Night Sights of Budapest

Floodlit City on the Danube: Castles and More

Budapest on the Danube is a beautiful city, and even more so in the evening, when the major buildings, monuments and streets are floodlit. Budapest has plenty to offer people who wish to take an evening walk - the river, the decorative bridges, the castle district, and the wealth of fantastic buildings in many building styles. It all adds up to plenty of brilliant photo opportunities. And the tourist district is also safe in the evening.

Here's a round up of some of the best areas to see after dark, and some of the best ways to get around. One of the best ways to see the city after dark is on foot, but sometimes other modes of transport can give a good insight to the city and covers more territory.

Budapest Tram and Boat Rides

The 4 or a 6 tram, boarded from Octagon, will travel across Margaret and Petőfi bridges, where the quintessential Budapest night sight can be seen: the floodlit Chain bridge with the castle district and the citadel in the distance.

The 2 or 2a tram travels along the Pest side of the Danube, with views of buildings and monuments along both banks.

Not to be missed is a night cruise on the Danube, with a tour explaining the various sights on either side of the river. This can be combined with a shipboard meal, and there's also an operetta ship cruise, with music and dance, as well as food and the sights.

Pest Embankment

There's plenty to see along the Danube banks. Sights include The Houses of Parliament, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the wonderful Art Nouveau Gresham Palace Hotel. And don't forget to admire the lions guarding the Chain Bridge!

There's the fanciful Vigadó, a concert hall built in 1865, the huge Central Market Hall, and further along the latest addition to the city's profile: the Palace of Arts.

Budapest Castle District

It's an embarrassment of riches in this district - the huge palace, the steeple and decorated roof of Matthias temple, the arches of Fisherman's Bastion, the river, statues, Roman ruins, the bridges with their strings of lights, the Houses of Parliament on the other side of the river …

There are also the remains of a church once used as a mosque by the Turks. On the opposite side to the Danube, look over the walls to the Buda Hills, and don't forget to explore the interesting laneways linking the main streets.

Andrássy út

From Hero's Square to Octagon Andrássy út is not commercialised, and you can admire many old mansions in various architectural styles, statues, and some lovely squares, such as Kodály Körönd. Towards the centre, you can't miss the neo-Renaissance Opera house. From the end of the boulevard, and to the right is St. Stephen's Basilica, a neoclassical building finished in 1906 and to the left, the Great Synagogue, on Dohány utca.

Hero's Square

This is definitely one of the "Oh, wow!" sights of Budapest. Emerge from the Yellow Metro and take in the vast floodlit semi circle of statues of former Hungarian kings. Around the 36-m high column are the statues of the seven Magyar chiefs. There's the Szépművészeti (Museum of Fine Arts), and the Műcsarnok (Palace of arts) on either side of the square.

Close by, the whimsical Vajdahunyad castle is reflected in the water of the lake, and there's also the impressive Széchenyi thermal baths.

There are also many other tours of Budapest to take, such as a Sedway tour, or a tour of art nouveau buildings in the city.