Gellert Hill - A Long Climb and other Budapest, Hungary Things to Do Tips

Gellert Hill rises high above the city of Budapest on the Buda side of the Danube River. As I mentioned in my introduction, almost every guide or internet page about Budapest mentions that it is actually a combination of three cities or villages. Up until the end of the 1800's this was the limit of the town of Buda. The hill served as an outpost and fortress for Buda Castle. From the Pest side of Budapest this hill appears to be almost cliff like in height, when actually it is only approximately 430 feet high. From the top of the hill you get an excellent view of the city. I climbed the hill on my first day in Budapest. My hotel, The Gellert, was located at the base of the hill so it was really the logical place for me to start my exploration of Budapest.

The top can be reached on foot, but it is a steep climb. It took me about a half hour to climb to the summit, but I made several stops for pictures and to enjoy the scenery on the way. There is also a road that starts from the Elizabeth Bridge which will allow cars to reach the top of the hill. There is a a bus, number 27, that will take you to the top.

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Address: 1118 Budapest, Gellerthegy, Citadella
Directions: On the top of Gellert Hill in Buda. Access by bus #27 from Moricz Zs. korter. Get off at Busulo Juhasz (Citadella) stop and walk uphill. Cars not allowed.
Website: http://www.citadella.hu

Great news! After the long climb up Gellert Hill to see the Liberation Monument you will find a refreshment stand! I was a little concerned. I had not done my homework very well and was not sure what to find at the top of the hill. It was a warm day and I was getting very thirsty on my climb. Then at the top I saw it. Soft drinks, water, ice cream. It looked like an oasis to me. Be prepared. They do not take credit cards at the refreshment stand. Keep some cash handy.

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Address: Budapest
Directions: All over the city.

Most of the monuments from the communist occupation of Hungary have been removed from the streets of Budapest. The can be found in a display outside of town in Statue Park. The Liberation Monument was left in its place however high above Budapest on Gellert Hill. It was erected in 1947 to commemorate the liberation of Hungary and to honor the Soviet Army. Originally at this spot there was a monument of a female figure holding an aircraft propeller commissioned by Admiral Horthy Hungary's pre WWII dictator in memorial to his son who was killed in a plane crash in WWII. The Soviets replaced it with this statue to remind the Hungarians who liberated them in WWII. Today the Hungarian consider it an occupation of their country and not a liberation. But the monument remains. It is a female figure holding the palm of victory over her head. Including the pedestal it is 132 feet high. It is illuminated at night and can be seen from all over the city of Budapest.

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Address: Budapest
Directions: All over the city.

The Little Princess is one of Budapest's best know and most popular bronze statues. The statue is life size and looks like a little child sitting on the fence along the Danube River Banks. It is listed in almost every guide book I read and on many internet sites. Being curious I had to seek out the Little Princess for myself. its definately a curosity. The statue is wearing a jesters hat and is perched on the rails of fence. It was designed by lazlo Marton. I am not sure what the big attraction is about this statue. I actually passed it a couple of times before realizing where it was located. Like many other things in Budapest from a distance it looks fine. Up close I found that one of the spires in its jester hat had been broken, probably by vandels. You can see the broken cap in my first photo here of the statue. If you are walking along the river front after viewing Parliment you might want to snap a picture of the statue just to say that you have seen it.

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Phone: She can't talk..
Address: V., Dunakorzo
Directions: She is sitting on the railing near Vigado ter. Visit her by trams #2 2A at Vigado ter stop or metro M1 (Vorosmarty ter terminal).
Website: http://nor.can.she.compile.websit.es

Szoboro or Statue Park is in reality not much of a park. It is a display of bronze statues from the days of the Communist occupation of Budapest. The statues have been removed from the city and put out here in the park as a reminder of the occupation of Hungary, and as an attraction for western tourists to have a glimpse of what it was like to live in Budapest after World War II. I was interested in seeing the statues out of curousity. I almost posted this tip in the tourist trap section of this page. In my opinion its very close to a tourist trap. It is heavily advertised in guide books. Its one of the main selections in the guide given to you when you purchase a Budapest Card. There are many fliers in hotels and at tourist information booths about Statue Park. And yet when I reached the park I found it to be not very exciting. The statues were just sitting in a field with tall grass growing around them. There were several groups of bored tourists walking on the unpathed pathway trying to look fascinated. With a little work and cleaning up the park could be make into something more interesting. There is a souvineer stand here where you can buy a guide to the statues in various languages. They also have funny tee shirts with various leaders from the Communist party on them. I did give in and act like a tourist when I purchased a tee shirt with the former Communist leaders pictured as characters from South Park.

Would I advise you to skip over Statue Park and do something else instead. No. It is definately something interesting to see and that you can not find anywhere else. But go with an open mind and keep your expectations lower than what the guide books would lead you to believe. Check out my travelogue on Szobor Park for a detailed story on how to find the park. Hint...do not follow the directions in the tourist guide books, or from the brochure. Its a lot more difficult to find then they lead you to believe.

