Budapest’s Castle District abounds in great historic attractions, interesting museums, charming crooked streets that follow the shape of the hill, little cafés and restaurants.

Besides the monuments, you get a breathtaking panorama of the Danube with the Chain Bridge and the opposite Pest side.

Everything in one place! It’s an ideal spot to spend a romantic morning in spring or a sunny autumn day before the tourists overrun the hill.

The best way to get up the hill is to take the Cable Car (Sikló) from Clark Ádám tér at the Buda end of the Chain bridge. The track is almost 100 m long.

The first inhabitants moved up here in the 13th century after the devastating Mongol attacks. Budapest Castle District's Golden Age started when the Royal Court moved here. After the war, the buildings built by the Hapsburgs were reconstructed, the street pattern of the medieval city preserved, and much of the architectural heritage restored.

People still live here. Cars are banned from Budapest Castle District: only people who live or work in the area, guests of the Hilton Hotel, taxis and the Várbusz have permission to drive up here.

Bécsi kapu tér (Vienna Gate Square) and its surroundings
The only existing old town-gate and a very good spot to start your walk. This is the northern gate of the District, with all four roads that run along the hill converging here. It takes only a few minutes to get to busy Moszkva tér.

Bécsi kapu tér sereved as a Saturday Market in the Middle Ages for non-Jewish merchants. You can walk up to the top of the gate where you get a beautiful view of the Buda Hills. You can see the imposing Budapest Parliament from an unusual angle.

You'll find some charming houses around Vienna Gate, too (Nos. 5-7). The most famous is the house at No. 7, built on the site of a medieval house. A priest and teacher who lived here rebuilt it in 1807. Beautiful grilles decorate the windows and the door of a staircase in the gateway. In the first half of the 20th century Baron Lajos Hatvany, a patron of arts, lived here. In 1935 and 1936 Thomas Mann was his guest in this house three times. The large building of the National Archives towers over the northern end of the square.

The so-called Europe Grove is to the right of the Gate. Mayors of all the major European cities planted rare trees here in 1972. You'll find about 16 types of trees, including Turkish hazel and Japanese cherry.

Kapiszitrán tér
On the corner of Kapisztrán tér and Országház utca, you bump into the Maria Magdalene Tower. It was a Franciscan church in medieval times. The church was destroyed in World War II, with only the 15th century tower surviving the bombings.

Behind the Maria Magdalene Tower is the Military Museum (Tóth Árpád sétány 40.).
Visit its room devoted to the 1956 Uprising and you'll find out everything important about these 13 chaotic days. The hand of the legendary Stalin Statue is here too. People destroyed the statue in the huge parking area behind Műcsarnok in Heroes' Square during the uprising. A remarkable historical weapon collection, uniforms, flags and coins are also on display in this museum.

Szentháromság tér (Holy Trinity Square) and its surroundings
The centre of the Budapest Castle District is at Szentháromság tér (Holy Trinity Square). The Holy Trinity Statue, the Old Town Hall, the House of Hungarian Wines and Matthias Church are here.

Matthias Church (Mátyás templom)
According to legend, the first king, St. Stephen, began construction of the church, though the story has not yet been proven. There is, however, historical proofthat King Béla IV founded the church in 1255 after moving his court up to Castle Hill from Óbuda. The interior is very striking. Despite the vaulting and stained glass windows, it's nothing like a gothic cathedral, having instead a mystical, eastern atmosphere. The wall paintings portray scenes from the Bible and events from Hungary's history. The church has excellent acoustics, so it often houses concerts. Matthias Church is probably the most popular place to get married in Budapest.

Fishermen’s Bastion
As part of the renovations, the Fishermen’s Bastion was added in 1905. There are two explanations about the origin of the Bastion’s name: some say a fish market was nearby in the Middle Ages, while others claim the fishermen's guild defended this part of the wall. Despite its name, it's a look-out terrace. It has seven turrets: one for each of the Hungarian tribes. The design was inspired by the Far East. "Kitschy, but beautiful," according to writer Szerb Antal! From its top,  you get one of the best panoramic views of Budapest.

