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The magnificent Chain Bridge was built in the middle of the 19th century across the river Danube between Pest and Buda.  Before the bridge was built the Danube could only be crossed by floating pontoon barges except when the river froze in winter and people could simply walk across.

Sometimes when thawing started, travellers would become stranded on the wrong side of the river.  A famous story tells how Count Szechenyi was so furious about being stranded on the wrong side while trying to get to his father’s funeral he commissioned a bridge to be built permanently linking Buda and Pest. 

Szechenyi had visited London on several occasions and admired the bridges over the Thames, so commissioned British architect William Tierney Clark to design the Bridge. The only other bridge of Clark’s design to survive to this day spans the River Thames in the town of Marlow, in England.

The Fisherman's Bastion, designed by architect Frigyes Schulek, was built in 1905.   The white-stoned building is described as a combination of neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque styles - full of turrets, projections, parapets, and climbing stairways.

The Fisherman’s Bastion is made up of seven towers - each one symbolising one of the seven Magyar tribes that came to Hungary in 896. Some describe the building as almost “Disneyesque” – a fairytale structure reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. The bastion sits in a neighbourhood once known as Fisherman’s Town, which was the location of a fish market during medieval times, hence the name.

Heroes’ Square is one of the most visited attractions in Budapest. The centrepiece of the square is the Millennium Monument, built in 1896 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Magyar conquest. Soaring above the square, you will see the Millennial Column, standing 118ft tall and topped with a statue of the Archangel Gabriel. Around the base of the monument are a number of equestrian statues honouring Arpad and the seven chieftains of the Magyar tribes, who settled their people in the area that is now Hungary

In front of the column is the Monument of National Heroes, also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a tribute to Hungary’s nameless heroes of war. The square is flanked by the Palace of Fine Arts, and the Palace of Art and has been the site of numerous special events throughout the last century. Pope John Paul II preached here and many heated political rallies have taken place at this popular location.

St. Stephen’s Basilica is the largest church in Hungary.  Construction of the basilica began in 1851. The first architect to work on the design was Jozsef Hild, whose ideas for the structure reflected the classical style. When Hild died midway through the construction of St Stephen’s, architect Miklos Ybl took over, adding his own touches to the design in a more neo-Renaissance style.

The collapse of a dome  in 1868 slowed the construction process significantly, as did the death of the second architect, Miklos Ybl. The layout of the interior of the basilica and the completion of the building in 1905 was overseen by a third architect, Jozsef Krausz.

The Basilica is the same height as the Parliament building, each standing 96 metres tall. This measurement is significant because it commemorates the settlement in the region by the Magyar Tribes in the year 896 AD.

Officially named The Church of Our Lady, but commonly known as Matthias Church, this was the second largest church of medieval Buda.  It was named after Matthias Corvinus, Hungary’s most beloved king, who had his two weddings here. It has been rebuilt and restored many times since it was first consecrated, and the ornate steeple was added in 1896.

The church played host to a miracle – the so-called Mary wonder in 1686.  The city of Buda was under siege by the Holy League and one of the church walls collapsed under cannon fire.  An old votive Madonna, which had been hidden behind the wall, was revealed, the morale of the Muslim garrison collapsed and the city fell that very day.

The Matthias church houses the Ecclesiastical Art Museum, which contains not only sacred relics and medieval stone carvings, but also replicas of the Hungarian royal crown and the coronation jewels.

Hungary has had a National Theatre in Budapest since 1837, however, the current building was begun in the year 2000 and opened in 2002.

The last home of the National Theatre, the People’s Theatre, was built in 1908. That building was demolished in 1963, and years of political wrangling left the National Theatre without a permanent home until the construction of this magnificent building.

Margaret Island is a welcoming green oasis in the heart of Budapest. This 2.5 kilometre-long island is very popular with local people, especially at weekends.

Originally known as Rabbits Island, it has always played an important role in the city’s history. In the Middle Ages, the island was home to a number of monasteries and convents. By the beginning of the 1800s, it had become popular with members of the royal family, and was turned into an ornate garden. The island then became a health resort and visitors flocked to take advantage of its therapeutic springs.

Today, the Island is linked to the mainland by two bridges: the Margaret Bridge to the south and the Arpad Bridge to the north.