The Citadella is one of the best places to see Budapest from above. It stands on the top of Gellért Hill, on the Buda side of the city. From here, the Danube seems to divide Budapest perfectly in two, and you can recognise many of the most famous places in the city.
Getting to the top
Getting to the Citadella is part of the experience. One of the nicest options is to start from St. Gellért Square, near Liberty Bridge, and walk up through the paths of Gellért Hill. The climb takes some effort, especially when it is warm, but there are several places where you can stop and already get a good view of the city.
Another easier option is bus 27, getting off at Búsuló Juhász. From there, the north entrance of the Citadella is around a six-minute walk away. There are also walking paths starting from the Tabán area.
For us, walking up is probably the best choice because the panorama slowly becomes better as you get higher.
A fortress with a complicated history
The Citadella is not only a viewpoint. It is a real fortress with an important and quite complicated history.
It was built between 1850 and 1854, after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848–49. The Habsburg authorities wanted a strong military position above Budapest, and the fortress could hold hundreds of soldiers and dozens of cannons. Because of this, for many Hungarians the Citadella became a symbol of Austrian control rather than a place built simply to protect the city.
The fortress was also used during the Second World War and still shows some signs of the fighting. Today its role is completely different. After years of renovation, the Citadella reopened in 2026 with a new park, walking areas, viewpoints and an exhibition about Hungarian history and the country’s struggles for freedom.
The Liberty Statue
The most visible monument on the hill is the Liberty Statue, which can be seen from many parts of Budapest. It was installed in 1947 and originally commemorated the liberation of Hungary at the end of the Second World War. After the end of the communist period, some of the Soviet symbols around the monument were removed and its meaning changed. Today it is generally connected with the idea of freedom.
Standing close to it also makes you realise how big it actually is, something that is difficult to understand when you only see it from the streets below.
The view
The main reason many people come here is still the panorama. From the different terraces you can see Buda Castle, the Parliament, the Danube, Margaret Island and several of Budapest’s bridges. Other viewpoints look towards Liberty Bridge and the southern parts of the city. Some terraces even give almost a complete 360-degree view of Budapest.
The interesting thing is that the city looks completely different from here. Buildings that seem huge when you walk next to them suddenly become small, while the Danube and the bridges become the main elements of the landscape.
The Citadella is worth visiting not only because there is a monument at the top, but because the walk, the history and the view are all part of the same visit. It is a good place to understand the shape of Budapest and, at the same time, discover a part of Hungarian history that is still visible in the city today.
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