They said that, of course, Budapest is beautiful. But it is in fact almost ludicrously beautiful.
Anthony Bourdain
While we enjoyed exploring Buda, and loved the views of the Danube and Pest beyond, it was the latter that we spent the most time in. We stayed there, we ate and drank there, we visited museums and we wandered its streets.
Let me take you on one of those wanderings for this week’s Monday Walk*. We’ll start with St. Stephen’s Basilica, just a couple of minutes’ walk from our apartment. We actually made two visits here: one for Mass on Sunday morning and one to tour the church.
St. Stephen’s Basilica
St Stephen’s Basilica
The Latin inscription above the door reads:
EGO SUM VIA VERITAS ET VITA
(I am the Way, the Truth and the Life)
Construction of the church began in 1851, and it was finished and consecrated in 1905. Thus it is relatively new. That shows in the richness of its decoration, art works etc. The gold gleams, the paintings are rich with colour. While not enthused by the use of dark red marble, I was much more taken with the many mosaics of saints, cherubs and Bible scenes that adorn the dome and ceiling.
Inside the basilica
The church is dedicated to Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c. 975–1038). One of the side chapels holds a casket with a relic, his right hand (see photo bottom right in the gallery above).
After visiting the interior we took the lifts which in two stages take you almost all the way to the terrace (if you prefer to walk, there are apparently 304 steps in total). But the lifts don’t do all the work; there are still several flights of metal stairs to negotiate. Once outside the views are wonderful, especially looking towards the Danube and Buda beyond.
Views from the terrace and a look up inside the tower
Elegant streets and squares
Leaving the basilica we walked north along Hercegprímás u., lined mostly with elegant buildings. I was especially taken with one, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary), on the corner with Bank u. Designed by architect Ignác Alpár and built between 1902–1905, this neo-baroque palace has served as the bank’s headquarters since it was founded in 2024.
Magyar Nemzeti Bank
North of here we came to the Light Art Museum which I have already described in a previous post and spent the rest of the morning exploring its current exhibition. When we left we turned along Perczel Mór u., which flanks the US Embassy. Security in this area is tight and no vehicles can enter the street but it’s open to pedestrians. It leads to a large open space, Szabadsag ter (Liberty Square). This is surrounded by beautiful buildings, including that embassy. In the centre is the Soviet War Memorial. This commemorates the Red Army’s liberation of Hungary from Nazi occupation.
We spent some time here, enjoying a cold drink in the café and engaging in some people-watching as well as photography.
In Szabadság tér
By the Danube
Eventually we left the park, taking Zoltán u. towards the river and north to the iconic Parliament building. I’d left it too late to book one of the very popular tours of the interior (these are booked up months in advance), but we were happy just to get photos of the exterior and of the nearby Palace of Justice.
The Palace of Justice (bottom left) and Parliament building
South of the Parliament building were some interesting statues, including a traditional equestrian one of Count Gyula Andrássy, a Hungarian Prime Minister (1867–1871). This is a replica of the original which was destroyed by the Communist authorities in 1945. The stone plinth is decorated with bronze reliefs, including scenes of the coronation of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. Nearby is a more modern monument to Attila József, a renowned twentieth century Hungarian poet.
Statues of Count Gyula Andrássy and Attila József
Following the river we came to the very moving Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial. This was installed in 2005 to remember victims shot by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944–45. It features 60 pairs of rusty, cast-iron shoes, representing the victims (who were forced to remove their footwear before being killed). My photos show it devoid of other visitors. In truth however it was very busy here with both tourists and locals out enjoying the spring sunshine. I would rather, perhaps, have visited on a quieter day.
Shoes on the Danube Bank
River cruise
Further still and we came to a man selling tickets for river cruises. This was something we’d considered doing and it seemed a good way of enjoying the sights while getting out of the strong wind that was blowing today. We bought our tickets for the 15.00 sailing, which would be in twenty minutes’ time. We were then told the boat was moored on the far side of the Chain Bridge about 300 metres along. That proved a bit of an optimistic statement as it seemed significantly further as we hurried along the cobbled path to make the departure time. We arrived with five minutes to spare and secured good seats inside near the front.
The ride was relaxing and the commentary interesting. It was hard to take photos through the window, so I went up on deck a few times to do that. The Parliament building can only really be properly appreciated (and photographed) from the river or from Buda. But for the most part I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.
Taken from the river boat
The boat tour was a round-trip so an hour later we found ourselves back at the mooring opposite the rather grand Vigadó Concert Hall building.
The Vigadó Concert Hall
We passed through Vorosmarty ter in the heart of the city’s shopping district, with its statue of the poet Mihaly Vorosmarty.
The Monument to Mihály Vörösmarty
Erzsébet tér
A short walk further brought us close to our starting point, the apartment we were renting on the north side of Erzsébet tér. Sights here include a surprising Michael Jackson memorial on a tree opposite the Hotel Kempinski where he used to stay when in Budapest. One of his videos, ‘History Teaser’, was filmed here. Fans left tributes here after his death and have continued to do so ever since.
There is also a large Ferris wheel (which we rode one evening for some lovely after-dark views of the city) and an ornate fountain named for the Danube, the Danubius-kút.
In Erzsébet tér
I’ll share a walk from a very different part of Pest in a future post, but I think this is more than enough for one day!
I visited Budapest in April 2026
* Jo’s away this week so I’ll add a link next week on her return
37 Comments
equinoxio21
Lots of civilisation in Central Europe. And lots of commonalities with the West. I remember feeling the same in Prague…
Thanks for the tour, Sarah.
And a happy weekend.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, and a happy weekend to you too!
