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Top five Budapest attractions

Posted on August 10, 2013February 12, 2016 by Budapest Guide

Coming to Budapest and wonder what are the most important attractions to see when in town? We have created a list telling you what are the top five Budapest attractions.

The attractions on this list are things to see, which means that we have not included activities and programs. These are buildings and landmarks that you simple need to see, because they are stunning and because if you do not see them, you can not return home claiming to have seen the most important sights in Budapest. So here we go, our top five Budapest attractions.

Top five Budapest attractions

St. Stephens Basilica
We have always been big fans of the St. Stephens Basilica. It has a beautiful exterior and interior. From the square outside the church it is possible to make magnificent pictures, from the dome you can enjoy the best view available on the Pest side, and inside you can enjoy the mixture of prayer, organ music and beautiful paintings, sculptures and much more!

St. Stephens Basilica in Budapest — St. Stephens Basilica is in our eyes the most beautiful church in all of Budapest! Majestic both on the inside and the outside.

Parliament
The Hungarian Parliament might be the most impressive of all buildings in Budapest. It is located by the Danube and it reminds quite a lot about the Parliament in London. As you watch the building from the outside you will be extremely impressed, but do not make the mistake to think that you have seen it once your bus or taxi has driven next to it during daytime. It is when the lights are turned on in the evening it turns into one of the most beautiful buildings Europe has to offer.

Heroes Square
If you want an introduction to the history of Hungary, bring a guide book or a guide with you to the Heroes Square. The square is beautiful both during daytime and nighttime, but be aware of the fact that in the hottest months it is hard to be out on the square for more than 5-10 minutes. The monuments and the statues at the square are delightful, and the two wonderful museums at both sides of the square just gives a plus to it all.

Heroes Square in Budapest — The best place to get an introduction to the history of Hungary, the Heroes Square

Chain Bridge
If you buy a postcard from Budapest, it is very possible that the Chain Bridge is the landmark you will see on it. The bridge is first of all a favorite object to photograph when it is illuminated in the evening, and it is also the oldest bridge connecting Pest with Buda. Beautiful, and almost impossible to miss out on when in Budapest.

Castle Hill
The fifth and last attraction on our list of the Top five Budapest attractions is the Castle Hill. We realize that the Castle Hill in fact is a hill and not one attraction, so it is kind of tricky. However, as we write the Castle Hill as an attraction it includes the castle building itself, but also the Matthias Church and the Fishermens Bastion.

Matthias Church in Budapest — The Matthias Church is beautiful, and its location next to the Fishermens Bastion is perfect.

The best route to see these five attractions

If you decide to see all these five attraction on one and the same little trip on your own, then we recommend the following route.

Start your tour at the Heroes Square
Take the yellow metro or walk your way down the Andrassy avenue to the St. Stephens Basilica
Continue towards the Chain Bridge and walk across it
Walk on foot or use the funicular to get to the Castle Hill
Walk from the Castle towards the Trinity square (Szentharomsag ter)
Enjoy the view of the Matthias Church and the Fishermens Bastion
Walk to the top of one of the viewing points at the Fishermens Bastion and see the beautiful Parliament from there.

Enjoy your trip and if you have further thoughts and advices, just write a comment!

Kristály confectionary: Best Confectionary

Posted on December 9, 2010December 20, 2022 by Budapest Guide

This article is a part in our “Best of Budapest“-series, currently searching for the “best confectionary in Budapest“.

Kristály confectionary

1082 Budapest, József körút. 53.

Kristály confectionary is a cosy confectionary along the Great Boulevard, located next to where the boulevard hits the Baross Utca. Here you can buy cakes from a quite rich selection, and the prices are not at all high. The interior is nice, though we did not get the very „confectionary” feeling during our visit. Anyway, this is still a confectionary where the cakes tastes good, the service is okay, and the atmosphere is just fine. Not a very touristic place, rather a place where a Hungarian would go to grab a cake and a cup of coffee.

The confectionary is open from 10:00 – 18:00 during wintertime and from 10:00 – 20:00 during summertime.

Kristály confectionary score

Cakequality:	8/10
Drinks:	7/10
Atmosphere:	5/10
Price vs. quality:	9/10
Total average:	29/40

Comments from the jury:
“The interior was just fine and it was easy to find a free table”
“I was very satisfied with the prices”
“During summertime they have a terrace for guests outside the confectionary”

Some Kristály confectionary pictures:

Cool Cafe: Best Confectionary

Posted on November 25, 2010December 20, 2022 by Budapest Guide

This article is a part in our “Best of Budapest“-series, currently searching for the “best confectionary in Budapest“.

