Classic Destinations

Parliament House
Not only is it the seat of the Hungarian legislature, it is one of the most celebrated architectural gems in the world. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011, along with Banks of the Danube, Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue.
Built in the late 19th century, it is a mixture of various architectural styles and motifs: its floor plan is Baroque, its façade has Gothic decorations, and its ceilings are decorated in the Renaissance style. The project was also an economic driver, as it was commissioned with the express desire to use Hungarian materials, involve local artisans and manufacturers, and use the flora of the Carpathian Basin as inspiration for the decorative elements, which required 40 kilograms of 22-23 karat gold for their creation. Booking online well in advance (only with a guide in dozens of languages) is strongly recommended.

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Dohány Street Synagogue
Built in the 1850s, the Dohány Street Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. The basilica floor plan has three aisles and allows for three thousand seats. The building's Romantic style is mixed with Byzantine-Moorish elements, and the double-domed building decorated with ceramics has a specific Oriental touch.
The synagogue's façade must adhere to the traditional rule of always facing east, toward Jerusalem, therefore, the Dohany Street entrance is slightly offset from the street.
The complex includes a museum, archives, a memorial and garden used as a cemetery for Holocaust victims and the Wallenberg Memorial Park. The European Union has recognized it as a symbol of integration, memory and openness to dialogue.

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Szechenyi Spa Baths
Packing a swimsuit to go to Budapest is not the first thing that comes to mind. It's a must, though, because the Szechenyi Spa Baths simply have to be visited. Among the largest spa complexes in Europe, they offer 18 pools, including indoor and outdoor, in a truly striking neoclassical and neo-Baroque setting.
In addition to all the traditional services of a spa (treatments, massages, saunas, steam rooms, hydrotherapy treatments), on Saturday nights it transforms into a Sparty, a packed club with lighting effects, where people dance, drink and have fun until 2 a.m. in the warm outdoor thermal water, even when it's cold outside. The rules are strict: absolutely no diving, fighting or heavy petting.

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Jewish Quarter
The religious, symbolic and historical strength is indisputable, but also from a tourist point of view because the district has been able to evolve and renew itself and remains a landmark for Budapest nightlife.
Here you will find the most fascinating ruin bars (Romkocsma) and their cultural presentations, exhibitions, reviews, independent film screenings, niche shows. Among them, a kind of "infiltrator" should be noted. The Kisüzem is a reconstructed ruin bar and not an original one, but its vibrancy and ability to organize crowded events, as well as to attract locals and tourists, places it among the neighborhood's most important places of interest. In addition, it is run by a socially conscious group and distributes free food to the needy on Klauzál Tér.

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The Shoes on the Danube Bank
The Hungarian Cipők a Duna-parton is a moving installation by filmmaker Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauerche, commemorating the Holocaust on the Danube shore on the Pest side of the river. Hungary and Budapest in particular were at the center of Nazi ferocity and the militia of the Arrow Cross Party, and the bronze shoes on the edge of the Danube commemorate one of the most heinous Ghetto roundups, which ended in a massacre of innocents in the waters of the river.

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Buda Castle
It is the royal palace, which housed the monarchs and leaders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1944, a watershed date for its preservation, since at the end of World War II it was looted first by Nazi troops and then by Russian forces. There is practically nothing left of its luxurious furnishings.
Currently the buildings of Buda Castle are the site of the Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Gallery, or MNG), which exhibits works by the greatest Hungarian artists, and the Budapest History Museum. The courtyards, on the other hand, host the best festivals in Budapest (wine, beer, chocolate, handicrafts, etc.).
Many Gothic legends circulate within its walls, which some tour operators have dusted off for mystery-loving tourists.

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Andrássy út
Two and a half sparkling kilometers for a shopping spree. Clearly inspired by the Parisian Champs-Elysees, it is a succession of boutiques, global brands, embassies, and palaces of such high status that the entire street was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.
Andrássy út can be ideally divided into three sections: the busy downtown section between Erzsébet tér and Oktogon is dominated by luxury brands; from Oktogon to Kodály körönd is the more museum-like area (Ferenc Liszt Memorial Museum, Zoltán Kodály Memorial Museum, and the House of Terror, the memorial to the crimes of fascism and communism); from Kodály körönd to Heroes' Square, the architectural tone changes from scenic to majestic. It closes, precisely, Heroes' Square (Hősök tere), with its statues commemorating the leaders of Hungary's seven founding tribes, topped by the Archangel Gabriel.

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Great Market Hall
Known in Hungarian as Nagycsarnok or Vasarcsarnok, it was built in 1897, and of all the covered markets in Budapest it is the most famous. With its three floors, the interest is certainly architectural, but there is no point in making excuses: you come here to do your shopping, but mostly to enjoy a reasonably priced lunch (and take fabulous Instagrammable photos). Beware, however, as there is always a tourist trap around the corner: when it comes to buying the best paprika, this might not be the right place.

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The Chain Bridge
It connects Buda (West) and Pest (East), which, before 1849, the year of its inauguration, were connected only by water or on ice, when it held up. Its construction is owed to the stubbornness of Count István Széchenyi, the "greatest Hungarian": he studied abroad, engaged in various projects, visited factories and experimented with materials. Then, he relied on the English engineer William Tierney Clark and his Scottish namesake Adam Clark, who succeeded in what was then considered a technical marvel. During the Second World War it was destroyed like all the bridges in Budapest, but was later rebuilt in its original form. Illuminated at night, it is still very impressive.