Destination: HUNGARY
Sights

* Budai Vár
* Budavári Labirintus
* Gellért-hegy
* Halászbástya
* Hősök tere
* Magyar Állami Operaház
* Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum
* Mátyás-templom
* Országház
* Szent István-bazilika
* Szépművészeti Múzeum
* Városliget
Budai Vár

Budai Vár (Buda Castle ) looks down over the Danube from its clifftop setting at the southern end of Várhegy (Castle Hill). Hardly anything is left of the earliest castle, which was built in the 13th century. What remains is in the cellars and underground passages, now part of the Budapesti Történeti Múzeum (Budapest History Museum), in Wing E. Before the building was flattened during World War II, it was an amalgam of 18th- and 19th-century Habsburg architecture. This is the version that has been carefully restored.

The Magyar Nemzeti Galéria (Hungarian National Gallery) collection of Hungarian art is housed in the Central Wings B, C and D, under a landmark dome.

A walk from here through a garden square and past the lovely Matthias Well fountain takes you to the West Wing (F) and the Országos Széchényi Könyvtár (National Széchényi Library), which stores about 2 million books.

Contemporary art is displayed in the Kortárs Művészeti Múzeum (Museum of Contemporary Art - Ludwig Museum), in Wing A.

Statues outside the palace include Prince Eugene of Savoy, who routed the Turkish armies; King Matthias, in the west court yard; and a mythical bird called the Turul.

Budapesti Történeti Múzeum

Address: Szent György tér 6
Phone: 1 355 8849
Open: Daily 10-6, mid-May to mid-Sep.; Wed.-Mon. 10-6, Mar. 1 to mid-May and mid-Sep. to Oct. 31; Wed.-Mon. 10-4, rest of year
Bus: For all attractions: 5, 16, 78, Várbusz (Castle Bus) from Moszkva tér; tram 18; funicular from west end of Chain Bridge
Admission: less than 2 €; free to all Wed.

Kortárs Művészeti Múzeum

Phone: 1 375 9175
Open: Tue.-Sun. 10-6
Admission: less than 2 €; free to all Tue.

Magyar Nemzeti Galéria

Phone: 1 375 7533
Open: Tue.-Sun. 10-6, mid-Mar. to Oct. 31; 10-4, rest of year
Restaurant: Café in Nemzeti Galéria
Admission: less than 2 €; free to all Wed.
Practical: Guided tours

Országos Széchényi Könyvtár

Phone: 1 224 3700
Open: Tue.-Sat. 9-9, Mon. 1-9, May-Jun. and Nov.-Jan.; Tue.-Sat. 9-5 (also Wed. and Fri. 5-9), Mon. 1-9, rest of year
Admission: less than 2 €; free to all Wed.
COUNTRY
Hungary
REGION

CITIES
Budapest
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