Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Reliving history at the
former Swedish Embassy
from where Raoul Wallenberg and
others rescued thousands of Hungarian Jews from deportation and death.
Having the not-so-distant past surprise you by visiting
Memento Park
,
a 'cemetery' of
Communist monuments that has to be seen to be believed.
Making the short and easy journey to the
Palace of Wonders
in Nagytétény, one of the
most popular attractions for kids in Budapest.
Explore: Gellért Hill & Tabán
Gellért Hill (Gellért-hegy) is a 235m-high rocky hill southeast of Castle Hill. Crowned with
a fortress (of sorts) and the spectacular Liberty Monument, it is Budapest's unofficial sym-
bol. You can't beat the views of the Royal Palace or the Danube and its fine bridges from
Gellért Hill, and Jubilee Park on the south side is an ideal spot for a picnic.
The Tabán, the leafy area between Gellért and Castle Hills, and stretching northwest to-
wards Déli train station, is associated with the Serbs, who settled here after fleeing from the
Ottoman Turks in the early 18th century. Plaques on I Döbrentei utca mark the water level
of the Danube during devastating floods in 1775 and again in 1838 that hit the area particu-
larly hard.
The Tabán later became known for its restaurants and wine gardens, but all that remains
of them is a lovely little renovated building with a fountain designed by Miklós Ybl in 1878,
Miklós tér 9)
, which was once a pump house for Castle Hill. The steps and archways across
the road are part of the renovated
Castle Bazaar
(Várbazár) pleasure park built in 1883.
Local Life
Views
If you walk west for a few minutes along Citadella sétány north of the Citadella it-
self, you'll come to a lookout with one of the best vantage points in Budapest.
Táncház
For some excellent
táncház
(folk music and dance) programs, head for the Mu-
nicipal Cultural House.
Architecture
Not just a great place to soak away your cares and aches, the Rudas Baths
boasts some of the best Turkish architecture in Hungary.
