Kings Hotel awaits to welcome its guests in the downtown of Budapest, on the Pest side in a nice and quiet street off the whirl of the city. The building was constructed in secession style in the end of the 19th century. After several reconstructions and modernization the building has been operated as a hotel since 1995. In its neighbourhood there are numerous historical buildings. Thanks to its central location the overwhelming majority of the tourist attractions is within easy reach.

 

Buda Castle

The Buda castle is one of the most famous and most visited sights of Budapest. It is a UNESCO World Heritage, offering many interesting attractions, museums, pedestrian streets, squares, restaurants and shops. The Royal Palace is one of the symbols of the country. It has seen many battles and wars since the 13th century. In its buildings there are three museums and it also gives home to the Széchenyi Library. The nearby, beautifully renovated Sándor Palace is the residence and workplace of the President of Hungary. The 700-year-old Matthias Church is the jewel of the capital. The Fisherman’s Bastion is not only a special and characteristic building but also an excellent point from where the view of the city is spectacular; visitors from all over the world are attracted to it.

Citadella

The Austo-Hungarian Emperor and Hungarian King, Franz Joseph, had the stronghold built in 1851 following the suppression of the 1848 to 1849 War of Independence to keep the rebellious city under the control of his cannons. Today the complex is a tourist destination. The Citadel, designed by Emánuel Zita and Ferenc Kasselik, never met the requirements of modern warfare, even at the time of its construction, and served rather as a deterrent to the Hungarians. Sixty canons were placed in this 220 metre-long, 60 metre-wide and 4metre-tall fortress.

Zoo

Budapest Zoo is a must-see attraction for tourists coming to Budapest with children. The main entrance is located right next to the famous Gundel restaurant, where it is worth to have a break for a coffee either before or after your visit to the Zoo. The zoo is just one of the major attractions of the city. Within a few hundred meters you will also find Heroes' Square, two excellent museums, a huge park, an amusement park and thermal baths. The entrance is a delightful art-deco whimsy. There are elephants, giraffes, monkeys, rhinos and of course, ice cream stands.

Synagogue

The synagogue in Dohany Street in Pest is not only the most impressive one in the country, but it's the largest synagogue of Europe, the second largest one in the world. The walks in the Jewish Quarter of Budapest all have their departure point at the Dohany Synagogue. This recently restored, magnificent, twin-towered building celebrates 150 years of existence soon. Let it take your breath away with its beautiful interior, see why it is among the top ten sights of Budapest.

Fishermen's Bastion

The Fishermen's Bastion is one of the most popular spots of the Castle District with visitors, as it offers a great panorama of almost the entire city. It is situated at the eastern side of Castle Hill and its architecture is characteristic of the turn of the century; its flights of stairs, its projections, its turrets, and its ambulatory-like galleries make it a mixture of the neo-Gothic and neo-Roman styles and of the romantic baronial castles.

Heroes' Square

The Heroes’ square is one of the most visited sights of the Hungarian capital; it is situated in front of City Park, at the end of Andrássy Avenue and boasts of a World Heritage site title. The millennial monument was built in 1896 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the arrival of Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin. The monument consists of two semi-circles on the top of which there are the symbols of War and Peace, Work and Welfare, Knowledge and Glory.

House of Hungarian Photographers

In the next building, under Nagymező utca 20 is the Mai Manó Ház (House of Hungarian Photographers). Built in 1894, used to give home to Budapest's most famous music club called Arizona, which opened in 1931. The owners were deported by the Hungarian Nazis in 1944. Later the building served as a school, then a showroom, to be used by the Hungarian Motorists' Club for thirty years. The Mai Manó Gallery is on the first floor, and the House of Hungarian Photographers is on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

Margaret Island

Located on a 2,5 km-long central Island on the Danube, the historical Margaret Island is a special landmark of Budapest. It was a wise decision from the city fathers of Budapest to ban all motorized traffic on this island, as it is the primary place of recreation in Budapest. Complete with an outdoor summer thermal spa, and a professional swimming pool where the Olympic champion water polo team trains tirelessly, the island also features a small wildlife park, the ruins of a 13th century Dominican cloister, a Japanese garden with sunbathing turtles, an 5 km-long professional jogging circle along the sides of the island, several nice restaurants, two luxury thermal hotels and a rose garden.

Matthias Church

The church is officially called The Church of Our Lady, and served as a coronation church from the 16th century on. Its vast ecclesiastical collection and treasury is open for visitors. During the centuries, the church underwent several major transformations, the first of which was the addendum of the Mary-gate (Mária-kapu), then in 1470 the 60-metre south side tower, with the King’s raven ensign was established.

National Museum

Now responsible for the safe keeping of over a million objects, the National Museum traces its history back to 1802 when it was founded with the medal, book and manuscript collection belonging to Count Ferenc Széchenyi. In 1846 it was moved into the fine neo-Classical building designed by Mihály Pollack where it has been ever since. Permanent exhibitions: Hungarian History from the State Foundation until 1990, Lapidarium – Roman Stonework, and Coronation Jewels and Robes.

