Budapest blog

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!

Festival of Folk Arts 2013

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Budapest Guide

The end of summer is almost here, but there are still some lovely surprise besides the heat. We have some great news to those who plan to spend their time in Budapest in the coming period! The annual Festival of Folk Arts at the Buda Castle welcomes visitors until 20 August 2013 with great programs.

Everybody could find the perfect fun at the Festival of Folk Art, and those programs are all tied to the Hungarian culture. The visitors can taste the local specialties; we can call it “more than goulash soup program”. There are traditional dance, music and anything, what you want at the festival. Moreover there are loads of craftsmen, who do fantastic and special things, which are often made by their own hand. Of course you can buy these objects and later you can show them, the peculiarities of this Eastern European country at home. For a foreign family only the Buda Castle is a one day trip, but with the Festival of Folk Arts you won’t want to go home! The last day of the festival is no other, but the Hungarian National Day, 20th August, the day of the first Hungarian king, Saint Stephen I.

Do not miss the Festival of Folk Arts. Know more about the Hungarian countryside’s culture in the capital! Have fun!

Festival of Folk Arts
August 17th-20th
Caste of Buda

Beach-night in Budapest at August 2nd

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Budapest Guide

The extreme heat has left Budapest, but it is still warm and more than 30 degrees in the sun, so a visit to the beach is recommend. That is why you should consider to go to the beach on August 2nd if you are in town.

Budapest has no traditional beaches, but there are other kind of beaches in town which will be open for a longer time on Friday August 2nd in 2013. That means there will be special programs and opening times until 22.00, while the entrance fees remain the same.

If this sounds cool and you stay in Budapest, visit one of the following “beaches” which have joined in on this cool party!

Participants in beach-night (Strandok éjszakája) in Budapest

Aquaworld
Dagaly

There are loads of other beach complexes outside Budapest also participating, but these are the two located in Budapest. Be aware of the fact that Aquaworld is really cool, but really on the border of Budapest, so to get to this place you should prepare to pay a taxi driver quite a bit!

Budapest in August

Posted on July 27, 2013November 27, 2013 by Budablogger

August is just around the corner and if you are coming to Budapest in August, you might be wondering what’s going on and what activities and programs you should not miss for the world.

If that is you, then keep on reading. As you pack your suitcase for your trip to Budapest, make sure to bring some sun lotion, shorts and some clothes in which you can enjoy temperatures getting close to and sometimes above 35 Celsius.

Events in August
There are quite a lot of things happening in Budapest in August, and here you can read about the most important events taking place.

Sziget Fesztival
The biggest and most important event taking place in Budapest in August is the Sziget Fesztival. This is arranged at Hajogyari sziget (island), a bit to the north of the Margaret Island. This festival is visited by almost 500,000 people and more than 400 bands, groups and artists make sure the festival turns into the party of the year in Hungary.

Sziget fesztival 2013: August 5th – August 11th

Hungarian National Day
Hungary has three national days, but the biggest of these is St. Stephens Day which is celebrated on August 20th. This is the only national day with no political interest, so normally this is a very peaceful day with cool programs and activities. The highlight of the day is at 21.00 when there is a beautiful firework show along the Danube. More than 1,000,000 people come to the Danube to watch this show, so if you want a good place to watch the show from, make sure to arrive around 20.00. If you want to watch the fireworks from the best places available, book a room in one of the top five star hotels along the Danube, for example Marriott.

Jewish Summer Festival
This festival which celebrates the Jewish culture, music and food is arranged every year and is a very important festival in the life of the citizens in Hungary. There are quite a lot of venues in use for this festival, but the main area is in the seventh district of Budapest, near the Synagogue in Dohany street.

Jewish Summer Festival 2013: August 25th – September 2nd

Handicraft Festival
The Handicraft festival, also known as the Festival of Folk Arts, is arranged in the Castle of Buda, or at least around it. At this festival you can see the finest of Hungarian handicrafts, so be prepared to see beautiful hand painted eggs, wood crafting and similar beauties. In addition you can listen to Hungarian folk music, see folklore performances and get a taste of some traditional Hungarian festival food at this festival.

Handicraft festival 2013: August 17th – August 20th

Other recommended August activities
The mentioned programs and festivals might have been the most important, but there are lots of other programs worth checking out while in Budapest. A river cruise on the Danube is always a winner, and an excursion to Szentendre or some wine tasting should be done if you are not familiar with the wonderful taste and diversity existing inside the wine production of Hungary. If you want even more tips, read our article about Budapest in July which contain lots of advises valid for August as well.

These were just some tips and advises to those coming to our beautiful city in August. If you have further advises, experiences or thoughts that you believe could be interesting for people coming to Budapest, write a comment and share your insight!

Bubble festival in Budapest (Buborék Fesztivál)

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Budapest Guide

This weekend a Bubble festival (Buborék Fesztivál) is arranged in Budapest at the Elisabeth square, next to the popular club Akvarium.

The opening day of the festival was yesterday and it will last until tomorrow, so if you have the chance, drop by the square to see what this cool festival has to offer. The program is going on at the square from 14.00 until 02.00 and at the square there will be concerts, DJ and lots of bubbles to drink. Because after all, bubbles is what the festival is about, bubbles in drinks.

