Óbuda & Buda Hills - Budapest - page 153

Exploring the world beneath you by visiting any or all of the Buda Hills' trio of caves:
Mátyáshegy , Pálvölgy or Szemlőhegy .
Spacing out while viewing the truly mind-blowing works of op art at the Vasarely Mu-
seum .
Enjoying Bartók's music in the very place of its birth: the Béla Bartók Memorial
House .
Explore: Óbuda & Buda Hills
Ó means 'ancient' in Hungarian, so no prizes for guessing that Óbuda is the oldest part of
Buda. The Romans established Aquincum, a military garrison and civilian town, north of
here at the end of the 1st century AD, and it became the seat of the Roman province of Pan-
nonia Inferior in AD 106. When the Magyars arrived, they named it Buda, which became
Óbuda when the Royal Palace was built on Castle Hill and turned into the real centre.
Most visitors en route to Szentendre on the Danube Bend are put off by what they see of
Óbuda from the highway or the HÉV suburban train. But behind all the prefabricated hous-
ing blocks and the flyover are some of the most important Roman ruins in Hungary, plus
museums and small, quiet neighbourhoods that recall fin-de-siècle Óbuda.
Contiguous with Óbuda to the west is the start of the Buda Hills (Budai-hegység), with
'peaks' exceeding 500m, a comprehensive system of trails and some unusual modes of pub-
lic transport. The hills are the city's lung and playground - a welcome respite from hot,
dusty Pest in summer. Apart from the Béla Bartók Memorial House, there are few sights
here as such, though you might want to explore one of the hills' caves.
Local Life
Sleeping If you take your morning swim seriously, stay at Hotel Császár, where some of
the rooms look onto the Olympic-size pools of the Császár-Komjádi swimming complex.
Classical Music One of the finest and most intimate spots to hear a concert is the Óbuda
Society venue.
Museum Visit the Béla Bartók Memorial House for 'free' by attending one of the regu-
larly scheduled concerts there.