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One of our favorite locations to take sunrise pictures of Budapest - Hero's Square.

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My house in Budapest..

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Budapest - 5 Stops Around Pest

The Pest side of Budapest has some of the most iconic sights of Budapest. The city has been shaped by various influences from the Romans to the Turks since the 9th century, when the area was first settled by Hungarian tribes, so it was an interesting city to explore over the three days around New Year. From cathedrals to thermal baths, Pest had a lot to offer. Map

1. St. Stephen’s Basilica

The towering cathedral was surrounded by Christmas market stalls, so it was a little hard to photograph. It is named for the first king of Hungary and it was thought to be a 11th century miracle when his right hand was mummified by nature, so his mummified right hand is kept inside as a relic.

2. Architecture Around Pest

Together with Prague and Vienna, Budapest forms a “golden triangle” of architecture. A walk around Pest will show you why: the streets are lined with very beautiful buildings decorated a mixture of architectural styles, such as neoclassical columns and romantic arches. It is amazing how the city managed to rebuild itself after the devastation of WWII.

Four Seasons Hotel beside the Danube

3. Andrássy Avenue and Hero’s Square

The Danube promenade is a World Heritage Site in Budapest, but the Andrássy Avenue is another Heritage Site and it is hailed as one of the most beautiful streets in the world. Due to congestion in the city in the 19th century, the city started looking to develop a tree lined avenue and beautiful Pest’s image as a capital city. Inspiration was taken from other famous avenues around the world, namely the Champs-Elysées in Paris and Ringstraße in Vienna. Construction was hampered by market collapse and economic crisis, but the road itself was completed in 1877 in 15 years. Many prominent buildings line the Avenue, such as the State Opera House and embassies.

At the end of the Avenue is Hero’s Square. Since it was winter, there was an ice skating rink next to the Square that we couldn’t resist trying! The queue was long but fast moving and we managed to get tickets and boots rentals in an hour. I’m very glad that we had a blue sky day, which was really nice weather for my first time going outdoor ice skating.

4. Széchenyi thermal bath

Budapest’s turkish influences have been wonderfully preserved in the form of thermal baths in the city. We went to the famous Széchenyi thermal bath which is conveniently located near to the Hero’s Square. It was freezing outside but the bath waters was hot enough to keep warm to bathe outdoors, and felt hotter than the thermal baths I’ve tried in Germany! There’s also a variety of saunas and herbal baths. Luckily the baths don’t close until late at night, so it can be put at the end of a day’s itinerary due to the early sunset timings during winter (around 4:30pm when we went during New Year’s).

5. Hungarian Parliament House

On our last day in Budapest we walked around the Parliament House on the banks of the Danube river. Since it was New Year’s Day it was closed, but the exterior of the building was breathtaking and much larger than I thought, when first viewed across the Danube from the top of the castle district.