Alternate theme routes

Socialist realism

A visit to the Statue Park (XXII. Balatoni út – corner of Szabadkai utca) is guaranteed to be a unique experience, for here are displayed examples of “Socialist Realism” art. Or rather, some of the gargantuan statues and political monuments removed from public display in the streets and squares of Budapest following the fall of Communism. There is a gigantic statue of Lenin, for example, and others of a hurrying worker and of military and heroic figures. But there are also other mementos of the Communist era, such as a Trabant car, an out-of-order telephone box and a hammer and sickle cigarette lighter. Another protected Socialist Realism monument is the collection of eight aluminium alloy statues depicting sporting scenes constructed between 1953 and 1958 and situated at the entrance to the People’s Stadium.

Art nouveau

The Gresham Palace on Roosevelt tér is a particularly fine example of art nouveau architecture, and was built in 1907 for the London-based Gresham Insurance Company. In recent years it has been totally refurbished and now operates as the Four Seasons Hotel. On the other side of the River Danube, at Saint Gellért tér in Buda, the exterior of the Gellért Hotel and Baths, along with the interior of the Baths, are further well preserved examples of the style. As is the building housing the Hungarian State Geological Institute (XIV. Stefánia út 14). Indeed, with its light blue ceramic tiled roof and its blue Zsolnay ornamentation on an yellow and brown frontage, this is one of the most attractive buildings in the whole city

Bauhaus

Followers of the Bauhaus movement have left their mark in a number of striking buildings, both internally and externally. Good examples in Budapest are to be seen at Szervita tér near Váci utca in the Inner City of Pest, and at the church and bus terminus at Pasaréti tér in Buda. Indeed, not far from the latter, Napraforgó utca and some of its neighbouring side streets are remarkable for their being almost full of Bauhaus style houses and flats. There are several other good examples on Margit körút, and another is the hotel on the corner of Andrássy út and Munkácsy utca, formerly the residence of Alfréd Hajós, the triple Olympic medal-winning swimmer and athlete.

Unusual means of transport

The Földalatti, or the Yellow (Number 1) Underground line was the first to be built in continental Europe. There is an interesting museum about it at Deák tér Station: look out for the carriage which Emperor Franz Joseph and his entourage used at the unveiling in 1896. The Funicular runs between the Castle District and the Chain Bridge. When it originally opened in 1870 it was powered by a steam traction engine, but today electricity is used. The Cogwheel Railway connects Városmajor and Széchenyi Hill, and is the third oldest in the world. The Chair Lift is a fun way of getting down from János Hill to Zugliget, as is the Children’s Railway from Széchenyi Hill to Hűvösvölgy: this is run almost entirely by children!

Margaret Island 

Budapest's finest green spot is Margaret Island (Margitsziget) located in the middle of the river Danube between Margaret Bridge and Árpád Bridge. Originally there were three islands here, the islands of Spa, Pictor and Rabbits. These were framed with a common concrete shore as part of river regulation efforts in the 19th century and so the 2.5-kilometre-long island was formed.

The island was already inhabited by Roman times; in the Middle Ages monks preferred the island for its calm and kings for its excellent hunting. The island bears the name of Margit (Margaret), daughter of King Béla IV (Adalbert), who renounced the world and entered the island's convent after surviving the rampage of the Tatars in the 13th century. The Turkish occupation in the 15th century put an abrupt end to the cloister island's blossoming. After centuries of neglect, the island was reborn in the 19th century when an open park and entertainment centre was opened to the general public. This was made possible by the Margaret Bridge embranchment built to the island in 1900, opening the island to pedestrians.

Today, the 100 hectares of parkland is kept peaceful and quiet by being sealed off to most vehicular traffic. Park your car at the northern end of the island and rent a "family bike" known as a Bringóhintó Cycle Car, or take a healthy walk through the island. Budapest joggers plan their routes along the island's embankments.

The park is beautiful and very varied: century-old chestnut avenues, English, Japanese and French gardens alternate with ruins of a nunnery, an old water tower and a wide range of sports facilities. The island has the largest open-air swimming complex in Budapest, the Palatinus, and a fine outdoor theatre.

The northern section of the island is home of the turn-of-the-century Grand Hotel Margitsziget and the modern Thermal Hotel Margitsziget, the latter offering thermal spa and state-of-the-art medical services using thermal water springs on the island to cure different types of locomotor disorders.

Shopping

On József nádor square there is a shop and showroom dedicated to the exquisite Herend porcelain. Váci utca starts from near here and lining both sides of the street (and most of the side streets) all the way down to Fővám tér are jeweller’s shops, perfumeries, designer clothes shops, boutiques and gifts shops. Here are also some of the best shops in which to buy Hungarian wine. The Csók Gallery displays and offers for sale works of living Hungarian artists as well as antiques. Another Hungarian speciality, Zsolnay porcelain, is on show in the shop on Kígyó utca, and south of Elizabeth Bridge the Folk-art Centre is.

Jewish Budapest

The huge Byzantine-Moorish style Synagogue on Dohány utca is not only one of the most imposing historic buildings in Budapest, it is the largest synagogue in all Europe. In the garden to the rear, set in front of the Heroes’ Temple is Imre Varga’s striking Memorial Tree sculpture, the leaves of which are engraved with the names of Jewish families who were murdered in the Holocaust. The former synagogue in Páva utca has been turned into a Holocaust Memorial Centre, and there’s another poignant memorial along the Danube embankment on the Pest side. Between the Parliament and the Chain Bridge, a line of iron shoes set in stone commemorates the Jews who were summarily executed and whose bodies were then dumped in the River.