Buda consist of mainly hilly areas as apposed to Pest so wear comfortable shoes to tackle your walking tour. The old medieval style Castle District (district I.) offers a romantic trip back in time. Narrow streets and passage-ways open a new vision at each turn. A journey recommended on foot since vehicle traffic is very restricted within the walls.

Breathtaking panoramic views can be found from the Fisherman's Bastion (built 1901) of most of the city. Here you will also find the statue of St. Stephen (1001-1038) the first king of Hungary and founder of the country.

Adjacent to the Bastion is Matthias Church. In the thirteenth century Buda's first parish church was located here. In the 14th century it was rebuilt as a Gothic church, in which Charles Robert (1308-1342) and Sigismund of Luxembourg (1387-1437) had been crowned, and in which the wedding of King Matthias with Catherine Podebrad in 1463 and with Beatrice of Aragon in 1470 had been consummated. As well as last two kings of Hungary, Francis Joseph I (1867) and Charles IV (1916), were also crowned.

The Buda Castle Palace started to be built in the 13th century and took up it's present form by the 16th century

Today it houses the National Gallery.

On mount Gellert you will find the Citadella, Built during the Austrian occupation of Budapest. With it's cannons bearing down on the population on both sides of the river.

Major highlights of Pest:
Parliament - the center of the Hungarian government

St. Peter's Basilica - the biggest church found in Budapest. Able to view city from top.

State Opera House - Architecture splendor, a must see.

Pest Concert Hall (Vigado) - in itself a sight, but take a walk on the "corzo" along the Danube, directly in front of it.

Synagogue at Dohany street - the larges found in Budapest. A true piece of art and history of Budapest.

National Museum - where the 1849 revolution started. Houses wonderful historical items.

Transport:

The airport is called Ferihegy, located at the Eastern outskirts of Budapest. Terminal 1 is mainly used for air cargo with a smaller passenger section for the "discount airlines". Terminal 2a and 2b are located about 6Km from 1 and hosts all other international airlines. Best way to access the city is via the airport minibus service located at the arrivals terminal.

There are three metro (subway) lines (Yellow, Blue and Red):

• Yellow line- Built for the millennium (1900) was the first in Europe
• Blue line - Takes you under the Danube (Duna) from where you can visit the Castle District.
• Red line - Runs the length of Pest

All of them meet at Deák Square and operate from 4:30 am to 11:30 pm.

Most bus and street-car/tram lines operate until 11 pm, except for certain key lines that run all evening, signified by the letter "E" after it's number.

Suburban/city transit trains are called HÉV and can be used to visit the more distant tourist attractions in small towns outside Budapest like Szentendre or Gödöllő.

Shopping:

Shops are usually open Monday to Friday 10am-6pm, and Saturday until 1pm, (Malls until 9pm daily) with most food-stores operate from 8am to 6 or 7pm. Recently some shops in the center of the city have been staying open later on Saturdays. You can usually find a 24-hour "nonstop" shop serving alcohol, cigarettes and some food all over the inner city, though in the residential parts of Buda they may be harder to find.

A main shopping area (mainly for tourists) is located south of Vörösmarty tér in downtown Pest, in particular in and around the pedastrians "only" street Váci utca and Petofi Sándor utca, which have the biggest concentration of glamorous and expensive shops. The main streets radiating out from the center - Bajcsy-Zsilinszky, Andrássy and Rákóczi út - are other major shopping avenues that the "locals" mostly use, as are the two ring boulevards, the Great Boulevard (especially from Margit Bridge to Blaha Lujza tér) and the Kiskörút, while the small streets inside the Nagykörút are also worth exploring.

Modern shopping malls have now spread right across the city, the two main are Mammut Mall by Moszkva tér, and WestEnd Mall, by Nyugati (Western) Station.

Mammut Mall by Moszkva tér, and WestEnd Mall, by Nyugati (Western) Station.

Budapest's Antique district is located on Falk Miksa utca (street), at the Pest end of the Margit Bridge, and goes toward the Parliament.