Hilton Budapest

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has listed the view of the Danube embankments and the Buda Castle District - which is one of the most beautiful and romantic parts of the city of Budapest - as a World Heritage site on the 11th of December, 1987. The latter is an ancient town district, giving home to some of the most important historical monuments in Hungary. While nearly 800 years passed since it has been originally founded, its beauty still stands unparalelled, despite earthquakes, fires, sieges and world wars. The buildings themselves in Budapest bear tell-tale signs of recent and ancient history. There is much, much more to the Castle District than just a royal palace or a castle. This is also where the historical old town district is situated, with countless venues from where the beautiful panorama of Budapest may be admired. The visitors get a distinct feeling that they have travelled back in time, to a different, totally tranquil world, where the doorways of the Baroque residential homes hide historical Roman stones and beautifully carved sediles from the times of knights. The former Royal Palace and its supply buildings are an organic but separate part of the Castle District. Some of today's most important cultural institutions, such as the Budapest History Museum (Wing E), as well as the Hungarian National Gallery (Wings A-B-C-D) and the Hungarian National Library, named after the founder Ferenc Széchenyi (Wing F) have moved to the Royal Palace. The formal residence of the Prime Minister, the Alexander Palace, is the President's Residence and home today. The most visited site is Trinity Square, dominated by one of Budapest's most characteristic building, the Mathias Church, which is over 700 years old. The church itself is almost of the same age as the Royal Palace, and gave home to many coronation ceremonies. It gives home to a great many concerts, due to its excellent acoustic properties. Trinity Square also boasts the Baroque-style former Town Hall (today it's the Collegium Budapest building, housing the Hungarian House of Wines among many things), the Neo-Gothic former Ministry of Finance, St. Stephen's statue and the Fishermen's Bastion. Next to Trinity Square stands the Hilton Budapest, the first post-war modern international luxury hotel in Budapest, combining old and new with success. The depths of Castle Hill hides the Buda Castle Labyrinth, while the on the surface centuries' worth of cultural heritage remains.

The island is one of the most important and beautiful recreational sites in Budapest. It is named after Princess Margaret of the House of Árpád, daughter of King Béla IV, who, with her life and miracles, occupies a special place in Hungarian history. Until 1901, the island was accessible only by ship or boat, until the construction of the wing of Margaret Bridge leading to the island. Margaret Island offers a wide range of attractions for visitors. The 70-degree spring water that comes up from the ground here feeds the medicinal baths located on the island. In the shade of 200-year-old trees, you can find the former home of the island’s eponymous princess, the ruins of the Dominican convent and St Michael’s Chapel. The Water Tower, built in 1911, rises high above the old trees, offering a 360-degree panorama of Budapest. A small wooden bridge leads to the Rock Garden and Japanese Garden in the northern part of the island, from where plant-lined paths lead inland to the gently cascading waterfall. The statue of the “Little Mermaid” rises from the centre of the pond. But the most extraordinary attraction is Hungary’s largest musical fountain, 36 metres in diameter, with a central jet of water shooting up to a height of more than 25 metres. Every hour, a musical programme is played, and in the evenings there is a special laser projection on the water curtain of the fountain. Margaret Island can be explored on foot, by bicycle or even by bike carriage and, if you want to do sports or jogging, there is a jogging track around the island.

The City Park (Városliget in Hungarian) is packed with things to do and places to see. The park was the main venue of the millennium celebrations in 1896. Behind Heroes' Square lies the ice-skating rink which is a lake in the summer with boats for rent. Since 1996, the ice-skating rink gives home to speed-skating championships. Along Állatkerti körút (Zoo Boulevard), to the left from Heroes' Square, the first building is the Gundel Restaurant, built in 1894 (until 1910, it was called Wampetics Restaurant). Gundel Károly has taken over in 1910, and turned it into the best place for fine dining in Budapest. Next to the Gundel is the ornate Art Nouveau entrance to the Budapest Zoo, which opened in 1866. Walking past the Zoo walls, the domes and towers of the Széchenyi Thermal Bath come into view; the bathhouse is one of the largest bath complexes in Europe. The thermal spring underneath it was discovered in 1879. Across from the bath is the Municipal Circus, where the first performance was held in 1891 - since then, 125 shows were held, with 15500 performances and over 25 million viewers. Next to the Circus is the Amusement Park, which in today's form has been operational since the 1950's. The Vajdahunyad Castle, originally built of cardboard and wood for the 1896 World Expo, was rebuilt from stone at the end of the expo. It is a copy of three other buildings from the Hungarian countryside, showcasing Hungary's predominant architectural styles.

The avenue, named after former Prime Minister of Hungary Gyula Andrássy, is two and a half kilometres long and has three distinct parts. Its downtown section, a 1-kilometre part streching from Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Avenue all the way to the eight-sided Oktogon square, is lined with rows tall residential apartment houses and expensive shops in the housefronts. In its midsection, from Oktogon to Kodály Körönd, two tree-lined esplanades run parallel to the pavement, which used to be paved with wooden cubes for the sake of the nobility on horseback (today this part is a bicycle path and a walkway). The third part, between Kodály Körönd and Heroes' Square, the houses are farther away from the road, which widens at this point, and gives space to the magnificient mansions and villas, which, with their luxurious tranquil atmosphere, give the impression of a wealthy country town. The road track of the most beautiful avenue of Budapest was decided upon in the year 1872. In about a decade from then, nearly all the buildings were ready; this is where Budapest's eclectic architectural heritage is found today. Many beautifully carved apartment buildings hide fountains, statues and breathtaking inner spaces and courtyards.

Heroes' Square is one of the major squares of Budapest, Hungary, rich with historic and political connotations. It lies at the end of Andrássy Avenue (with which it comprises part of an extensive World Heritage site), next to City Park.

The Hospital in the Rock (Sziklakorhaz) underneath the Buda Castle district is one of the most unique and fascinating attractions of Budapest. It was built to house an air raid hospital, then it was transformed into a nuclear bunker. Nowadays the Hospital in the Rock museum is one of the biggest Hungarian waxwork exhibitions with more than 200 figures, and numerous original machinery and furniture that are still in working conditions. People started to use the cave systems under the Buda Castle Hills back in the Middle Ages. In the 13th century wells were dug and the caves were convenient for storing wines and chilling foods. Jump to the 20th century, in the WWII, the halls and tunnels were used as refuges. In 1941 the mayor of Budapest ordered the construction of a a first-aid shelter which could withstand the blasts of bombing, and the caves under the Castle area seemed to be a logical choice. The Hospital in the Rock – as a proper underground medical institute – opened in February, 1944 including three wards and one modern operating theatre.

The Chain Bridge was the first permanent stone-bridge connecting Pest and Buda, and only the second permanent crossing on the whole length of the river Danube. It is one of the symbolic buildings of Budapest, the most widely known bridge of the Hungarian capital.

The Budapest Transport Corportation welcomes passengers on its two funicular carriages called Margit and Gellért, offering a panoramic view of the Danube. It takes a few minutes to get from Adam Clark Square to Buda Castle and/or back. The Buda Castle Funicular has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. It is little known that the Buda Castle Funicular is even older than Budapest. Launched on 2 March 1870, it has been a favourite of both residents and tourists ever since.