Cool Cafe

1052 Budapest, Petőfi Sándor utca 12

Cool Fagylalt & Kávé (Cool icecream & coffee) is a quite new cafe in the centre of Budapest, in Petöfi Sandor utca. It was opened August 2010, and here you can get good ice cream, and of course nice cakes at quite okay prices. The interior is very modern, so this is not the „old-fashioned confectionary” style, like for example Gerbeaud or Alexandra Bookcafe. We found it quite enjoyable, though this place seems to be empty most of the day, meaning not enough guests. Some of us have been there several times, and the jam in the Ischler is „fresher” than most other places, so that gives the Ischler a high score at Cool Cafe!

While most confectionaries in Budapest close around 18.00 or 19.00 Cool Cafe keeps open until 21.00 and 22.00, which gives this place a plus point in our books!

Cool Cafe score

Cakequality:	8/10
Drinks:	7/10
Atmosphere:	7/10
Price vs. quality:	8/10
Total average:	30/40

Comments from the jury:
“Best Ischler in town”
“Easy to find a seat, always empty…”
“Very modern interior, and open until late in the evening”
“Delicious icecream in addition to the good cakes”

Some Cool Cafe pictures:

Angelo Cukrászat: Best Confectionary

Posted on November 18, 2010December 20, 2022 by Budapest Guide

This article is a part in our “Best of Budapest“-series, currently searching for the “best confectionary in Budapest“.

Angelo Café & Cukrászat

1126 Budapest, MOM Park-Alkotás út 53.

Located on the Buda side of Budapest, along the busy Alkotás street, in the shoppingcenter MOM Park, this is a popular café and confectionary for young and old in the area. The place is normally quite packed, and you can find a big selection of cakes here. The quality of the cakes we found to be average, while the drinks were good. The biggest minus was the fact that smoking was allowed inside, and even though a “no-smoking” area could be found, nothing divided this from the smoking area, so leaving Angelo all our clothes smelled as if we had been sitting in the smoking area.

Angelo Cukrászat score

Cakequality:	6/10
Drinks:	8/10
Atmosphere:	6/10
Price vs. quality:	5/10
Total average:	25/40

Comments from the jury:
“Big selection of cakes, fine quality, but annoying cigarette smell everywhere”
“Good place for relaxing, though the background music was annoying”
“Nothing dividing smoking from no-smkoing except from an invisible wall”
“Good hot-chocolate and limonade”

Some Angelo cukrászat pictures:

Nándori cukrászda: Best confectionary

Posted on November 18, 2010December 20, 2022 by Budapest Guide

This article is a part in our “Best of Budapest“-series, currently searching for the “best confectionary in Budapest“.

Nándori Cukrászda

1092 Budapest, Ráday utca 53.

Nándori Cukrászda (cukrászda meaning confectionary) is not a typical confectionary in Budapest. It is more like a place people drop by to buy some cakes for their party at home, and not many people eat their cakes in the confectionary, as there are only six chairs available in the entire confectionary for guests to use. That is a big minus, which makes it quite uninteresting for most people, but when it comes to the quality of the cakes and the price level, we were very impressed and enjoyed our time in Nándori Cukrászda a whole lot!

The confectionary is located in the Ráday Utca, a popular restaurant street.

Nándori Cukrászda score

Cakequality:	9,5/10
Drinks:	8,5/10
Atmosphere:	3,5/10
Price vs. quality:	10/10
Total average:	31,5/40

Comments from the jury:
“Very good, but not enough chairs, therefore it is hard to recommend this place”
“Rather a take-away confectionary”
“Wonderful cakes and good drinks, nice atmosphere… if you find a chair”

Some Nándori Cukrászda pictures:

Alexandra Bookcafe: Best confectionary

Posted on November 8, 2010December 22, 2022 by Budapest Guide

This article is a part in our “Best of Budapest“-series, currently searching for the “best confectionary in Budapest“.

Alexandra Bookcafe

1061 Budapest, Andrassy ut 39

Alexandra Bookcafe is probably the most beautiful of all confectionaries in Budapest, and our expectations were high as we prepared to taste the cakes and the drinks. We were lucky to get a free table as the place was almost packed – but our jury was unfortunately not too impressed by the quality of what they were later served.

Alexandra Bookcafe score

Cakequality:	5/10
Drinks:	4,75/10
Atmosphere:	9,5/10
Price vs. quality:	4,75/10
Total average:	23/40

Comments from the jury:
“None of the cakes were especially good”
“Not good enough, but nice and with a great atmosphere”
“The room was splendid, the piano music discreet, the waiter was nice, but had a lot to do”
“The beautiful surroundings where not in harmony with the poor cake quality”

Some Alexandra Bookcafe pictures: