Seeing Budapest in one day is a daunting task. The city is large, there are a lot of interesting places, but even in such a short time you can manage to get to know the Hungarian capital better and fall in love with it. Let's dwell on special places that must be visited.
Parliament
To visit Budapest and not see the Parliament means not to see anything. This is not just a building of national importance, it is a real palace. It was built in the neo-Gothic style with elements of oriental architecture, designed by Imre Steindl. The construction was delayed for 19 years and was completed in 1904.
During its relatively short history, the Parliament building has become a real symbol of Hungary. It is located in Pest on the banks of the Danube between two bridges - Margit and Chain. The panorama of this piece of architecture opens from all observation decks of the city. During the day, the white building looks majestic and strict, in the evening it changes its appearance. Illuminated by warm light, it soars solemnly over the dark water surface. The best panorama of the main symbol of Hungary opens from the opposite bank.
Parliament is able to amaze not only with its beauty, but also with facts:
⇒ The building is one of the largest in Hungary. It has 691 rooms, 27 entrance gates, 10 courtyards, 13 elevators. The total area is about 18,000 m2.
⇒ The Hungarian Parliament has the appearance of a palace not only from the outside, but the interiors also deserve a lot of attention. They are decorated with velvet, wood, gilding, frescoes, stained-glass windows, statues of Hungarian leaders and kings.
⇒ The total weight of the gilding used to decorate the interior is 40 kg. This is 916 gold, in Europe it is often used to make jewelry and gold coins.
⇒ The length of the red carpet inside the Parliament is about 3 kilometers.
⇒ Since 2000, the symbols of the Hungarian monarchy have been kept in the domed hall - the crown, sword and scepter of the first Hungarian king Istvan.
Seeing Budapest in one day is a daunting task. The city is big, there are a lot of interesting places, but even in such a short time you can manage to get to know the Hungarian capital better and fall in love with it. Let us dwell on special places that must be visited.
Parliament
To visit Budapest and not see the Parliament means not to see anything. This is not just a building of national importance, it is a real palace. It was built in the neo-Gothic style with elements of oriental architecture, designed by Imre Steindl. The construction was delayed for 19 years and was completed in 1904.
During its relatively short history, the Parliament building has become a real symbol of Hungary. It is located in Pest on the banks of the Danube between two bridges - Margit and Chain. The panorama of this piece of architecture opens from all observation decks of the city. During the day, the white building looks majestic and strict, in the evening it changes its appearance. Illuminated by warm light, it solemnly soars above the dark water surface. The best panorama of the main symbol of Hungary opens from the opposite bank.
Parliament is able to amaze not only with its beauty, but also with facts:
⇒ The building is one of the largest in Hungary. It has 691 rooms, 27 entrance gates, 10 courtyards, 13 elevators. The total area is about 18,000 m2.
⇒ The Hungarian Parliament has the appearance of a palace not only from the outside, but the interiors also deserve a lot of attention. They are decorated with velvet, wood, gilding, frescoes, stained-glass windows, statues of Hungarian leaders and kings.
⇒ The total weight of the gilding used to decorate the interior is 40 kg. This is 916 gold, in Europe it is often used to make jewelry and gold coins.
⇒ The length of the red carpet inside the Parliament is about 3 kilometers.
⇒ Since 2000, the symbols of the Hungarian monarchy have been kept in the domed hall - the crown, sword and scepter of the first Hungarian king Istvan.
Tours are regularly held here, including in Russian, but you need to be prepared for queues and waiting hours, there are a lot of people who want to admire the Parliament inside. You can familiarize yourself with the schedule of excursions and buy a ticket in advance on the official website.
Basilica of St. Stephen
The Basilica of St. Stephen is an example of monumental architecture of the late 19th century. It is almost impossible to bypass this cathedral, because it is located in the very center, not far from the Parliament, the Chain Bridge and Andrasshi Avenue. It is even more difficult not to notice the basilica, it is not for nothing that it is one of the three largest cathedrals in the country.
Construction lasted 54 years and was not easy. When the cathedral was almost ready, the dome collapsed, it had to be redesigned and built. Currently, one of the bell towers houses the largest bell in the country, which weighs 9 tons. The basilica has a rich interior, in the creation of which famous Hungarian masters of the time took part. This place is of great importance for the country, because the relics of St. Stephen, the first Hungarian king and baptist of the Hungarian people, are kept here.
The entrance to the basilica is conditionally free, at the entrance you need to make a donation for the maintenance of the temple in the amount of 200 forints. In the evenings, concerts are sometimes held, in this case it will not work without a ticket to the event. Those who like to admire the city from a height can climb for 1000 forints to the observation deck under the dome.
Citadella and Statue of Liberty
On the Buda side of Budapest, on Mount Gellert, there is the Citadella fortress. It was built in the middle of the 19th century by the Austrians after the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs, as one of the defensive structures for the future. Now it houses a museum, a restaurant and a free exhibition of military equipment from the second half of the 20th century.
The Statue of Liberty near the fortress appeared much later. After World War II, in 1947, the Monument of Liberation was placed next to the Citadella, where the central place was occupied by the figure of a woman with a palm branch in high arms. In the early 1990s, the location of the sculptural composition on Gellert Hill was in doubt. The communist regime became a thing of the past, and the city began to get rid of its legacy. The Soviet soldier, who was part of the ensemble, was dismantled and sent to the park of Soviet sculptures, but the statue of a woman, who had already become one of the recognizable symbols of the city, it was decided to leave and change the ideological concept. The monument became known as the Statue of Liberty and is now dedicated to people who gave their lives for the freedom of the Hungarian state.
In addition to the Statue of Liberty and the fortress, Gellert Mountain is famous for its observation decks offering picturesque views of the city.
Buda fortress
The Buda Castle has a rich history. The first residence of the Hungarian kings was founded on the site of a modern castle in the middle of the 13th century. The most ancient buildings that have survived to this day were erected in the XIV century, but only a small part has survived. History has not spared the Hungarian heritage, and the fortress has been destroyed several times.
Territory of the royal residence
