A Must-See: the Margaret Island

It doesn’t belong neither to Buda nor to Pest, still, it’s one of the locals’ favorite hangout places in the heart of the city.

Named after St. Margaret, daughter of our great king Bela IV, Margaret Island is like our own Central Park, the green oasis of Budapest.

You can hire a special bike for up to 6 people or a small electric car to see the beautiful parks, botanical gardens, the small zoo or the ruins of the monastery where our princess lived and helped the poor and the sick throughout her life in the 13th century.

Don’t miss the musical fountain in the summer months, it’s such a cool experience! The islan is accessible from both the Margaret and Arpad bridges and I’d be happy to include the visit in our city tours or walking tours!

  • Budapest Margaret Island
  • Budapest Margaret Island
  • Budapest Margaret Island
  • Budapest Margaret Island
  • Budapest Margaret Island
  • Budapest Margaret Island

A Must-See: The Central Market of Budapest

Yes, I agree, it’s becoming more and more of a tourist attraction, it’s hard to believe that it still is one of the favorite shopping places of Budapesters.

I went to the market with my grandmother for the first time when I was some 5-years-old. Honestly, that time I couldn’t tell he difference between the poors’ and riches’ aisle but was fascinated by the smells and the products.

The visit of the 120-year-old building, which looks exactly like a train station is part of my Foodie Tour (except on Sundays when it’s closed), I’d be glad to introduce you to our shopping and eating culture and I’ll also make sure you taste the best sausage and strudel at the market.

A Must-See: the City Park

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.

A Must-See: Füvészkert Botanical Garden

Although Füvészkert seems to be hard to pronounce but it’s surely woth a try, as it’s a true hidden gem in  the 8th district of Budapest.

The oldest and largest botanical garden of the city is from the 1770’s and is home to more than 7.000 plant species on a 3-acre area. The 150-year-old Chinese gingko is the oldest tree in the park.

You can admire the tropical and subtropical plants in the Palm House, Amazonas water lily in the Victoria glass house and the rich collection of palms, cactuses, bromelias and orchids. It’s one of the major locations in Ferenc Molnár’s ‘Paul Street Boys’, a famous Hungarian novel.

A Must-See: Sándor Presidential Palace

I’m not exactly the person who gets invited to the Presidential Palace very often but we were very lucky with my guests last weekend when the doors of the Sándor Palace were open and the public could walk around the beautifully designed interior.

Compared to the relatively simple outside the interior is surprisingly richly ornate, at times I felt like walking around the Versailles Palace. The building is from 1806 and was the residence of the country’s prime minister from 1867. That’s when Queen Elisabeth or Sisi visited the handsome count Andrássy several times after enjoying a performance at the Castle Theatre next door.

The building was restored and became the seat of the offices of the President in 2003, the actual furnitures are reproductions of the originals. The entire restoration was conducted in accordance with the original blueprints. The garden is absolutely stunning with a great view over the Pest side. There is no guarantee we can tour the interior when you book a tour in the Buda Castle district but I’ll find a way to show you something just as beautiful as the Sándor Palace.

A Must-See: Memento Park

We toured the Memento Park today, an amazing exhibition “in the shadow of Stalin’s boots”.

All the Communist monuments of Budapest were taken from our streets after the political changes as they reminded our people of the dictatorship, of the despotism of the Communist leaders. Instead of destroying them all – which idea was by the way supported by many of the Budapesters – some of these statues were installed in a thematical statue park in the 22nd district of Budapest. According to the conceptual designer, the “park is not about the statues or the sculptors but a critique of the ideology that used these statues as symbols of authority”.

I remember very well many of these statues standing on our streets, most of them had special nicknames and funny stories were also created about them. I’m happy to share these stories with you and tell you about the monumentality of the arts during the Communist era where the main objective was to create new idols to be adored by the proletariat. I’ll also tell you why you can see only the boots of Stalin, and I’ll introduce you to the ideology of the era which ended recently, some 28 years ago.

Budapest Art Nouveau

Why do I like Art Nouveau so much? Because it’s probably the one and only architecture being different in the different European countries. Every country has a special, unique and very characteristic style and it’s nicely reflected in the cities’ architecture.

I very often guide tours of Budapest Art Nouveau buildings (Art Nouveau walk), I find their architecture, their ornaments and their stories absolutely stunning. The most important caracteristics of the Hungarian Art Nouveau are  the asymmetrical shapes and curved lines, floral and plant-inspired ornamentation, animal patterns and the rich use of mosaics and ceramic tiles.

Although the period of the Hungarian Art Nouveau didn’t last too long, the colorful and richly ornate buildings looking like jewellery boxes dominate our cityscape even today. The most beautiful furnitures, tea sets and pieces of art can be found in the House of the Hungarian Art Nouveau – Magyar Szecesszio Haza.

 

A Must-See: The Great Synagogue

The Great Synagogue is one of the most beautiful buildings of Budapest with unique architecture. It looks like a Mosque from the outside, the interior is very similar to the interior of a Christian church, still, it’s the most important cultic and cultural center of the Budapest Jewish community. Don’t miss to visit the interior and the Jewish Museum together with the garden and the park of the Synagogue with moving Holocaust monuments. I’m happy to show you around the building and the neighborhood as part of the “Jewish Quarter Walk“.

Budapest sightseeing by public transport

I very often tell my guests to walk as much as they can, walking around is probably the best way to discover a new place; you have enough time to admire even the smallest details and to absorb the atmosphere of the city.

But, if you feel you’re too tired to walk, you can also choose public transport. Here is a list of some of the best options if you’re about to explore the everyday life of locals. And, don’t forget to validate your ticket!

Metro #1, the 120-year old metro connects the city center with the City Park. Taking the metro is a real time-travel, some of the stations are authentic from the end of the 19th century.

Tram #2, the streetcar or tram (short for tramway) rides all along the Pest side of the Danube river between the Margaret and the Petőfi bridges. Famous for the best view over the Parliament and the beautiful Buda hills.

Bus #16, the one and only bus taking to you to the historic old town of Buda, the buses are small and usually very crowded. It crosses the river on the 170-year old Chain Bridge and the journey ends on the cobblestoned streets of the Buda Castle District.

Funicular: it’s exactly like the one that appears at the beginning of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, it’s great fun although very busy, take it from the top of the Castle hill to the Chain Bridge if you want to skip the line.

 

Tour with the TRABANT

Yes, the Trabant is noisy and it smells. Every time I get in the Trabi I feel like a child again. It was our family car, our holiday car, I can’t count how many times our precious little car took us to the lake Balaton or to the Mátra mountains. It was the only treasure we had as the communist leaders didn’t really allow people possessing much.

There are some parts of Budapest where the time stopped 30 years ago when the last few Trabants rolled down the assembly line. I’d like to show them to you during the Trabant tour, I’ll tell you about the not that glorious decades of socialism, I’ll share with you funny and poignant stories from behind the Iron Curtain. I’m sure you’ll shortly realize that freedom is one of the most valuable gifts and we have to learn to appreciate it.

 

 

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