Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Day Around
Parliament
Morning
Make a mid-morning
start with coffee and
cakes at the café in the
splendid foyer of the
Ethnographical Museum
(see p75)
. Follow this with
a leisurely stroll around the
superb building, before
crossing
Kossuth Lajos
Square
(see p75)
to the
sensational
Hungarian
Parliament
(see pp8-11)
.
Here you can join one of
the guided tours, which
are the only way to see
the building. After this,
walk along the scenic
Danube embankment to
Roosevelt Square
at the
head of the
Chain Bridge
(see p42)
. You can end
with a light lunch at the
Gresham Kávéház
(see
p78)
on the terrace of the
Four Seasons Hotel
Gresham Palace
.
Symmetrical façade of the State Opera House
the barracks on 6 Oct 1849. The
square was also the site of the
1956 protests against the Soviet
Union. Today, an eternal lame at
the corner of Aulich utca and
Hold utca pays tribute to Lajos
Batthyány, while the statue on the
northern side honours the Soviet
troops who liberated the city in
1944-5.
d
Map K2 • Szabadság tér
(
State Opera House
Afternoon
Walk along
Zrinyi utca
,
one of Budapest's foremost
residential streets, famous
for its smart Secessionist-
style apartment buildings,
to the magniicent
St
Stephen's Basilica
(see
pp12-13)
on St Stephen's
Square. Climb the steps to
the top of the church's
dome for splendid views
of the city. Then head to
the
State Opera House
(see pp26-7)
, timing your
arrival to coincide with one
of the daily guided tours at
3 and 4pm. Eat an early
dinner at the popular
Vörös és Fehér
(see p52)
and then prepare for a
night at the Opera (make
sure you reserve tickets in
advance). Afterwards, a
drink at nearby
Picasso
Point
(see p78)
will round
off a splendid day.
This stunning building is one
of Europe's inest concert halls,
and the best way to see it is by
attending a performance. World-
class operas and ballets are per-
formed almost every evening,
and tickets are reasonably priced
(see pp26-7)
.
)
Operetta Theatre
Operettas (one-act or light
operas) have been performed here
since 1898, when the building irst
opened as the Orfeum Theatre.
Designed by Viennese architects
Fellner and Helmer, it was modi-
ied and renamed the Operetta
Theatre in 1923, as it provided a
home for the thriving operetta
scene. It was further renovated
in 1999-2001, but the interior
remained faithful to the original
design.
d
Map M2 • V, Nagymező utca
17 • 472 20 30 • visits by appointment
only • www.operettszinhaz.hu
77
