Buda Castle Walking Tour in Budapest

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Two buildings stand out on Castle Hill, the oldest part of Budapest, known for its narrow and cobbled streets and its baroque and Gothic facades: the massive and imposing palace on the southern tip of the hill and the colored roof of Matthias Church in the middle, with its rank steeple pointing towards the heavens.

   2 h

2. We start our tour at the palace, the ancient seat of royal power. It was rebuilt, extended, changed, burned down and rebuilt again several times over and it got its current eclectic appearances only after World War II. The first to build on Castle Hill was King Béla IV. He erected a fortress on this spot around 1250 after a devastating invasion by Mongolian hordes. In the Renaissance period, King Matthias made it into the most famous court in Europe at the end of the 15th century. Then came the Turkish pashas who ruled the country for over 150 years, followed by a succession of Hapsburg emperors.

   15 min

3. Discuss the changing function of the building throughout its history.

   Passes by

4. The Sándor Palace is the official residence of the President of Hungary, and the seat of the Office of the President. It has served as both since 2003. The original palace was build in Neoclassical style in 1806. It was commissioned by Count Vincent Sándor, an aristocrat and a philosopher of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

   5 min

5. A highlight of the tour is Matthias Church with its abundantly decorated roof and amazing interior. The church is a very finely executed Neogothic reconstruction fantasy from the end of the 19th century and it is a strikingly beautiful building.

   20 min

6. Fisherman's Bastion is an architectural fantasy in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque styles designed and built between 1895 and 1902. Its seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin at the end of the 9th c. The terrace provides one of the most famous panoramic views of the Danube, Margaret Island, Pest and the Gellért Hill.

   20 min

7. Our tour ends at the Vienna Gate, from where you can see all the way to Obuda (Old Buda), where the Romans founded the city then called Aquincum.

   10 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 34 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Budapest

• Its from-price is 17% below the median of the 1255 experiences we list in Budapest.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 219 of 1255.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Budapest

Budapest joins hilly Buda and flat Pest across the Danube, a grand capital of thermal baths, riverside palaces and lively ruin bars.

On the Buda side, Castle Hill holds Buda Castle, the Matthias Church and the white turrets of Fishermen's Bastion, all looking down on the river. The Chain Bridge crosses to Pest, where the Hungarian Parliament Building stretches along the bank and St Stephen's Basilica rises a few streets inland. Gellért Hill and its Citadella give the widest views.

Top-ranked sights in Budapest: House of Parliament (Országház), Buda Castle (Budai Vár), Chain Bridge (Széchenyi Lanchid) .

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