National Theater

The National Theatre is the most distinguished venue for plays in Hungary. Although there has been a Hungarian theatre in Budapest for the last 150 years, it has had a permanent and suitable home for theatregoers only since 15th March 2002. The establishment of a permanent National Theatre has a long history. Funded by donations, the building of the Pest Hungarian Theatre (Pesti Magyar Színház) was opened in Pest on 22nd August 1837. The 1840 Parliament gave the establishment its name, the National Theatre. Its temporary building, built in 1837, became out of date and therefore had to be pulled down and the National Theatre moved into the empty building of the People's Theatre (Népszínház) on Lujza Blaha Square in 1908. After hosting the theatre for half a century, the graceful, old building was blown up in March 1965 in order to build the underground metro station. The theatre temporarily moved into Nagymező Street, and then into the building of the Hungarian Theatre (Magyar Színház) on Sándor Hevesi Square.

Opera House

One of the most prominent of historic buildings along Andrássy Avenue, it was designed by Miklós Ybl. Erected between 1875 and 1884, this Eclectic, Neo-Renaissance style building is, even on an international scale, an outstanding creation for its time – both in terms of its exterior, and its interior decoration. Its auditorium is one of the most attractive ones in Europe, and its acoustics are first-class.

Parliament

After long discussion, the construction of Parliament began in 1885 based on the plans of Imre Steindl. It was completed in 1904 and it is one of Europe's most splendid Parliament buildings, reflecting its designer's taste and the nation's demands for representation. At the same time it is one of the landmarks of the capital. The neo-Gothic palace is 268 meters long and its dome is 96 meters high. The external walls are decorated with statues of Hungarian monarchs and military commanders.

The Broadway of Pest

Walking towards Oktogon, we arrive to Nagymező utca, which is perpendicular to Andrássy út. A popular name of the street is The Broadway of Pest, because no other street in Budapest has as many theatres (Thália-, Operetta-, Radnóti-, Kolibri-, Budapest Chamber Theatre) as this one. One of the most popular ones is Mikroszkóp Színpad, the headquarters of modern cabaret in Budapest. This is where Géza Hofi, the most famous and popular Hungarian comedian, became known as the best of the best.

St. Stephan Basilica

This church is said to be second in size only to St. Peter's in Rome and can allegedly hold 7,000 people. It was completed in 1905 and has been restored in its original beauty in the past eight years. It gives home to the mummified hand of St. Stephen himself, which is paraded around the city on 20 August every year. The cathedral has a height of 96 meters - exactly the same as the Parliament building. Taking part in a guided tour you can visit the view platform above the cupola from where you can enjoy the splendid view of the capital city.

Museum of Fine Arts

Hungary’s premier gallery of non-Hungarian works of art from early times right up to the present day is on display in a stately neo-Classical gallery at Heroes’ Square. The gallery began with a collection donated by Archbishop Pyrker of Eger and an extensive art collection purchased by the State in the 1870’s from the Esterházy family. Today besides the Egyptian, Roman and Greek exhibitions there is a particularly fine collection of Italian art, affording a comprehensive survey of the various schools of painting from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries. The Spanish collection includes no fewer than seven masterpieces by El Greco.

Váci Street

Vaci Street is in the heart of the downtown area. It is an elegant shopping street with several restaurants, bank branches, cafés, souvenir- and book shops. The two separate parts of Váci Street, to the north and the south of Elizabeth Bridge, are totally different. The northern part is overcrowded with tourists and shop windows in every building, while the southern part, which is also pedestrian, has a quieter and more historical atmosphere.The majority of the buildings were constructed at the turn of the 20th century but there are minor details that add to the special atmosphere. There are small hidden passages, cast iron balconies, art nouveau style decoration and Zsolnay ceramic tiles that make each building different and worth a glance.

Vajdahunyad Castle

Standing in Budapest’s City Park behind Heroes’ Square and the ice-skating rink, the Vajdahunyad Castle (official name: Historical Building Complex) was built to facilitate the 1896 Millennium Expo’s exhibitions, and also to show Hungary’s dominant architectural styles to visitors. Its best known part was modelled after the largest knight’s castle in historical Hungary, the Hunyad-castle in Transylvania, but all parts of the castle are copies of other buildings in Hungary.

City Park

The park is dominated by the Vajdahunyad Castle - originally built for the 1896 millennium celebrations - which represents every style of Hungarian architecture. In summer, there is a lake for boating, which in winter is turned into a huge and very popular skate rink. It also houses the Museum of Agriculture, the Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden, the Széchenyi Bath and a statue of George Washington. This was established to thank America for taking in so many Hungarian immigrants in the early twentieth century.

Central Market Hall

Standing in Budapest’s City Park behind Heroes’ Square and the ice-skating rink, the Vajdahunyad Castle (official name: Historical Building Complex) was built to facilitate the 1896 Millennium Expo’s exhibitions, and also to show Hungary’s dominant architectural styles to visitors. Its best known part was modelled after the largest knight’s castle in historical Hungary, the Hunyad-castle in Transylvania, but all parts of the castle are copies of other buildings in Hungary.The ventilation caps and chimney pots of the roof are made of Zsolnay pyrogranite. Upon stepping into the building, where selling started in February 1897, its sheer size and train station-like interior are amazing, but what really catches the eye is the number of people constantly moving around from stall to stall, to buy fresh goods, directly from the producer. The first floor of the market has mainly foodstuffs on offer, and the second floor has traditional Hungarian folk art items and other typical products of Hungarian origin on sale. In the basement, a huge modern supermarket was opened in the 1990-s.