Annie Berger
I was amused to think you rode the Ferris wheel, as we’ve never thought of doing that! I also recall finding the Shoes on the Danube exhibit profoundly moving. I think we saw a braille plaque of St. Steven’s Cathedral when we visited so many years ago. I remember it as we’d never come across anything that provided assistance to the visually impaired. Did you see it, too?
Sarah Wilkie
The wheel was right opposite the entrance to our apartment block so was too tempting to resist! I don’t remember seeing that plaque, although I have seen similar elsewhere. Thank you Annie 🙂
wetanddustyroads
Wow, there are so many beautiful buildings – the inside of St. Stephen’s Basilica and the parliament building is stunning. I love river cruises to see cities from a different angle. I remember one we did in Porto and how great that was to see the city from the water (and like you said, it’s also quite relaxing).
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Corna 🙂 Yes, Budapest has more than its fair share of beautiful buildings, and you can see a lot of them from the river.
The Flask Half Full
Budapest was our favorite stop on our river cruise back in October. We both agreed we’d like to return and spend some more time there. We didn’t get inside the Parliament building either, but the outside was just spectacular. I hope you had a chance to see it lit up at night. Cheers!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, and I agree about the outside of the Parliament building. We saw it at night from the ferris wheel but not close up – maybe another time!
Rose
Buda Pest is definitely a place on my visiting list.
Basilica’s always leave me feeling conflicted – they are so intricately gorgeous, yet at what cost to the people who lived there during that time?
The “Palace of Justice” sounds like the perfect superhero hideout name.
Sarah Wilkie
I think you would like the city Rose 🙂 The building of the basilica was funded by residents who donated in thanksgiving that the high ground here saved them from flooding in 1838.
Teresa
I so love Budapest. Thanks for taking me back there. It has been about 8 years since I went and I can still remember it so clearly.
Sarah Wilkie
I remember your posts about Budapest Teresa, and how much you loved the city. I’m glad to have taken you back, albeit virtually 🙂
grandmisadventures
how beautiful to see around Pest with you. I love that detail in the basilica and the line of shoes is really moving
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Meg 😊 The basilica was very striking and I agree about the shoes and the story behind them.
Heyjude
Looks like a worthy city for a long weekend break. So many architectural features and statues. A bit like Prague. I have never been, the OH attended a conference there some years ago, but I was teaching at the time so couldn’t accompany him.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, it’s just right for a a long weekend, or maybe a little more. There was plenty we didn’t see as well as a lot that we did 🙂
margaret21
The Shoes memorial interested me, as we had seem a similar tribute in Malmö, but had been unable to discover the significance other than it was in memory of the former Jewish community in the city. This looks a thoroughly elegant city, conscious of its status, and a river tour seems an excellent way of getting an overview (though Jo might not agree!).
Sarah Wilkie
I hadn’t realised there were other similar shoes memorials – I guess that reflects the fact that similar atrocities happened all over Europe. I think you’re right that Budapest is ‘conscious of its status’, that’s a good way of putting it. Thank you Margaret 😊
margaret21
Well, thanks for solving our Malmö mystery!
Monkey's Tale
I can now understand why Budapest is so popular. The Pest side has such beautiful buuldings. We don’t often take river cruises, because they usually put you too low on the landscape, but I think I would take one here too. Tanks for the wonderful tour. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Maggie 😊 The cruise was definitely worthwhile as we got some views we wouldn’t otherwise have seen and learned a bit from the commentary too.
restlessjo
Definitely enough, Sarah! I was at a local rock concert till midnight last night then, for reasons best known to itself, my phone alarm started chirping musically downstairs at 6 this morning. Michael slept through it, of course! Sorry- all irrelevant. Wonderful photos and what a very grand place it is! I’ll add your walk next week. Thanks a lot xx
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Jo 😊 Isn’t it the worst after a late night to wake up to an early alarm that you didn’t even remember setting?! I hope you’ll be OK to add two walks next week as I’m planning a follow-up with more of Pest?
restlessjo
Not a problem. I half had one scheduled for this week but I didn’t finish it xx
Rebecca
I love the Pest side, as it offers so much beautiful architecture to sightsee. Also has a ton of great restaurants and bars to check out, and overall, you can spend a lifetime just exploring it all. I hope to return to Budapest some day, hopefully sooner than later. Thanks for sharing more, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Rebecca 😊 On the whole I preferred Pest too – Buda has some beautiful buildings and wonderful views, but there was more to see and do in Pest and we found some really excellent restaurants, and a brilliant coffeeshop, very near our apartment. It was definitely the perfect place to stay!
bushboy
The basilica is stunning as is the city itself Sarah. The shoes is so sad but a fitting long lasting memorial. A river cruise in any city is a good idea as you get such a different perspective.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Brian 🙂 You’re right about the shoes being a fitting memorial, especially when you understand their significance.
Anne Sandler
What a beautiful city and thanks for sharing your wonderful images.
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Anne 😊 Budapest really does have some gorgeous buildings! I’ll show you a different side to the city next week.
notesoflifeuk
Oh wow! St. Stephen’s Basilica looks amazing!
Sarah Wilkie
It really is very striking, I loved the mosaics! Thank you 🙂
Egídio
What a gorgeous post, Sarah! The photos are magnificent, from start to finish. The Basilica is quite impressive. I liked all photos. That fountain with the Moon in the sky was a perfect cap for this beautiful gallery.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Egidio 😊 I really appreciate your comments on the photography and I’m pleased you were impressed by the Basilica as I found it very striking.
Sue
Great to visit this area again this time Virtually!
Sarah Wilkie
Glad you enjoyed your virtual return visit Sue – thank you 🙂
Sue
Brought back memories