Royal Palace
The original Royal Palace was destroyed and rebuilt many times. Its history is very much like that of the Matthias Church. King Béla IV started building a palace in the 13th century after the Mongol invasion. The original Gothic Palace was built and expanded for 300 years. Thus the Palace is a mix of architectural styles.

Today the palace houses :

• Budapest History Museum,
• Hungarian National Gallery,
• Contemporary Art Museum (Ludwig Collection),
• and the National Széchenyi Library.

The Chain Bridge is one of the best known landmarks of Budapest. The bridge straddles the Danube between Roosevelt tér on the Pest side and Clark Ádám tér in Buda. It offers one of the city's most beautiful views with the mighty Danube flowing below you. The panorama at night will fascinate you even more, when the lights of the city reflect in the dark river.

For centuries only a pontoon bridge connected Buda and Pest. Count István Széchenyi (1791-1860), the greatest Hungarian, came up with the idea of constructing a permanent bridge across the Danube.

In December 1820 he received the news that his father had died in Vienna. Because of the hard winter the pontoon bridge was out of use. Stranded on the Pest side for a week, Count Széchenyi vowed that he would finance construction of a permanent bridge over the Danube, regardless of the costs. It took him almost 50 years to achieve it.

On the Pest side is the impressive Heroes’ Square, where the Millenium Monument, two popular museums and the City Park can be found. The park has several sights, including the famous Gundel Restaurant, Széchenyi Spa, Grand Circus, Zoo, Amusement Park and the picturesque Vajdahunyad Castle.

Continue your tour along Andrássy Avenue (UNESCO World Heritage) where you can see some mansions of former aristocrats, the Music Academy and the Hungarian State Opera House. The impressive neo-Renaissance Opera House dating back to the end of the 19th century is a highly admired piece of architecture in the city. You will have a chance to see the technical stage equipment which was installed in 1984.

Among the sights, you must not, of course, miss St. Stephen’s Cathedral, constructed in the second half of the 19th century in an eclectic style and which has been recently renovated to its original splendor. The right–hand tower houses Hungary’s heaviest bell, weighing in at nine tons, while Hungarian Christianity’s most important relic – the mummified right hand of the founder of the Hungarian State and Church, King Saint Stephen, can be seen in the chapel.

As well, do not miss the magnificent neo-gothic parliament building, dating back to the early 20th century, which stands alongside the river. It is one of the largest parliament buildings in the world, as well as being the most expensive and beautiful public building ever built in Hungary. During the guided tour you can admire the richly decorated main staircase, the Dom Hall (where the Hungarian holy crown and the coronation jewels are displayed), the former deputies’ lounge and the session room of the Hungaryn Parliament.

There are no other cities of comparable size anywhere where visitors can explore dripstone (stalactite) caves in the middle of the residential districts.

It would be difficult to find another city where visitors are faced with such a choice of transport: bus, tram, trolleybus, train, underground railway, cogwheel railway, funicular, forest railway, horse-and-trap, chair-lift, boat, bicycle and, on Margaret Island, "bringóhintó" or family cycle cars - Budapest has them all! Let's choose one, and set off in the World Heritage streets.

Hungary has an abundance of thermal waters of healing power. The Romans were the first to enjoy the thermal springs and built a great number of baths in the country. A geological fault-line stretches below Gellért Hill so that this area is rich in medicinal springs. The most famous is the Gellért medical baths. The baths are part of the Gellért Hotel spa complex which was one of the first Art Nouveau style buildings in Budapest, built after the First World War. The outdoor pool and  indoor effervescent baths are all fed by natural thermal spring water.

The Széchenyi Medicinal Bath, one of Europe’s largest bathing complexes, is Pest’s premier medicinal bath in the heart of City Park. Rudas Thermal Baths and Király Spa were established by Turkish pashas, while Lukács spa was built by the Knights of St. John and the Knights of Rhodes in the 12th century.