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Budapest, Hungary

Orientation in Budapest

Aside from the river itself, the best reference points for orienting yourself are the bridges crossing the river. From north to south, they are:

* Árpád Bridge (Árpád híd), a modern bridge linking to northern Margaret Island. The longest bridge in Budapest at 973 meters.
* Margaret Bridge (Margit híd), easily identified thanks to its distinctive shape: It makes an approximately 35 degree turn half way across, at the southern tip of Margaret Island. Trams 4 and 6 cross the Danube here
* Chain Bridge (Széchenyi lánchid), completed in 1849, the oldest, arguably most beautiful and certainly the most photographed of Budapest’s bridges, floodlit at night
* Elizabeth Bridge (Erzsébet híd), completed in 1903. Originally it was a chain structure bridge like the Chain Bridge. It was destroyed by the Germans in 1945, and substituted by a modern cable bridge opened in 1964.
* Liberty Bridge (Szabadság híd), elegant but simple, it opened in 1896; it connects the Gellert Baths in Buda with the Great Market Hall in Pest
* Petofi Bridge (Petofi híd), for a long time, the southernmost bridge, with quite a lot of traffic, it links the Great-boulevard of Pest with Buda.
* Lágymányosi Bridge (Lágymányosi híd), the newest bridge in Budapest, with modern architecture and a spectacular lighting system where mirrors reflect the beam of the upward facing floodlights.

See

Most of Budapest’s famous sights are concentrated on Castle Hill on the Buda side, in downtown Pest and along the riverside walkways.

The main sights on Castle Hill are:

* The Royal Palace (Királyi palota). The most popular attraction on the hill.
* The National Gallery (Nemzeti Galéria)[13], inside the Royal Palace wings B, C and D houses an astounding collection of paintings.
* The Fisherman’s Bastion and lookout terrace (Halászbástya). For great view across the Danube to Pest.
* Matthew Church (Mátyás templom, aka Church of Our Lady). Dominant neogothic church crowning Budapest’s cityscape – nowadays is under reconstruction.

Other museums on the Castle Hill:

* The Historical Museum of Budapest
* The Music Museum includes a collection of musical instruments and and the Bartok archive.
* The Military Museum

The Danube bridges, especially the Chain Bridge (Széchenyi Lánchíd) are really attractive and make it worthy to promenade along the river bank. Lánchíd (pronounced “laance heed”) means chain bridge and the suspension structure of the bridge is made of chains whose links are huge dog-bone shaped metal bars linked by pins at their ends.

You can have a superb glimpse over the bridges from the Citadella on the top of Buda’s Gellert Hill (Gellérthegy).

Riding a boat is very recommended since you can enjoy both riverbanks at the same time – they are very spectacular at night.

Margaret Island (Margitsziget) and its large parks (see Buda) is a very pleasant place to relax and wander. Perfect for a sunny afternoon!

Downtown (Belváros) of Pest is the administrative and business centre of Budapest and the whole of Hungary. The main sights here are:

* The Parliament Building (Országház). A neogothic jewel, beautifully situated overlooking the Danube.
* St. Stephen Cathedral (Szent István Bazilika). The main church of Budapest is an important example of neoclassical architecture, recently renovated.
* Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum (Dohány utcai Zsinagóga) The biggest Synagogue in Europe.

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