In This Book

16 Need to Know 17 18 Neighbourhoods 19

Before You Go Arriving in Getting Around & Need to Your Daily Budget Most people arrive in Budapest by air, but you Budapest has a safe, efficient and inexpen- Budapest Northern Pest can also get here from dozens of European sive public-transport system. Five types of (p84) Know Budget: Less than 15,000Ft cities by bus and train and from Vienna by transport are in general use, but the most Neighbourhoods This unspoiled island Parliament & Danube hydrofoil. relevant for travellers are the metro trains on in the Danube offers Around (p72) X Dorm bed: 3000–6500Ft QuickStart four numbered and colour-coded city lines, a green refuge, while Takes in the areas For more information, X Meal at self-service restaurant 1500Ft A From Ferenc Liszt International blue buses and yellow . The basic fare northern Pest beckons around the Parliament Óbuda (p50) with its shops and see Survival Guide (p145) X Three-day transport pass: 4150Ft Airport for all forms of transport is 350Ft (3000Ft building and the equally Minibuses, buses and trains to central for a block of 10) allowing you to travel as far This is the oldest part of lovely cafes. iconic Basilica of Currency Midrange: 15,000–35,000Ft Budapest run from 4am to midnight; taxis as you like on the same metro, bus, trolleybus and retains a St Stephen, plus lost-in-the-past village Hungarian forint (Ft); some hotels quote X Single/double room: from 7500/10,000Ft cost from 6000Ft. The cheapest (and most or line without changing/transferring. 1DJ\PH]łXWFD in euros (€) time-consuming) way to get into the city feel; here you’ll find the Budapest’s Broadway. X Two-course meal with drink: 3500–7500Ft remains of the Roman centre is to take bus 200E (350Ft; on the bus m Metro ] Top Sights Language X Cocktail: from 1500Ft settlement of Aquincum 450Ft) – look for the stop on the footpath Budapest has four underground metro lines. Parliament Hungarian (Magyar) between terminals 2A and 2B – which The M1, M2 and M3 converge at Pest’s central and some legendary Top End: More than 35,000Ft terminates at the Kłbánya- metro Deák Ferenc tér (only), while the M4 links eateries. Basilica of St Stephen Visas X Double in superior hotel: from 16,500Ft station. From there take the M3 metro into to the M2 at Keleti train station and the M3 ]A City Generally not required for stays up to 90 X Dinner for two with wine from 12,500Ft the city centre. The total cost is 700Ft to at Kálvin tér, both in Pest. The M2 reaches Castle District Park days. 800Ft. Between midnight and 4am night bus central Széll Kálmán tér in Buda; the M4 Worth a Trip X Spa ticket: adult/child 3600/1600Ft (p22) Guide 900 makes the run. serves south Buda. All four metro lines run Castle Hill, nerve centre Erzsébetváros & ] Top Sights Money X Cover charge at popular club: 1500–2500Ft from about 4am and begin their last journey of Budapest’s history the Jewish Quarter From Keleti, Nyugati & Déli Train (p48) ATMs are everywhere. Visa, MasterCard L at around 11.15pm. and packed with ]A (p92) Stations Parliament Aquincum (p58) and American Express widely accepted in important museums, is This neighbourhood J Bus Buda Hills (p60) many hotels and restaurants. Useful Websites All three are connected to metro lines of the here, as is ground-level offers the lion’s share of same name and night buses call when the An extensive network of regular buses runs Budapest Info (www.budapestinfo.hu) One of Víziváros, with some Budapest’s accommoda- (p118) Mobile Phones metro is closed. from around 4.15am to between 9pm and A Basilica of the better overall tourist websites. excellent restaurants. ]St Stephen tion, restaurants serving Local SIM cards can be used in European 11.30pm; from 11.30pm to just after 4am a ] Top Sights every cuisine under the and Australian phones, as well as most Budapest by Locals (www.budapestbylocals. J From Népliget & Stadion Bus network of 41 night buses (indicated by three Royal Palace sun and the city’s Southern Pest com) Excellent and very useful expat-driven Stations digits beginning with ‘9’) kicks in. Royal Palace  North American ones. ]A ]A Great hottest nightspots. (p108) site full of both glaringly obvious information Both stations are on metro lines (M2 and M3 Synagogue  that impress even us. U Tram ] Top Sights Traditionally working Time respectively) which go to Deák tér, and are  class, this is an area Hungarian  Central European Time (GMT/UTC plus Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com/ served by trams 1 and 1A. Faster and more pleasant for sightseeing Gellért Hill & Tabán & A Great Synagogue Your keys to under- ] National  to wander, poking your than buses; a network of 30 lines. Tram 6 (p36) one hour) budapest) Destination information, hotel Liberty Museum  nose into courtyards bookings, traveller forum and more. NFrom International Ferry Pier runs overnight. The Citadella and the Monument  and small, often Vienna hydrofoils arrive at and depart from Liberty Monument gaze A Plugs & Adaptors  ] traditional, shops. Plugs have two round pins; electrical current the International Ferry Pier, which is between K Taxi down from atop Gellért  A Top Sights is 230V/50Hz. Elizabeth and Liberty Bridges on the Pest Taxis in Budapest are cheap by European Hill on the neighbour- ] ] Advance Planning  Gellért side. It’s on tram line 2 and close to the standards, and are – at long last – fully hood of the Tabán. Belváros (p62) Hungarian National Two months before Book accommodation if Baths Tipping Fłvám tér station of the M4 metro line. regulated, with uniform flag-fall (450Ft) and ] Top Sights The ‘Inner Town’ centres Museum travelling in high season. Check ‘what’s on’ Hungarians are very tip-conscious and nearly per-kilometre charges (280Ft). on touristy Váci utca, and English-language media websites. Citadella & everyone in Budapest will routinely hand Liberty Monument with its shops and bars, gratuities to waiters, hairdressers and taxi One month before Reserve seats for big- and Vörösmarty tér, standing the city – Gellért Baths drivers. ticket concerts, musical or dance perfor- home to the city’s most mances; book top-end restaurants. celebrated cukrászda One week before Ensure your bookings are (cake shop). we help you decide in order and you have all booking references. what to do and how Need to Know Neighbourhoods to do it Tips for a What’s where smooth trip

