Mid-range · 6-hour walk · Budapest
Buda Castle and the Parliament in six hours
Over the Chain Bridge to the castle hill and the bastion, back across the river to the Parliament and the basilica.
Budapest is two cities and this walk crosses between them twice, which is the only honest way to see it in a day. The hill is Buda, the flat grid is Pest, and the Danube between them is the reason both are UNESCO-listed. The funicular up the castle hill is a ninety-second ride and a long queue; the stairs beside it take ten minutes.
The route, stop by stop
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Szechenyi Chain Bridge
The first permanent bridge between Buda and Pest, opened in 1849 and rebuilt after the Germans blew it up in 1945.
20 min here Walk here → -
Buda Castle
The palace holds the National Gallery and the city history museum. The courtyards and the terrace views cost nothing.
60 min here Walk here → -
Fisherman's Bastion
Seven neo-Romanesque turrets for the seven Magyar tribes. The upper terraces charge a small fee; the lower ones are free and nearly as good.
35 min here Walk here → -
Matthias Church
The diamond-patterned roof tiles are the photograph. Two Habsburg coronations happened inside.
30 min here Walk here → -
Hungarian Parliament Building
The third largest parliament building in the world, and visitable only on a timed guided tour that sells out days ahead.
60 min here Walk here → -
St Stephen's Basilica
The dome lift and the panorama terrace are worth the extra ticket. The mummified right hand of Hungary's first king is in a side chapel.
35 min here Walk here →
More in Budapest
Every walking route in Budapest, or the full Budapest guide for where to stay and what a day costs.