That again means that at the festival which has free entrance you can taste champagne, sparking wine, prosecco and lots of other tasty and famous drinks. As the sun goes down, the party starts, so this might be one of the best places if you want to party and dance before and after midnight!

The Buborek fesztival is arranged for the second time this year, first time was in 2012. Hopefully that means that it was a success in 2012 and that it is a festival that we can count on in the years to come!

Bubble festival 2013 (Buborék fesztivál 2013)

July 26th-28th
Erzsebet square

Going to be real hot this weekend!

Posted on July 24, 2013November 28, 2022 by Budapest Guide

In June we had some days with extreme heat in Budapest, and in the coming days it is coming back again, and it might get even warmer.

The National Weather company has reported that temperatures are expected to rise to more than 35 Celsius, maybe even to 40 Celsius in some places. Here you can see what temperatures are expected the next seven days, according to Met.hu.

Weather in Budapest — Temperatures expected in Budapest until July 31st

In such warm weather it is important to drink enough, find some shade and then relax some more. A popular place to visit on such days is the St. Stephens Basilica and the beach at the Margaret Island. Do not forget to use sun lotion, and if possible, stay away from the sun between 11.00 and 15.00.

Read more about the climate in Budapest and Budapest average temperatures.

Barbecue and spriccer festival – pictures

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Budapest Guide

This weekend visitors to the Kopaszi Dike can enjoy the barbecue and spriccer festival. If you are in town at the moment, visit the festival this evening and enjoy the great atmosphere.

Here you can see some pictures from the festival to see what you will miss if you do not visit the festival.

Barbecue and spriccer festival pictures

Ancient burial masks at the National Museum

Posted on July 20, 2013 by Budapest Guide

Have you ever thought about that what do you want to do in 2013 summer? Unfortunately at lots of places the weather is not suitable to beach, so we recommend you the beautiful and special cities’ discover firstly.

There are so many interesting attractions in a foreign country’s capital or other cities, but when the temperature reaches the 30 or more degrees, people would like to spend their free time at the beach or in a spa, but not in a museum. But here comes the time, and the capital of Hungary, Budapest knows it!

In the center city, exactly at the Hungarian National Museum at the Múzeum Boulevard there are lots of incredibly interesting exhibition in this year. One of them is the best temporary exhibition, the Ancient burial masks exhibition, which is available between 22 June and 13 September 2013. At the exhibition visitors could know more about the conquistador Hungarians’ funerary customs. It is known, that the Hungarians lubricated the dead people faces’ with a special material, what harden during the years and became a mask. Unfortunately, today there are only ten masks, and those, who visit the National Museum for this fantastic exhibition, could see photos about these.

Spend some lovely day in the capital of Hungary, Budapest and meet with the Hungarians’ habits and culture! Have a great time!

Ancient burial masks
Hungarian National Museum
June 22th – September 13th

Manu Chao concert in Budapest 2013

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Budapest Guide

Another famous star will visit our country on 7 September 2013, Manu Chao! His music is very colorful; he sings in French, Spanish, Arab, Portugal, English and Wolof language, he frequently changes the language in one song.

In his lyrics the topics include love, life in a ghetto and immigration. He openly undertakes his political views in his art too. He uses lots of music style, for example Rock and Roll, French chanson, salsa, reggae, ska and Algerian raï. These influences reached him with the French immigrates, the Spanish contacts, but mostly when he traveled to Middle-America after the band Mano Negra broke up. Manu Chao is well known member of the alternative music community in Paris, however he is not famous in the whole world.

José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao or Manu Chao was born in 21 June 1961 in Paris. However, his parents are Spanish; Manu was already born in Paris, because the family fled from the home country because of Franco’s dictatorship. His career started in Paris too. He was the member of several popular French alternative band before the foundation of Mano Negra.

He played in Hungary 5 years ago, and who knows when will be the next time, so do not think about it twice, if you are a real music fan too. The atmosphere will be revolutionary. So do not miss Manu Chao on 7 September 2013 on the Budapest Park’s stage! Have fun!

Manu Chao Budapest 2013
September 7th
Park Budapest

Van Gogh exhibition in Budapest

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Budapest Guide

If you visit to Budapest before 30 November in 2013 make sure to visit the Vam Design Center where you can experience a marvellous exhibition named Vincent Van Gogh’s Dreams.

The famous artist’s 200 paintings are exhibited in a special form, renewed with the most modern technic in 3D form. The artist’s most famous paintings renewed with digital technic, so the visitors could see the masterpieces as the artist originally imagined and painted the original colors. The pictures were printed in photo form with the best lights. There are 7 3D animations in the exhibition, and through them Vincent Van Gogh’s works are become explored again, new stratums and details come to life. The exhibition’s visitors get 3D glasses and with these you could enjoy the amazing animations.

Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most outstanding persons of the post-impressionism. The specifics of his work are human’s and creator’s suffer. The impressionists didn’t recognized and laughed at him, but in his paintings there are all the future arts’ signs. He was one of the artists, who became famous after his death.

To visit this exhibition will be quite different from visiting a normal museum, so why not pay it a visit and experience this unforgettable (hopefully) exhibition.

Van Gogh exhibition
Until November 30th, 2013
Vam Design Center