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Phone: +36 1 424 75 00
Address: 1223 Budapest, Balatoni ?t - Szabadkai utca corner
Directions: Direct shuttle bus from Deak Ferenc ter; suburban bus from Etele ter (direction Diosd-Erd) to Bp., Szoborpark stop or bus 58 from Campona shopping center (take bus 3 or Teteny-busz to Campona).
Website: http://www.szoborpark.hu

Budapest is a city of many bridges connecting the two cities of Buda and Pest. The first connection to be built was the Chain Bridge (Sczecheyl Ianchid). The bridge was completed and opened on December 20, 1849. Historically in 1989 the bridge was used by the people of Budapest for their demonstration for freedom and independence. The bridge itself is very beautiful, especially in the evening when it is covered with lights. Walking across the bridge I was able to get many beautiful photo's the Danube and the banks of Budapest.

During World War II Hungary suffered many bombings and much was destroyed in the city. At one point all of the bridges in Budapest were blown up. The Chain Bridge was restored and opend for traffic again in 1949.

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Address: Above the Danube
Directions: Just follow the Danube. You'll surely find them. :-) From North to South: Northern Railway Connector, Arpad, Margharet, Szechenyi Chain, Elisabeth, Liberty, Petofi, Lagymanyosi, S Railway Connector

I love to discover local legends when I travel. I had read one about the Chain Bridge before my trip. The lions on both ends of the bridge were created by sculptor Janos Marschalko. It is told that the lions sculptures have no tonges. When someone made a point of this it was told the sculptor was so distraught that he jumped off the bridge committing suicide. The entire legend is untrue. But it makes for a fun story. I did try to get up and look into the lions mouths to see if they did have tongues but was unable to get up that high. You all know how curious I am.

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Address: Above the Danube
Directions: Just follow the Danube. You'll surely find them. :-) From North to South: Northern Railway Connector, Arpad, Margharet, Szechenyi Chain, Elisabeth, Liberty, Petofi, Lagymanyosi, S Railway Connector

The largest building in Hungary is the Parliament building in Budapest. Without question its one of the most beautiful buildings I have seen. Located directly on the Danube with its spires reflected in the river, Parliament is one photo opportunity no vistor or toursist can resist. The construction took 17 years and was completed in 1902. At that time it was considered the largest Parliament building in the world. I have read that it was modeled after Parilament in London and at first view you can notice a similiarity. The building also contains the crown jewels of Hungary. There are guided tours available. Tickets are not sold in advance and must be obtained at the time of your tour.

If you compare my picture to others of Parliament you will notice that the steps and landing in front of the building are under water. This was due to the flooding of Danube while I was in Budapest.

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Phone: + (36) 1 441-4000
Address: 1055 Budapest, Kossuth tér 1-3.
Directions: On Kossuth Lajos ter; metro M2, trams #2 2A, trolley-buses #70 78 and bus #15 to Kossuth Lajos ter stop
Website: http://www.parlament.hu

The largest market in Budapest, Central Hall (Nagy Vasarcsarnok) is a must visit location on a visit to Budapest. Fresh produce, meat, flowers, souvineers, performers, singers, music, people every where. The hall was completly restored in 1994 but it still reflects a past era in historical Budapest. It is located just off the Liberty Bridge. There is a tram stop right in front of the market just before you cross the bridge.

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Phone: +36 (1) 217-0052, 217-6965
Address: 1093 Budapest, Vamhaz korut 1-3
Directions: At the Pest bridgehead of Liberty Bridge, on Fovam ter. Trams #2 2A 47 49, buses #15 City-busz and trolleybus #83, stop Fovam ter.
Website: http://www.csapi.hu

When traveling through Euorpe I automatically think that all of the Basicila's are very old. So I was at first amazed at the beauty and condition of this great church when I first saw it. Later, as I toured the building, I found out that is was not really all that old. It was completed in 1905 making it reletively new in comparison to some of the other Basicilia's I have seen. It is the largest cathedral in Budapest and like many other buildings suffered some damage during World War II. However it remained structurally intact and has been renovated back to its original condition.

The most tresured relic in Hungary is found in this cathedral. It is the mumified hand of Saint Stephen. It is on display in an ancient glass box in a small room near the back of the cathedral. In no offence to my Catholic friends here on Vt or the people of Budapest, when I was finally able to view the relic all I could see was some lacy looking object that looked like a glove Michael Jackson might have worn in one of his old videos.

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Address: District II, Szemlo-hegy, Pal-volgy, Matyas-hegy..
Directions: Szemlohegyi Cave - bus #29 stop Felso Zoldmali ut; Palvolgy and Matyas-hegy Caves: bus #65 stop Pal-volgyi cseppkobarlang