8 Top Sights 9 12 Local Life 13

Budapest Top Sights Budapest Top Sights Local Life

Local experiences and hidden gems ALEKSEI LAZUKOV/SHUTTERSTOCKS © Royal Palace (p24) to help you uncover the real city The focal point of Castle Hill in Buda and the city’s most visited sight, the enormous Royal Palace contains two important museums, the national library and an abundance of notable statues and monuments. After taking in Budapest’s fabulous array of sights, it’s time to get behind what eve- Explore ryone sees in order to discover the Budapest local people know and love: the superb restaurants, the quirky shops and markets, and the bars and clubs that never say die.

Cog railway to Budapest Palace Other great places to experience the Farmers’ Market in Budapest city like a local: Touring the Buda Hills (p60) Exploring Váci utca & f Clear air Vörösmarty tér (p64) Szimpla Farmers’ f Quirky transport f Top shops Market (p106 ) They may be short on sights, but the f Beckoning cafes Fortuna Önkiszolgáló Buda Hills are a welcome respite from Follow us on a walking tour of Buda- (p32) Budapest the hot, dusty city in summer. Perhaps pest’s premier shopping street that their biggest draws are their unusual eschews the chain stores and brand- Károly Garden (p70 ) forms of transport: a 19th-century name shops in favour of more upscale narrow-gauge cog railway, a train run local emporiums, notable buildings Pump Room (p46) by children and a chairlift that will get and smart cafes, including the iconic you back down to terra firma. Gerbeaud, the capital’s finest cukrászda Laci! Konyha! (p89 ) (cake shop). WILL SANDERS/LONELY PLANET © Bar-Hopping in BÁV (p83 ) Erzsébetváros (p96) From Market to Market in Pintér Galéria (p83 ) f Craft beers Southern Pest (p112) SARAH COGHILL/LONELY PLANET © f World-class wine f Local specialities f Living history The best things to BRIAN KINNEY/SHUTTERSTOCK © Don’t just follow the herd when day becomes night in this super party town. In this tale of two markets – one a We have the low-down on where’s the visitor’s paradise, the other where Gellért Baths (p38) most fun with the least amount of auntie shops – we walk the backstreets, hassle in the very heart of the nightlife discovering everything from antiquar- ‘Taking the waters’ is very much a part of everyday life in Budapest and area: Erzsébetváros. ian bookshops and cool cafes to ghosts soaking in the art nouveau Gellért Baths, with temperatures of up to 38°C, of the 1956 Uprising that still haunt the has been likened to bathing in a cathedral. see and do, neighbourhood. neighbourhood by Top Sights Local Life neighbourhood Make the most The insider's city of your visit

