Heroes square truly is the alpha and the omega of all Budapest tours, driving or walking. It’s beautiful, monumental and the entire Hungarian history is on display. It’s the entrance to City Park, where there is so much to do or to see: the Zoo, Széchenyi bathhouse, the open-air ice skating rink, the Vajdahunyad Castle, the city Circus, some museums and great playgrounds for kids. It is very rare to see it as empty and deserted as it was this morning.

Heroes square, Budapest
Heroes square, Budapest

I’ve been neglecting these last few weeks that old passion of mine to collect the sounds of Budapest, recording local music all over the city. This is part 2 of the series, stay tuned for the rest of my Beautiful Budapest Symphony!

Budapest in the winter is rather grey and foggy. Also, it’s very cold, so there are only a few outdoor programs locals enjoy doing from early December to the end of February. One of those programs is ice skating in the City Park, it’s great fun and the ice skating rink is usually very busy on weekends.

The castle was originally built temporarily for the 1896 millennium exhibit to showcase all the different architectural sites of Hungary in one complex of buildings. The project was so successful that the building needed to be rebuilt in a permanent form when the exhibit was over.

Ever since it’s one of the most visited attractions of Budapest, hidden in the beautiful City Park. It serves as an important movie set, too, so don’t be surprised when you see these buildings in Hollywood movies.

The visit of the castle is included in most of my Budapest walking or driving tours, please contact me for further details!

The second largest park of Budapest, the locals’ favorite, a beautiful green oasis in the middle of Pest. There are so many things to do and to see in the City Park. You can visit the 150-year-old Budapest Zoo, the City Circus, enjoy the truly relaxing warm water of Széchenyi bathhouse, admire the various architectures of Vajdahunyad Castle or simply have a picnic topped with a boat ride on the lake.