There is lots to see and do in Budapest. My first post contains my suggested itinerary for a 24-48 hour visit to the city (link below).
This post is about the Buda Castle district which is on the hilly site of the city formerly known as “Buda”. The various imposing buildings are visible over the Danube and face the “Pest” part of the city.
How to get to the Buda Castle district ?
You have several options to get to the castle area. You can walk, take the funicular or a tourist trolley (small bus). As tourism plays a large role in modern Budapest, as soon as you cross the majestic Szechenyi Bridge (AKA the Chain bridge), tourist officials will greet you and explain your options.
I went to the area twice and went on the funicular the first time. You will see it clearly as you cross the bridge. Passengers who have booked tickets online queue to the right and board the funicular on the right track. A ticket booth is to the left and you can purchase tickets by cash or card. You then board the funicular on the left track. When I went both queues were moving at a similar pace so I don’t think it’s necessary to pre-book this.
The journey takes less than two minutes and you can only purchase a return ticket which costs 4,000 HUF (€10). I thought this was expensive given how short the journey is, but it is an old funicular so it is a little treat to take it.
While I didn’t take the trolley (the small tourist bus), there were several of them to the left side of the bridge and €15.00 was listed as the price for a return journey.
I walked up and down the second day I went to this area. I highly recommend you do this if you enjoy a short walk uphill. There are several routes and you will see them clearly as you approach the area.
Tickets and Entrance Fees
You can walk around the area without paying anything. There are several fountains and monuments worth seeing. There are also lots of cafes and restaurants in the area. The exterior of some of the buildings, particularly the churches, are very impressive. You also get great panoramic views of the city from the various vantage points.
A museum dedicated to Houdini (the famous escapologist) is on one small street. I didn’t go in but regretted that as sometimes these types of museums are great.
Unfortunately you can’t purchase an all-inclusive ticket or get a discount for attending multiple places. One ticket attendant told me this is because the various buildings are managed by different authorities.
There is a small ticket office across from the Danube before you start the walk to the area. There are also ticket offices near the various buildings in the castle area.
I paid the following :
Matthias Church – 3,400 HUF (€8.60)
Matthias Tower – 2,900 HUF (€7.35)
Fisherman’s Bastion – 1,200 HUF (€3.00)
The Hungarian National Gallery 3,800 HUF (€9.60) plus 700 (€1.75) for St. Stephen’s Hall (not available on its own)
Matthias Tower
When I asked for a ticket for the tower and the church, the attendant abruptly said “Do you know what the tower is” ? I replied “I presume it’s the tower by the church”. He then said “So you are buying a ticket for something you don’t know what it is”. I replied “I am a tourist, I like towers so it will be an adventure”. He smiled and then explained to me that it’s a difficult climb and you can only go at set times. At this stage, I was determined to go, so I asked when the next available time was for an English language tour.
I waited by the entrance and watched as a small group of other people came down. Some were visibly panting and others were fine so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
The guide explained that we had 30 minutes for the tour. We would climb to an area that contained some artefacts first. Another guide would explain what they are and give a history of the tower. We could then climb to the top. While we could go down whenever we wanted, we needed to leave within the 30 minutes allotted.
There were 61 steps to the first area. They were steep and it was quite hot. As the tours were restricted, you didn’t have to stand in to allow anyone to pass you by.
We came to a room with lots of glass cases, containing artefacts. There were pictures and graphs on the walls. The overview of the history of the tower was fascinating. The tower is 750 years old and has had several renovation projects completed over the years. At one stage some capsules were found, which were put there by the original builders. Replicas of the items are on show and the originals were put back where they were found. Capsules have now been added each time a major renovation is completed.
The original capsules contained some copper objects and some photographs. The photographs are of the city, during that time, and some everyday items. A cleaner had put a photograph of his young daughter in it. I wondered if she ever saw it or knew it was there.
After the guide gave us the overview, we were free to walk up the remaining 136 steps at our own pace. There was a little ledge to stop at after every 30-40 steps if needed. The panoramic view at the top was spectacular and well worth the warm and cramped climb. Some of the windows at the top had no glass in them allowing you to take unobstructed photographs. You got a great view of the coloured slates on the rooftop. The surrounding area, the Danube and the city is quite majestic from this height.
Matthias Church
The church, dating back to the 12th century, is extremely impressive. It has an interesting history and has hosted several major occasions. These include the coronation of King Matthias and Robert, King of Naples. It has also hosted various historic figures including the Czech – King Wenceslas (as in the song !).
The interior is in the neo-gothic style and has some very unusual biblical paintings and stained glass windows. I haven’t seen “The Lamb of God” depicted as such before. It also contains the oldest stone carving in Hungary, “two figures pointing at a book”. They were created in 1260.
Signs showing interesting titbits of history are displayed throughout the church. They have a parrot explaining everything and I thought it was a novel way to engage people of all ages.
I purchased a Budapest guidebook in the gift shop and the attendant told me to ensure I went upstairs. I actually may have missed the stairs so I appreciated her advice. You get a great view of the altar area in particular from there.
Incidentally you could purchase replicas of the roof slates in the gift shop in the bright colours (yellow, green etc). This isn’t a souvenir I would consider as I probably would break them on my travels. However, I saw several people purchasing them.
It’s well worth visiting this church and I thought it was quite different to St. Stephen’s Basilica in the city center.
Fisherman’s Bastion
This was formerly the fish market and was constructed in 1905. It’s really just a walkway allowing you to see the city views from another angle.
It’s a very small area and I personally don’t think it was worth the entrance fee as you get great views of the city from several of the common areas.
