Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Day 2
For your second day in Budapest, start at Nyugati Station.
thumb of the grand Andrássy Boulevard.
The building was the headquarters of the
Nazis in 1944, and many individuals
were tortured and murdered in the eerie
cellars of this building. The Communist
secret police were next to use the venue as
a place for their own torture and oppres-
sion. See p. 317 for details.
Walk up the majestic Andrássy boulevard
toward Heroes' Square and City Park:
4
Andrássy Boulevard
Lined with trees and a wealth of beautiful
apartment buildings, this is
fin de siècle
Pest's greatest boulevard, which is recog-
nized as a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO. Andrássy út is the home to a
lively cafe and bar scene, as well as a num-
ber of small museums. There are colorful
terraces, and delicious cakes and ice
cream are sold under the shade of the
huge trees all the way up to Oktogon.
Once you reach the end of Andrássy boulevard,
adjacent to the Museum of Fine Arts, the
Múcsarnok, and City Park, you'll find:
5
Heroes' Square
Heroes' Square,
built as a project of the mil-
lennium over a century ago, celebrates the
arrival of the Magyar tribes in the Car-
pathian Basin. The statues represent the chro-
nology of some 1,000 years of Hungarian
history. In 1896 during the famous world
exhibition, this space was the apex of some
200 pavilions that made up the festivities.
To your left you will find the
Museum
of Fine Arts
(p. 312). The museum is
the main repository of foreign art in
Hungary and has one of central Europe's
major collections.
Take the Yellow metro line, the oldest in conti-
nental Europe until Déak Tér, then take the
no. 47 tram to the Gellért Baths:
6
The Gellért Baths
Prepare yourself for a relaxing afternoon,
and allow yourself a few hours at
1
Nyugati Railway Station
The historic Nyugati Pályaudvar, or
Western Railway Station, was built by
Gustave Eiffel's firm, the same company
that put up Paris's famous Eiffel Tower.
Unfortunately, Budapest doesn't seem to
appreciate this monument much. While
massive and glorious in its grandeur, the
impressive glass structure is notoriously
dirty, and the building houses a flashy
disco and a McDonald's. Needless to say,
both would be well worth moving. Adja-
cent to the railway station is the
WestEnd
City Center
, central Europe's largest
shopping center, with over 400 stores.
Walk toward Oktogon, noting the grand
turn-of-the-20th-century Pest architecture,
then walk up to Andrássy u. 70:
2
LUKÁCS CUKRÁSZDA
A faithful reproduction of a vintage coffee-
house, this large, airy establishment was
created decades after a coffeehouse of the
same name closed its doors. Never too
crowded, it's a great spot for a quiet bite
to eat and a cup of joe. Andrássy u.
70.
&
1/302-8747.
After lunch, walk a bit down the street to
Andrássy u. 60:
3
Terror Háza (House of Terror)
The former headquarters of the AVH
secret police, this building is witness to
some of the darkest days of 20th-century
Hungary. (You will be glad you already
ate lunch.) This museum was set up as a
memorial to the victims of both Commu-
nism and Fascism, and is an attempt to
recapture life under successive oppressive
regimes in Hungary. The tearing down of
the ugly exterior facade has been the sub-
ject of much debate, however; for politi-
cal reasons it has remained the sore
