubia and the Great Plain: Baja (8 daily; from 3hr 20min); Balatonfüred (5 daily; 2hr–2hr 40min); Békéscsaba (2 daily; 4hr); Dunaújváros (hourly; 1hr 20min); Győr (every 2hr; 1hr 50min); Herend (5 daily; from 2hr 10min); Harkány (2 daily; 4hr 30min); Hévíz (4 daily; from 2hr 50min); Kalocsa (9 daily; from 2hr 30min); Kaposvár (3 daily; from 3hr); Kecskemét (hourly; from 1hr 20min); Keszthely (5 daily; from 2hr 30min); Kiskunfélegyháza (10 daily; 2hr); Mohács (3 daily; from 3hr 30min); Nagyvázsony (2 daily; 3hr); Pécs (5 daily; 4hr); Siklós (1 daily; 4hr 50min); Siófok (7 daily; 1hr 35min–2hr 10min); Sopron (2 daily; 3hr 50min); Sümeg (4 daily; from 3hr 20min); Szeged (6 daily; 2–3hr); Székesfehérvár (every 15–45min; 1hr 15min); Szekszárd (hourly; 3hr); Szombathely (2 daily; from 3hr 30min); Velence (6 daily; 1hr); Veszprém (every 30min–1hr; 2hr); Zalaegerszeg (5 daily; from 3hr); Zirc (4 daily; from 2hr 40min).

Stadion to: northern Hungary: Aggtelek (4 daily, with one transfer; 5hr); Eger (hourly; 2hr); Gödöllő (every 1hr–1hr 30min; 45min); Gyöngyös (every 30min; from 1hr 15min); Mátraháza (6 daily; 2hr); Miskolc (5 daily, changing at Eger; 4hr); Salgótarján (every 1hr–1hr 30min; from 1hr 45min).

Hydrofoils and ferries

These operate from May to September, as weather permits, with more running June to August.

Belgrád rakpart international landing stage: Hydrofoils to Vienna (April–Oct 1 daily; 6hr to Bratislava).

Vigadó tér pier: boats to Esztergom (1 daily at weekends and some other days; 5hr 30min); Szentendre (2 daily; 1hr 25min); Vác (1 daily; 2hr 15min); Visegrád (2 daily at weekends and some other days; 3hr 30min). Hydrofoils (1–2 at weekends) to Esztergom (1hr 30min), Vác (40min); Visegrád (1hr).

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