Day 8 - District VI.
Starting behind St Stephen’s Basilica, you can walk the length of Andrássy utca to City Park. It’s about a 35- to 40-minute walk (3 km). If you don’t want to walk that far, you can take the metro (M1, yellow line) from Deák Ferenc tér to Hősök tere.
At the main entry to City Park is Heroes’ Square. You’ll arrive here whether you do the walk or take the metro. This is a large open area featuring statues of the seven leaders who established Hungary.
A nice way to start is with a walk following this route. You can take some time to enjoy Heroes' Square, walk by Vajdahunyad Castle and its chapel, and to the House of Music, which has an amazing lobby and garden. If you're taking in the Museum of Fine Arts or Műcsarnok, do that first and then take this walk.
Today will involve some choices. City Park itself features several appealing attractions, depending on your interests, and then more located on Andrássy. One ticket for any of these is included in your trip (excluding the opera tour and the bath), but you will easily have time for at least two. There are several places you can choose from in the park where you could stop for lunch or a snack in between attractions.
This is another day in which scheduling is flexible. I'll take you down to Heroes' Square on the metro in the morning (if you want to walk, you're welcome to!) to give you a general orientation. The map link will give you the locations of all of the suggested attractions and some places you could get something to eat. Museums will generally have cafés on site as well.
In City Park
Museum of Fine Arts Excellent, extensive collection.
Műcsarnok Modern art museum. Exhibitions change every few months and seem to have their own separate tickets with varying fees. The two art museums are on opposite sides of Heroes' Square.
Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden Animals collected from around the world with a focus on conservation.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath The largest medicinal bath in Europe featuring 18 pools of varying temperatures, and probably the most spectacular. See description in Budapest Information for general ticket information. Located in City Park, but you may want to make this an afternoon visit, or separate from your other options on this day. (This ticket is not one of the options included in the trip.)
Vajdahunyad Castle Hungarian Agricultural Museum.
Museum of Ethnography Cultural museum, in a beautiful new building. Take the time to walk around on the rooftop garden!
Hungarian House of Music Museum and concert venue with truly unique and intriguing architecture. You can visit the lobby and gift shop for free, or visit exhibitions about various performers or the historical development of music.
In Andrássy utca
House of Terror Museum with a thorough and impactful account of the Nazi and Soviet occupations of Hungary. Material is heavy and sobering, but valuable.
Hungarian State Opera Offers three one-hour tours in English daily, at 1:30, 3:00, and 4:30 p.m. Tours include a short concert and cost about $34. (This ticket is not one of the options included in the trip.)
Drechsler-palota Former palace recently renovated into a luxury hotel with a stylish lounge and a shaded patio directly across from the opera.
Take some time to consider these options. You'll receive an email around the end of April asking you to confirm your choice.
Schedule
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 10:00 | City Park visit + Museum #1 |
| 12:30 | lunch |
| 1:30 | Museum #2 |
| 3:30 | self-directed |
| 6:00 | supper (suggested) |
| 7:00 | self-directed |