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Active tourism

The Magic of Fisherman’s Bastion: Budapest’s Best View

If you have come across pictures of Budapest, chances are that you must have seen Fisherman’s Bastion at least once. Its beautiful white stonework, conical towers, and magnificent view over the Danube river make it look like something out of a fairy tale. However, it’s much more than just a scenic site; this place is a real gem of Hungarian architecture and history. This article covers all there is to know about one of the most enchanting places of Budapest, from construction through to how to enjoy it without the crowd. Who Built It (And What’s With the Name?) Despite looking like an ancient medieval fortress, Fisherman’s Bastion (Halászbástya) is surprisingly modern. It was built between 1895 and 1902 by architect Frigyes Schulek. His goal wasn’t to build a defensive fort, but rather a panoramic viewing terrace that would complement the stunning Matthias Church right next to it. It was…

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Active tourism

Art, History, and the Best View in Town: Exploring the Hungarian National Gallery

As one explores Budapest, chances are one will come across the Buda Castle located on the opposite side of the river, a massive and majestic building standing high on the Castle Hill. However, here comes one interesting fact that many travelers have not realized before: the best use of time spent within these ancient castle grounds cannot be in searching for any rooms of royalty. The best thing to do in the castle is to explore the Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria), which is located within the wings of the royal castle. Why Visit? (Hint: It’s Not a Typical “Palace” Tour) Setting the right expectations from the beginning, the castle will not offer you any gilded halls decorated with magnificent furniture belonging to the Habsburg family. The reason being that most of the castle’s decor was destroyed in the war. Therefore, instead of royal rooms, you are presented with…

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Active tourism

Frozen Magic in the Shadow of the Castle: The Tale of the Budapest City Park Ice Skating Rink

Visiting Budapest during winter time can take you to only one magical spot in this enchanting city. Lying right behind Heroes’ Square, you will find the City Park Ice Skating Rink (Városligeti Műjégpálya). What makes this particular ice skating rink more special than any other is its sheer size and location, making it seem like it was straight out of a fairy tale. The castle-like Vajdahunyad Castle, combined with the neo-Baroque pavilion, makes this particular place even more enchanting for those looking for an adventure that you cannot find in any other European country. A Playground for the High Society of the Late Nineteenth Century What makes the history of this ice rink unique is that it dates back even further than most people would think, thus making this an old, large-scale artificial ice rink facility in North America. The first records date from 1869, when a local skating club…

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History

Inside the Puskás Aréna: Budapest’s Spectacular Temple of Football

Being in Budapest, it is hard not to get lost in its impressive architecture and rich history. Even though many tourists tend to pay their attention to the iconic buildings built according to the neoclassic style, there is one modern building which dominates the whole city panorama; it is the Puskás Aréna. Whether you are an ardent supporter of football or have a passion for outstanding architecture projects, this place cannot leave anyone indifferent. Allow me to share my experience and guide you through this impressive building with a long history. From the “People’s Stadium” to Honoring a Legend It is impossible to talk about Puskás Aréna without mentioning the past of this place. From 1953 until 2016, it housed the former stadium of the Népstadion (The People’s Stadium). It was an enormous structure, consisting of a concrete bowl able to hold more than 100 thousand spectators who enjoyed watching…

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Art

The House of Music – Magyar Zene Háza

Imagine wandering through the dense, leafy trails of Budapest’s City Park (Városliget) and suddenly stumbling upon what looks like a giant, golden mushroom floating among the trees. This is the House of Music Hungary (Magyar Zene Háza). Since opening its doors in early 2022, this spectacular, undulating structure has completely redefined the city’s architectural landscape. It doesn’t just house music, the building itself is designed to feel like a visual symphony, thanks to his beautiful structure. Here is everything you need to know about how this beautiful structure was conceptualized, engineered, and what awaits you inside. The Vision and History For decades, the plot of land where the House of Music now sits was a dead zone, occupied by a cluster of abandoned, dilapidated Hungexpo office buildings. In 2014, as part of the massive Liget Budapest Project (the same initiative that built the nearby Museum of Ethnography), the city launched…