124 Castle Hill 125 140 Best Thermal Baths & Pools Best Thermal Baths & Pools 141

1 Vienna Gate as merchant stalls). The church and a baroque Sándor Palace (Sándor Walk up Várfok utca leader of the 1848–49 Jesuit college. palota), now housing from Széll Kálmán tér War of Independence, the offices of the presi- Best Best Walks Lajos Kossuth, was held Former Ministry dent of the republic. A to Vienna Gate, the 5 Thermal Baths & Castle Hill medieval entrance to in a prison at No 9 from of Defence rather low-key guard the Old Town, rebuilt in 1837 to 1840. Walking along Úri utca change takes place Pools BOTOND HORVATH/SHUTTERSTOCK © in front of the palace 1936 to mark the 250th south to Dísz tér you’ll Budapest lies on the geological fault separating 2 The Walk anniversary of the 4 Szentháromság come across the restored hourly between 9am WILL SANDERS/LONELY PLANET © tér and 5pm. the Buda Hills from the Great Plain, and more There’s no better introduction to Budapest than retaking of the castle former Ministry of than 30,000 cu metres of warm to scalding (21°C a tour of Castle Hill. The neighbourhood has eve- from the Turks. It’s not In the centre of I Sze- Defence, a casualty 7 Sikló to 76°C) mineral water gush forth daily from rything that defines this delightful city: history, that huge, but when ntháromság tér is a of WWII, and NATO’s some 123 thermal and more than 400 mineral architecture, fabulous views and tourists in spades. loquacious Hungarian statue of the Holy Trin- supposed nuclear target Between Sándor Palace springs. As a result, the city is a major spa centre The Best If you’d like to take in the first three but avoid the children natter on, their ity, a ‘plague pillar’ first for Budapest during the and the Habsburg Steps and ‘taking the waters’ at one of the city’s many last, make this an early-morning walk. parents tell them: ‘Be erected by grateful (and Cold War. A long-over- leading to the Royal Pal- baths, be they Turkish time warps, art nouveau Gellért Baths (p38) Start m II Széll Kálmán tér quiet, your mouth is as healthy) Buda citizens due renovation has just ace is the upper station marvels or modern establishments, is a real in the early 18th cen- been completed. of the Sikló (p25), the Finish m II Clark Ádám tér big as the Vienna Gate!’ Budapest experience. tury. Across the square, funicular that will take y Top Tips available for hire Length 1.2km; two hours 2 National the Hilton Budapest 6 Sándor Palace you down to I Clark (1350Ft to 2000Ft) if f Opening times and you don’t have your Archives incorporates parts of Further south on the Ádám tér just west of What’s Inside 5 Take a Break whether everybody/ own. The large building a medieval Dominican left is the restored the Chain Bridge. The layout of most of Budapest’s baths – both old men/women are and new – follows a similar pattern: a series of You might have to linger for a seat, but Ruszwurm to the west with the welcome depend on Getting In & Out Cukrászda (p124 ), established in 1827, is perfect superbly coloured ma- indoor thermal pools, where temperatures range the day of the week, Széna tér The procedure for get- for coffee and cake. Another sweet stop option 0200m from warm to hot, with steam rooms, saunas, ice- but most baths are jolica-tiled roof contains Széll e# ting out of your street is Budavári Rétesvár (p124), serving all kinds of Csalog 00.1miles the National Archives Széll Kálmán tér #¡ Kálmán ány u cold plunge pools and rooms for massage. Some now completely O clothes and into the strudel. Krisz mixed. Many open on (Országos Levéltár), tér s have outdoor pools with fountains, wave machines of Budapest tr Batthyány water requires some &~ om #¡ and whirlpools. weekend nights. completed in 1920. Note t tér u ina krt Várfok u u £# explanation. All baths ba Most baths offer a full range of serious medical the attractive group of sa f Admission starts and pools have cabins C Hunfalvy u treatments plus more indulgent services such as burgher houses across stya 1 at 2400Ft; in theory or lockers. In most of á # D u b #2 massage (5500/7500Ft for 20/30 minutes) and Bécsi kapu tér, site of a KRISZTINAVÁROS o T anube Riv nj 3 án VÍZIVÁROS this allows you to the baths nowadays you A Bécsi # c

