Budapest: World heritage and well-being

The Chain Bridge is the oldest of a total of nine bridges over the Danube. It was built in 1849. Just about very visitor to Budapest crosses it in order to get from the Pest half of the city to the hilly Buda side. In 2017, 12 million tourists stayed overnight in the Hungarian capital. The number has nearly doubled in the past ten years.

From the Chain Bridge the way leads up to the Castle District with its huge castle and palace complex, Baroque bourgeois houses, museums, churches and narrow lanes. The Hungarian kings and nobility once lived here. Now tourists stroll through the nearly car-free district.

The Fisherman's Bastion in the Castle District was built in neo-Gothic style in the late 19th century on the medieval marketplace where the Danube fishermen once sold their wares. This building has no function except to provide a panoramic view of the city. The statue of a horseman commemorates the first Hungarian king, István (Stephan), crowned in 1000 A.D., who Christianized the country.

Next to the Fisherman's Bastion stands Matthias Church, 700 years old and named not for St. Matthew but for the Hungarian King Matthias. It was the scene of many coronation ceremonies. In 1867, for instance, the Austrian emperor Franz Josef and his wife Elisabeth were crowned king and queen of Hungary here.

Sightseeing in Budapest is more easygoing than in other European cities, because here 15 thermal baths invite you to relax. The Széchenyi medicinal bath complex is the largest. Opened in 1913, it still exudes the elegance of that era. It has 18 pools, which are fed by different hot springs. The temperatures lie between 28 and 40 degrees Celsius.

Here, too, the elegance of the late 19th and early 20th centuries lives on. This beautiful cafe was opened in 1894, in a building that had been commissioned by an insurance company. It has survived regime changes and wars, and its splendor is still impressive.

Of course there are excellent shopping opportunities on Budapest's broad boulevards, but a visit to the Central Market Hall is a must. It's a meeting place for tourists and locals alike. You'll find anything and everything, from fruit and vegetables to meat and fish. On the first floor, souvenirs and arts and crafts are on sale – you can and should bargain vigorously.

The biggest synagogue in Europe was built between 1854 and 1859 in Moorish style. It survived World War II severely damaged. Since 1996 the Great Synagogue has once again shone in all its former glory. It has room for about 3000 worshipers and can also be viewed by tourists except during Shabbat, from Friday evening to Saturday evening.

The Tree of Life stands in the synagogue's inner courtyard. It commemorates the 564,000 Hungarian Holocaust victims. The leaves of the silver weeping willow are engraved with the names of those who saved the lives of other Jews during that time.

The Jewish Quarter has now established itself as Budapest's hippest neighborhood. Behind dilapidated facades, you'll find countless bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants. The Szimpla Kert (pictured) opened in 2004. It was the first of the city's “ruin bars”, which are all the rage among both tourists and locals.

Its dimensions are vast: 268 meters long, 96 meters tall, 27 portals, 29 stairways and almost 700 rooms. The Parliament building is one of the top sights that line the right and left banks of the Danube. UNESCO added this urban ensemble on both banks to its World Heritage list in 1987.