Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
run the length of the Kiskörút, which skirts the Belváros, while tram #2 runs the entire length
of the embankment, a worthwhile ride in itself.
On foot
Once in the Belváros, the best way to appreciate it is simply by wandering around,
perhaps taking a stroll from Vörösmarty tér down through Váci utca, occasionally breaking
off to admire the views of the Vár from the embankment.
Vörösmarty tér
Vörösmarty tér
, the leafy centre of the Belváros, is a good starting point for exploring the
area. Crowds eddy around the food kiosks and craft stalls that fill the square, which is also
the setting for the wonderful Christmas market and the Budapest Book Week in June. While
children play on the Lion fountain, teenagers lounge around the
statue of Mihály Vörös-
marty
(1800-55), a poet and translator whose hymn to Magyar identity,
Szózat
(“Appeal”),
is publicly declaimed at moments of national crisis. Its opening line “Be faithful to your land
forever,OhHungarians”iscarvedonthestatue'spedestal.MadeofCarraramarble,thestatue
has to be wrapped in plastic sheeting each winter to prevent it from cracking. The black spot
below the inscription is reputedly a “lucky” coin donated by a beggar towards the cost of the
monument.
Gerbeaud patisserie
Gerbeaud cukrászda • V, Vörösmarty tér 7 • Daily 9am-9pm • 1 429 9000,
gerbeaud.hu
On the north side of Vörösmarty tér is the
Gerbeaud patisserie
, Budapest's most famous
confectioners. Founded in 1858 by Henrik Kugler, it was bought in 1884 by the Swiss con-
fectioner Emile Gerbeaud, who invented the
konyakos meggy
(cognac-cherry bonbon) - still
a popular sweet with Hungarians. He sold top-class cakes at reasonable prices, making the
Gerbeaud
a popular rendezvous for the middle classes. While the prices are now astronom-
ical by Hungarian standards, and the service can be surly, it still has an undeniable appeal.
Emile's portrait hangs in one of the rooms, whose gilded ceilings and china recall the
belle
époque
.