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Active tourism

Inside & Outside the New Museum of Ethnography

If you walk through Budapest’s Városliget (City Park) today, it is impossible to miss the striking structure rising smoothly from the ground like a massive half-pipe. After a century and a half of wandering, the Museum of Ethnography (Néprajzi Múzeum) finally opened the doors to its custom-built, permanent home in May 2022. Designed by Marcel Ferencz of the Hungarian firm NAPUR Architect, who beat out architectural heavyweights like Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas for the commission, the building acts as a physical and visual gateway between the bustling city and the tranquility of the park. By placing the vast exhibition buildings below ground level, this building achieves the perfect balance between preserving the old scale of City Park and offering a large amount of space for one of the most important cultural collections in Europe. A 150-Year Journey Home The museum’s collection now boasts over 250,000 items from the Carpathian…

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Food & Drink

Water Quality & Sourcing in Budapest

Budapest is blessed with a geological jackpot. As the city lies at the intersection of a fault line that connects the Buda Hills with the Great Hungarian Plain, it boasts of a tremendous number of sources of both thermal and filtered water. No matter if you use the water supplied by the municipality or look for mineral-laden spring waters, the city provides some of the best waters available in Europe. Here you will find all that you need to know about the water quality in the city, where to find natural spring water, and make sure that the water you are consuming is completely pure. The Municipal Supply: Is the Tap Water Safe? The water coming out of Budapest taps is among the cleanest and purest in the world and can be consumed without any fear of any adverse effects on health. The reason behind its exceptional quality lies in…

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Active tourism

The Secret Palace Hiding Inside a Public Library: Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library

Picture yourself entering a generic-looking public library, passing through the turnstile after flashing your membership card, browsing some of the modern shelving units, and suddenly finding yourself inside an elaborate gold-painted, 19th-century neo-baroque palace by simply opening one of the many glass doors on the fourth floor. This scene does not belong to any fiction novel but is an everyday phenomenon at the Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library (Fővárosi Szabó Ervin Könyvtár), which serves as the core of the library network in Budapest. Situated in the heart of the Palace District (Palotanegyed), this unique building represents one of the greatest mysteries of the city – the perfect combination of a university study room and an aristocratic mansion. 1. From Aristocratic Playground to Public Sanctuary In the middle of this exceptional collection is the **Wenckheim Palace**, an imposing neo-baroque mansion designed by the distinguished architect Arthur Meinig and constructed for Count Frigyes…

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Things to Do

Navigating Budapest on Two Wheels

Straddling the Danube River, Budapest sits divided between Buda’s historic slopes and Pest’s flat, wide streets. The city rocks a solid public transportation system, but now e-scooters have made a huge mark too. People use them all the time for that final leg of the journey. These little scooters pop up everywhere in Hungary’s capital. Want to shoot down József körút? Hop on an e-scooter. Need to get to that uni class quick? Easy, grab one. Late night out headed to a ruin bar? Yep, you guessed it, just jump on an e-scooter. For us ride lovers, there’s tons to know about riding safely and right. That means checking out which companies operate in Budapest, what they charge, and big rules like local laws and where to park. All to make your roll around town nice and smooth. Budapest’s Primary E-Scooter Providers Unlike some European capitals that feature a chaotic…

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Active tourism

The Castle Built from Cardboard: The Story of Vajdahunyad Vára in Budapest

When walking through Budapest’s City Park (Városliget), just a stone’s throw from the grand monuments of Heroes’ Square, you suddenly stumble upon a sweeping architectural wonderland rising from the water. With its mix of sharp gothic spires, heavy Romanesque arches, and elegant pastel walls, the complex looks like a historic royal citadel that has guarded the city for centuries. This spectacular site is Vajdahunyad Castle (Vajdahunyad vára), a place where multiple eras of European history collide in a single courtyard. But the true story behind this fairytale fortress is one of the most bizarre, fascinating, and beloved pieces of urban lore in Central Europe. It is a massive monument that was never meant to last, built by an architect who essentially created a giant piece of historical copy-pasting. The 1000-Year Celebration: A Castle Made of Cardboard The story begins in 1896, a monumental year for Hungary. The country was celebrating…

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