S pedicure (4500Ft). Specify what you want when s weekend market in the kapu tér i stay for 1½/two c z are given an electronic V s Szilágyi t buying your ticket. Middle Ages. á M Dezsł tér e hours on weekends/ r h bracelet that directs you o ih l CASTLE HILL er Depending on the time and day, a few baths can s á o weekdays, though m l L y to, and then opens, your WILL SANDERS/LONELY PLANET © (VÁRHEGY) G a o u be for men or women only. There are usually mixed j g this is seldom en- 3 Táncsics o o á locker or cabin. Ask for ru F du Szentháromság b i ł days and nowadays most baths – including the forced nowadays. o ARTUR BOGACKI/SHUTTERSTOCK © Mihály utca u assistance if you can’t The city’s #4 tér r Széchenyi, Gellért and Király Baths – are always Huny r Narrow Táncsics Vérmezł k f Budapest Spas work it out. The method Déli pu #¡ Attila u Ú p for men and women together. On single-sex days Mihály utca is full of £# ri a and Hot Springs used in the past was a u di or in same-sex sections, men are usually handed Já little houses painted in Déli Train no (www.spasbudapest. bit more complicated: Station Dísz s drawstring loincloths and women apron-like gar- lively hues and adorned u ú com) has excel- you would find a free ó tér t ik ments to wear, though the use of bathing suits is on

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with statues. In many r M lent and up-to-date locker or cabin yourself i '€ w sz #5 6 the increase even on single-sex days. You must wear ti # information. courtyard entrances na ¤# and – after you got k ¤##7 a bathing suit on mixed-sex days; these are Széchenyi Baths (p119) rt you’ll see sedilia (medi- kotás u w Royal eval stone niches used Al highlights National Archives Alagút u Palace in handy lists Best Walks Budapest’s Best… to help you plan See the city on foot The best experiences

