Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By bus
From Pest, the most direct approach is to get bus #16 from Erzsébet tér across the
Lánchíd to the lower terminal of the Sikló, or straight up to the Vár. From Széll Kálmán tér
(on the red metro line #2) you can take buses #16, #16A or #116 from the raised side of the
square, which all run through to Dísz tér.
On foot
From Széll Kálmán tér head up Várfók utca or Ostrom utca to the Vienna Gate at
the northern end of the Castle District. Walking from Batthyány tér via the steep flights of
steps (
lépcső
) off Fő utca involves more effort, but the dramatic stairway up to the Fisher-
men's Bastion is worth the sweat. There are also stairs leading up from the southern end of
the Vérmező on the western side of the hill.
Lift
A passenger lift by the Lion Gateway of the Royal Palace provides direct access to
and from Dózsa tér, on the western foot of the hill (Mon 6am-7pm, Tues-Sat 6am-9m, Sun
9am-6.30pm; 100Ft).
CENTRAL BUDA
Víziváros
The red metro line and bus #16 are the best approach. For
Rózsadomb
trams #4
and #6 skirt the southern edge, running between Pest and Széll Kálmán tér.
The Vár
The Vár's striking location and its strategic utility have long gone hand in hand: Hungarian
kings built their palaces here because it was easy to defend, a fact appreciated by the Turks,
Habsburgs and other occupiers. The
Royal Palace
serves as a reminder of this past, rising
like a house of cards at the southern end of the hill, as proud yet insubstantial as those who
ruled there while Hungary's fate was determined by mightier forces.
The hill's buildings have been almost wholly reconstructed from the rubble of 1945, when
the Wehrmacht and the Red Army battled over the hill while Buda's inhabitants cowered un-
