Buda is historic, Buda is hilly, Buda is everything that Pest is
not. Tour the Buda side for the Castle's compelling history,
travel along the embankment for a view of Pest and
climb Gellert Hill for the best views of the city.
The Buda tour starts wherever you want to be picked up.
Public transport will take us up to the Castle, where we will spend
most of our half day touring time. Gellert hill is an add-on, if
you are up to it.
Buda's castle sits atop a limestone plato, which stretches
in a north-south direction along the western bank of the river Danube.
The castle was home to Hungary's one-time premiers: Hungarian
kings, Turkish pashas, Hapsburg emperors and whoever
passed through Hungary in the country's 1100 years of existence.
The royal palace is only a shadow of what it had been, but
it still displays many layers of history that piled up here throughout
the centuries. Terraces, courtyards and a walkable
rampart connect to one another to make a visit worthwhile
in these parts.
Next to the palace, slightly uphill from the President's seat,
a handfull of streets fan out from Disz ter towards the north. Medieval
houses, the Church of Matyas and Fishermen's Bastion
are the highlights in this small, but interesting area.
Gellert hill is a possible [and obvious] choice for those
who plan to explore Buda beyond the Castle District. A great place
to hike, Gellert hill is ideal to take time off from serious
sightseeing, but enjoy a 360 degree panorama of a city
of nearly two million people.
Recommended for the afternoon: Hungarian National Gallery,
Hospital in the Rock, a stroll through the watertown.
|