148 Survival Guide Getting Around 149 146 Arriving in Budapest 147

arrivals from Schen- Shuttle The MiniBUD ¨ Left-luggage lockers and Vienna (5½ to 6½ 350Ft ticket (3000Ft for ¨ Never get into a taxi Useful Websites Groove (www.groove makeover of one of the gen countries. Flights to (%1-550 0000; www. are available at all sta- hours) from mid-May to a block of 10). that does not have a hostel.hu) Individually towering Klotild Palaces. ¨ Discover Budapest and from non-Schengen minibud.hu; one way from tions. late September. yellow licence plate decorated, cavernous ¨ Tickets have to be Survival (www.discoverbudapest. Art’otel Budapest (www. destinations use Ter- and an identiÀ cation 1900Ft) airport shuttle validated in machines com) Tour company that dorms, oodles of artotels.com/budapest) minal 2B, which is next badge displayed on the carries passengers from Stadion & at metro entrances and also books backpacker perks and a door. The new SkyCourt dashboard (as required Guide Uber-designed caravan- both terminals directly Népliget Bus aboard other vehicles – accommodation. friendly vibe. connects the two ter- by law), plus the logo serai hard by the Danube. to their hotel, hostel or Stations inspectors will À ne you minals. of one of the reputable ¨ Hungarian Tourism Zen House (www. Kempinski Hotel residence in nine-seat for not doing so. At both terminals and ¨ Stadion is on the red Getting taxi À rms on the outside PLC (www.gotohungary. zenhouse-budapest.com) Corvinus (www. vans. Tickets are avail- in the SkyCourt you’ll metro M2; Népliget is on of the side doors and com) Top-heavy with ac- Peaceful, family-run place kempinski-budapest. able at a clearly marked Bus Book Your Stay find currency-exchange the blue metro M3. Around a table of fares clearly Before You Go commodation choices in awash with Buddha im- com) Probably the best- desks operated by desk in the arrivals halls, visible on the right-side the capital. ages and plants, oՖ ering ¨ All international buses ¨ Extensive system of ¨ In general, accommoda- run hotel in town. Survival Interchange (h8am-1am) though you may have to back door. arrive and depart from Metro buses running on 260 tion is more limited in the ¨ Lonely Planet (www. spacious, stylish private and ATMs. In Terminal wait while the van À lls Hotel Palazzo Zichy Népliget. routes day and night from ¨ Reputable opera- Buda neighbourhoods lonelyplanet.com/ rooms. ¨ Budapest has four (www.hotel-palazzozichy. 2A there are half a dozen up. You need to book around 4.15am to be- tors include Budapest than on the other side of budapest/hotels) ¨ Stadion generally underground metro When to Go car-hire desks. Luggage your journey back to the tween 9pm and 11.30pm. the Danube River in Pest. Best Midrange hu) Impressive palace lines. Three of them Taxi (%1-777 7777; www. Recommendations and lockers are available airport at least 12 hours serves cities and towns in hotel on a lovely little budapesttaxi.hu), City Taxi Budapest bookings. Baltazár (www.baltazar around the clock on eastern . converge at Deák Ferenc ¨ From 11.30pm to just ¨ A cheap hotel is gener- in advance. (%1-211 1111; www.citytaxi. square. the ground floor of the tér (only): the little yel- after 4am a network °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm ally more expensive than a ¨ Mellow Mood Group budapest.com) Midrange hu), F ł Taxi (%1-222 2222; 30/86 6/150 SkyCourt. Taxi Reputable F ł Taxi low (or Millennium) line of 41 night buses (in- private room, but may be (www.mellowmood.hu) hotel with a high-end International www.fotaxi.hu) and Taxi (%1-222 2222; www.fotaxi. designated M1 that runs dicated by three digits 20/68 the answer if you are only Chain with a big variety of Castle location. Bus & Metro The cheap- Ferry Pier 4/100 hu) has the monopoly on from Vörösmarty tér to and beginning with ‘9’) 4 (%1-444 4444; www. staying one night or arrive options. est (and most time- taxi4.hu) 10/50 Casati Budapest picking up passengers ¨ Hydrofoils arrive at Mexikói út in Pest; the operates every 15 to 60 . too late to get a room 2/50 ¨ Best Hotel Service Hotel (www.casatibuda- consuming) way to get red M2 line from Déli minutes, depending on 0/32 through an agency. at the airport. Fares to and depart from the (www.besthotelservice. into the city centre from pesthotel.com) An artful Arriving in most locations in Pest International Ferry Pier, train station in Buda to the route. Guide ¨ Hotels – szállók or hu) Good for budget ac- conversion of a beautiful the airport is to take bus Örs vezér tere in Pest; are about 6000Ft, and in which is between Eliza- szállodák in Hungarian commodation. Budapest 200E (350Ft, on the bus and the blue M3 line building with sustainable Buda about 7000Ft. beth and Liberty Bridges Tram – can be anything from ¨ Hip Homes Hungary credentials. 450Ft; 4am to midnight) on the Pest side. It’s on from Újpest-Központ to Spring (Apr–Jun) Often Autumn (Sep & Oct) (rapidly disappearing) Kłbánya-Kispest in Pest. ¨ A network of 30 lines; Essential (www.hiphomeshungary. – look for the stop on tram line 2 and close to wet, but just glorious, Beautiful, particularly in run-down socialist-era Budapest Rooms (www. Keleti, Nyugati & The green M4 metro often faster and more com) Fabulous short- Ferenc Liszt the footpath between the Fłvám tér station of with fewer tourists. the Buda Hills; festivals brutalist constructions to budapestrooms.eu) Well- Déli Train Stations the M4 metro line. runs from Kelenföld train pleasant for sightseeing Information term apartments. International terminals 2A and 2B – mark the szüret (grape luxurious À ve-star palaces run, good-looking B&B station in southern Buda than buses. Summer (Jul & Aug) Airport which terminates at the ¨ All three train stations ¨ Mahart PassNave and quirky boutique and Best Budget and a very helpful host. to Keleti train station in Discount Cards Warm, sunny and harvest). Kłbánya-Kispest metro are on metro lines of (%1-484 4013; www. ¨ Tram 6 runs every 10 design hotels. Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt Pest, where it links with unusually long. Expect Winter (Nov–Mar) Can Maverick City Lodge Hotel Papillon (www. Tips and tricks the same name; Keleti to 15 minutes around International Airport Budapest Card station. From there take mahartpassnave.hu; V ¨ Because of the changing (www.maverick the M2. It links with the the clock, including higher prices and long be cold and bleak; some hotelpapillon.hu) Delight- (BUD; %1-296 7000; www. the M3 metro into the is on the green M4 and Belgrád rakpart, Vidadó (1-438 8080; www. value of the forint, many M3 at Kálvin tér. overnight. queues. attractions curtail their lodges.com) Modern, ful ‘country-style’ hotel in bud.hu) has two modern city centre. The total the blue M3; Nyugati is tér Pier; adult/student/ budapestinfo.hu; midrange and top-end ¨ All four metro lines hours or shut entirely till warehouse-style hostel the Buda Hills. terminals side by side, cost is 700Ft to 800Ft. on the M3; Déli on the child 2990/2490/1490Ft; per 24/27/72 hours hotels quote their rates in red M2. run from about 4am and mid-March. with great facilities. 24km southeast of the Between midnight and h10am-9pm late Mar–late Taxi 4655/7505/9405Ft) euros, as we have here. Best Top End begin their last journey at city centre. ¨ Night buses serve all Oct, to 10pm Jul & Aug; Shantee House (www. 4am night bus 900 ¨ Cheap by European Free entry to selected Buddha Bar Hotel Terminal 2A deals with j2) runs daily hydrofoil around 11.15pm. backpackbudapest.hu) makes the run. three stations when the standards, with uniform museums and sights (www.buddhabarhotel departures and metro is closed. services on the Danube ¨ The basic fare for all Budapest’s À rst hostel Á ag-fall (450Ft) and in and around the city; budapest.com) Opulent River between Budapest forms of transport is a grows (up) in size and per-kilometre charges unlimited travel on all for a seamless, design. (280Ft). forms of public trans- hassle-free city Getting Around Essential Information experience Travel like a local Including where to stay

