Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
also have their passports for ID when renting. Adults and children can rent in-line and
ice skates at all the rinks.
TENNIS
If you plan to play tennis in Budapest, bring your own racquet along since
most courts don't rent equipment; when it is available, it's usually primitive.
Many of Budapest's luxury hotels, particularly those removed from the city center,
have tennis courts that nonguests can rent. The
MTK Sport Complex,
in Buda at XI.
Bartók Béla út 63 (
&
1/209-1595
), boasts 13 outdoor clay courts. The fee is a very
reasonable 500 Ft ($2.50/£1.30) per hour during the day or 1,200 Ft ($6/£3.10) per
hour at night, under floodlights. Three outdoor courts are covered by a tent year-
round; from October through April, all courts are covered and the price of play
throughout the day is 2,200 Ft ($11/£5.65) per hour. Equipment is not available for
rental. The facility is open daily from 6am to 10pm. Móricz Zsigmond körtér, a trans-
portation hub served by countless buses and trams, is only 5 minutes from the center
by foot.
WALKING TOUR
THE CASTLE DISTRICT
Start:
Roosevelt tér, Pest side of Chain Bridge.
Finish:
Tóth Árpád sétány, Castle District.
Time:
3 to 4 hours (excluding museum visits).
Best Times:
Tuesday through Sunday.
Worst Time:
Monday, when museums are closed.
A limestone-capped plateau rising impressively above the Danube, Castle Hill was first
settled in the 13th century; it remains the spiritual capital of Hungary. The district has
been leveled more than once, most recently by the 1945 Soviet shelling of Nazi forces.
It was always painstakingly rebuilt in the prevailing style of the day, shifting from
Gothic to baroque to Renaissance. After World War II, an attempt was made to incor-
porate various elements of the district's historic appearance into the general restora-
tion. Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, consists of two parts: the
Royal Palace itself and the so-called Castle District, a mostly reconstructed medieval
city. The Royal Palace now houses a number of museums, including the Hungarian
National Gallery. The adjoining Castle District is a compact, narrow neighborhood of
cobblestone lanes and twisting alleys; restrictions on vehicular traffic enhance the tran-
quillity and the old-world feel. Prime examples of every type of Hungarian architec-
ture, from early Gothic to neo-Romanesque, can be seen. A leisurely walk in the
Castle District will be a warmly remembered experience.
reconstructed bridge was held 100 years to
the day after its original inauguration.
Walk across the bridge. Arriving in Buda, you're
now in:
2
Clark Ádám tér
This square was named for the Scottish
engineer who supervised the building of
the bridge and afterward made Budapest
his home.
To get an accurate picture of the dimensions
and grandeur of Castle Hill, start the walking
tour in Pest's Roosevelt tér, on the:
1
Széchenyi Chain Bridge
One of the outstanding landmarks of
Budapest, the first permanent bridge
across the Danube was originally built in
1849. Sadly, that first bridge was destroyed
by Nazi dynamite during World War II.
The 1949 opening ceremony for the
