Eastern Europe in 10 Days Itinerary (Day 2): Buda Castle Hill, Hungary
When you are visiting Budapest, it is very recommended that you join the local tour at Buda Castle District. The walking tour is available on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. It lasts for two and a half hour for the price of EUR 27 for adult and EUR 13.50 for children. Alternatively, you can also take your own sweet time walking around at Buda Castle District just like what we do. The district is quite big though so if you want to explore every alley in the district, you may need one whole day or at least half day to do so.
Buda Castle is a historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest. In the past, the castle was referred to as Royal Palace and Royal Castle. You will be able to see the tree which has changed its leaves color to yellow if you visit the castle in November. The castle is now home to the two museums in Budapest, the National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum. Hungary National Galery displays the collection of Hungarian beautiful paintings depicting every-day life and rural landscapes of Hungary. The most popular collections are probably the paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries because they visualise the turbulent history of the Hungarian nation dramatically presenting the years of the Turkish occupation immediately followed by the Austrian occupation. On the other hand, the exhibitions in the Budapest History Museum focus on the turbulent history of the 2000 years of Budapest. For instance, you will be able to learn what the once separate the towns of Buda, Pest and Obuda were like.
The best spot to enjoy the bird-eye view of the city of Budapest and Danube River is the Fisherman’s Bastion, the lovely lookout towers/ decorative fortification which is built in the 19th century. Fisherman’s Bastion opens all year round, day and night and there is no admission fee required (although there is fee applicable if you want to go inside the turrets). The seven turrets represent seven Hungarian tribes who founded the present day country in 895. There is a cafe on the terrace of the Fisherman’s Bastion. In addition, there is also chapel inside it so maybe this is a popular wedding venue in Budapest. The word “Fisherman” is used for the naming of the lookout tower because it’s protected by the guild of the fishermen during the Middle Ages.
Although I used the word “fortification” when I describe the Fisherman’s Bastion. The terrace does not actually look strong and sturdy enough to defend a castle, let alone a city. This is because the Fisherman’s Bastion was not intended to be used for military purposes. Instead, the intenton was to present the locals with a communal panorama terrace, as the Buda Castle was no longer considered to be a military place. Its purpose is for Budapest citizen to be able to recall the old times in a romantic way with the view of the river and the surrounding settlement.
If you are not in a hurry, it is recommended to wander around Buda Castle complex until the sun has set. Other than the Fisherman’s Bastion, you can check out some other buildings in the area such as Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest History Museum and National Szechenyi Library. The National Gallery takes up most of the Buda Castle as it has a massive collection of Hungarian work of arts from the beginning of Hungarian state until the early 20th century. On the other hand, if you prefer to find out how the Hungarian people used to live, dance, eat, sleep and cruise in the earlier centuries in the town of Budapest, you may want to visit Budapest History Museum. Right next to the museum is where National Szechenyi Library is located. The library has temporary exhibitions which are mostly paper based e.g. illustrations, maps from century old books. However, there are other exhibitions which may involve porcelains and paintings. The permanent exhibition of the library offers visitor an experience to read books in Hungary between 1802 and 1985.
The reason of why you may want to linger around Fisherman’s Bastion until night is because the city of Budapest will be lit at night. Danube River is a popular spot for sightseeing river cruise. The river cruise package starts from as low as EUR 10 to as high as EUR 75, depends on each person’s taste.
Buda Castle is one of the attractions which are lit at night. St Matthias Church looks even more grandious and mysterious at night, adding to its majestic vibe.
The Fisherman’s Bastion’s admission:
Free
The Fisherman’s Bastion’s opening hours:
All day
Hungarian National Gallery’s admission:
1,800 HUF (adults)/ 900 HUF (children/ senior citizen)/ 800 HUF (audio guide)
Hungarian National Gallery’s opening hours:
Tues to Sun 10AM - 6PM (Closed on Monday), last admission at 5PM
Free admission on national holidays - 15 Mar, 20 Aug, 23 Oct
Budapest History Museum’s admission:
1,800 - 2,000 HUF (adults)/ 900 - 1,000 HUF (visitors aged 6 - 26 and 62-70)/ 1,200 HUF (audio guide)
Budapest History Museum’s opening hours:
Tues to Sun 10AM - 6PM (1 Mar - 31 Oct)
Tues to Sun 10AM - 4PM (1 Nov - 29 Feb)
Closed on Monday
Free admission on national holidays - 15 Mar, 20 Aug, 23 Oct