00--contents-pk-bud2.inddcontents-pk-bud2.indd 2 116/03/20176/03/2017 10:57:110:57:11 QuickStart Explore Guide 7 Budapest 21 Budapest Top Sights ...... 8 22 Castle District Budapest Local Life ...... 12

Budapest Day Planner ...... 14 36 Gellért Hill & Tabán Need to Know ...... 16 Budapest 50 Óbuda Neighbourhoods ...... 18 62 Belváros

72 Parliament & Around

84 Margaret Island & Northern Pest

92 Erzsébetváros & the Jewish Quarter

108 Southern Pest

Worth a Trip: Memento Park ...... 48 Aquincum ...... 58 Touring the Buda Hills ...... 60 City Park ...... 118

00--contents-pk-bud2.inddcontents-pk-bud2.indd 4 116/03/20176/03/2017 10:57:210:57:25 The Best of Survival Budapest 123 Guide 145 Budapest’s Best Walks Before You Go ...... 146 Castle Hill ...... 124 Arriving in Budapest ...... 147 Erzsébetváros & the Getting Around ...... 149 Jewish Quarter ...... 126 Essential Information ...... 149 Language ...... 152 Budapest’s Best … Eating ...... 128 Drinking ...... 130 Shopping ...... 132 Entertainment ...... 134 With Kids ...... 135 Architecture ...... 136 Gay & Lesbian ...... 137 Tours ...... 138 Thermal Baths & Pools ...... 140 Museums & Galleries ...... 143 Parks & Gardens ...... 144

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Welcome to Budapest

Straddling the Danube with the Buda Hills as backdrop and boasting enough baroque, neoclassical and art nou- veau architecture to satisfy anyone, Budapest is plentifully endowed with natural and human-made beauty. But the Queen of the Danube is not just a pretty face. At night she frocks up to become what is now the region’s premier party town.

Szechenyi Baths (p119) LI KIM GOH/GETTY IMAGES ©

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Budapest Top Sights

Royal Palace (p24) The focal point of Castle Hill in Buda and the city’s most visited sight, the enormous Royal Palace contains two important museums, the national library and an abundance of notable statues and monuments. WILL SANDERS/LONELY PLANET © BRIAN KINNEY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

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Memento Park (p48) Aquincum (p58) Containing garish statues and Today’s Budapest was settled by over-the-top memorials from the the Romans at the end of the 1st Communist period, Memento century AD and Aquincum, the Park could be described as both most complete civilian Roman a cemetery of socialist mistakes town in Hungary, now contains an and a well-manicured trash heap enclosed museum and an open-air of history. archaeological park. INAVANHATEREN/SHUTTERSTOCK © PASARO/SHUTTERSTOCK © ESTEA/SHUTTERSTOCK © CHRISDORNEY/SHUTTERSTOCK © BRIAN KINNEY/SHUTTERSTOCK © JULE_BERLIN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

City Park (p118) Great Synagogue (p94) Pest’s green lung, City Park is an The largest Jewish temple in open space measuring almost Europe, the Moorish-style Great exactly a square kilometre and Synagogue with its iconic copper contains museums, galleries, a zoo, dome is one of Budapest’s most a permanent circus and one of the eye-catching and beloved buildings. best thermal baths in the city.

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