Hungarian National Gallery
There are several galleries and museums in the area and I decided to go to the National Gallery. I walked up to it after purchasing a ticket at the office opposite the Danube. It took me a few minutes to find the entrance and there were several other people wandering around looking as confused as I was. When I eventually found the door, I later realised it was the back entrance. When I went to leave I wasn’t allowed to. Apparently there was some construction work going on outside so I had to walk all the way back through the gallery. This was a long walk but great for my step count !
You really need to give yourself several hours (I think 3) to explore this huge gallery. There are seats in some areas and there are toilet facilities on every floor. I didn’t see a cafe but I presume there are refreshments sold somewhere within.
The highlights in my opinion are as follows:
- Medieval Palace
This was buried for centuries and discovered in 1949. It was restored during the 1950’s and 1960’s.
It is believed to have been used as a mosque during the Ottoman empire.
There are headphones available to listen to different types of religious music. Also, at one stage, when I walked down some steps the sensors initiated a Gregorian chant which was extremely atmospheric.
- The King’s Cellar
Signs displayed here explain what water was needed in the region throughout the years. You can also hear water dripping in the background, which was a little peculiar.
There are several fountains on display. One was used to dispense wine during wedding ceremonies of dignatures during the reign of King Matthias.
There are also a lot of Italian terracotta stone items displayed.
This area is just accessible via steps up and down and is not suitable for people with mobility issues.
- Gothic Room
King Matthias married Beatrice of Aragon, the daughter of the King of Naples. I now understand why there was so much Italian terracotta displayed earlier. This room has a lot of ornate furniture and artefacts that they owned.
The windows here are beautiful and certainly one of the highlights of the gallery.
- Royal Palace – Castle of Culture
This area was quite a surprise after the sections I had just viewed. It contains a lot of very different modern art exhibitions.
One of the most interesting was “Budapest Life in 1945”. The photographs of protestors facing police is particularly thought provoking, as it could be replicated around the world today.
The young girl sitting with two other people peeling potatoes is interesting. There are great detailed descriptions beside all the artwork which are worth reading.
- The Baroque Hall
This square yellow coloured room was another surprise. Sunlight was streaming through the glass rooftop which reminded me how long I had walked through windowless parts of the museum.
This hall is now used for music recitals and meetings. There was a soundtrack playing bells chiming when I visited.
- Gothic Statues
A section on the 2nd floor has an array of stone statues. Lots of them are of male torsos. Several were only discovered in the 1940’s. Some are believed to be works that were never previously displayed as they were not finished.
A female Madonna is one of the few female statues. It’s very different to the usual Madonna statues or paintings I have seen as you just see Jesus’s tiny feet.
- St. Stephen’s Hall
You had to pay an additional fee of 700 HUF to enter this. The main entrance is quite near it and I had to go there and queue to pay the additional fee. I wasn’t offered this in the back reception I had entered from.
This room has been recently restored and it is really quite spectacular.
You can get a tablet with headphones and listen to an audio guide about the room. I wouldn’t bother with this as the headphones were extremely uncomfortable. I had heard all the detailed information previously in the museum but I was glad I paid the upgrade to see the opulence of the room.
- 1000 Years of the Capital Exhibition
I didn’t know a lot about Budapest before I visited and this exhibition was a great way to learn a lot in a short time.
It included everything from typical household items (ceramics, furniture etc) to jewellery to headstones. It was interesting to see how many items had advanced over the years and how many looked the same as we use today.
There was an excellent installation of a typical room in a housing estate which looked like a lot of houses you see on TV from the 1970”s. They also had a number of chairs from the Opera house, which I loved seeing as I had been there a few nights previously. They also had a detailed overview of the Hungarian vineyards dating back to the 13th century. I hadn’t realised that winemaking was such a tradition in Hungary, until I read this information.
- The Haussmann Story
A 13 minute video, with English subtitles, explained what it called “The Rebirth of Buda Castle”. It had images dating back 750 years and it was extremely well edited and cleverly done. They had actors playing historical figures and they were interviewed by a journalist to explain the historical significance of their role in the castle area.
This video was on a loop replaying as soon as it stopped and I highly recommend watching it.
I really enjoyed my visit to the Gallery and recommend (1) you give yourself at least 3 hours (2) you have comfortable walking shoes and (3) you enter via the main entrance and not the back entrance.
The Royal Riding Hall
The Royal Riding Hall is located in the courtyard. From 1pm-4pm, you can enter it free of charge. You can’t walk around the interior as you just get to step inside.
It’s a beautiful building, with an amazing wooden ceiling and stained glass windows. It’s evident that it has recently been renovated. It now hosts a Spanish riding school and holds demonstrations. You would have an amazing view if you were in the viewing area – the equivalent of a Royal box in a theatre !
The Sandor Palace
This beautiful building is one of the first you will see as you exit the funicular. It is now the home of the President. Very formally dressed guards stand outside it.
When dignitaries arrive the red carpet is rolled out and members of the army and the guards are inspected.
The President was having a very busy day the day I was there. Firstly the Albanian flag was displayed. A diplomatic car arrived and a gentleman got out and was greeted. A few hours later the same ceremony occurred this time for the Canadians. I didn’t recognise either visitor but presume they must have been ministers or diplomats from both countries.
My Final Thoughts !
You need to allow adequate time to spend in the Buda Castle area. I visited twice over two days and was glad I had the time to do that.
If you are not interested in visiting museums and churches it’s still worth your while walking up the hill (or taking the funicular or trolley) and walking round the area. It’s worth it to see the exteriors of the buildings, the pomp and ceremony at the palace and of course you will get an amazing panoramic view of the city and the, not so blue, Danube.
