Welcome aboard the CITYBPCRUISES boat!
We will start our journey in the heart of Budapest, on the Danube River to pass by the main landmarks of the city. We hope you will enjoy the ride.
The boat has a closed deck at the bottom and an open deck at the top, you can stay wherever you like. Some areas of the floor might be wet and slippery, take extra precautions when passing through!
The journey is expected to take approximately 60 minutes.
Welcome our guide assistance!
Budapest is the capital city of Hungary in the heart of Europe. It has about 1.8 million inhabitants and consists of 23 districts. The city is divided into two parts by the Danube River: Buda, the hilly part of the city, and Pest, the flat part.
1. THE CHAIN BRIDGE
The Chain Bridge (in Hungarian: “Lánchíd”) was the first permanent bridge spanning the River Danube between Buda and Pest and is also one of the symbols of the Hungarian capital. Count István Széchenyi initiated the construction of the bridge. The bridge was designed by English engineer William Tierney Clark in classicist style, following an initiative by Count István Széchenyi, with construction supervised by Scottish engineer Adam Clark. Work began in 1839, and the finished bridge was inaugurated on November 20th 1849, by Francis Joseph I. Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. In World War II, the bridge was blown by the retreating Germans. The rebuilt bridge was reopened in 1949. It was renovated between 2021 and 2023.
2. THE GRESHAM PALACE
The Gresham Palace, located on Széchenyi István Square, is a gorgeous example of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture. The architects Zsigmond Quittner and Jozsef Vago were commissioned to design the new structure, and in 1904, they began the construction of the Gresham Palace, which was completed in 1906 and opened in 1907 as the international headquarters of London-based Gresham Life Assurance. The famous Gresham café, also operated here, where the Gresham art society held its meetings. Together with the buildings on the Danube, the palace was added to the list of World Heritage sites in 1987. After complete renovation, it was reopened in 2004 as a luxury hotel managed by Four Seasons Hotels.
3. FISHERMAN’S BASTION
The Fisherman’s Bastion (in Hungarian: “Halászbástya”) is one of the best-known historical monuments in Budapest, located near the Buda Castle. It was built between 1895 and 1902, in Neo-Romanesque style designed by architect Frigyes Schulek. It offers a unique panorama of the Hungarian Capital from its lookout terraces. Its seven high-pitched stone towers symbolise the seven chieftains of the Hungarians who founded Hungary in 895. Its name was taken from the medieval guild of fishermen responsible for defending this stretch of the castle wall. The Fisherman’s Bastion was severely damaged during the sieges of World War II. Its restoration was completed in 1953. It has been part of Budapest’s World Heritage Sites since 1987.
4. HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT BUILDING
The Parliament building is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary and affiliated institutions, and a popular tourist destination in Budapest. It was designed by Hungarian architect Imre Steindl in neo-Gothic style influenced by the Vienna City Hall. Construction was started in 1885, and the building was inaugurated on the presumed 1,000th anniversary of the country’s foundation in 1896. With the keys to the building being handed over in 1902, however, it was not fully completed until 1904. It is 268 m long and 123 m wide. Its interior includes 10 courtyards, 13 passenger and freight elevators, 27 gates, 29 staircases and 691 rooms and more than 200 offices. With its height of 96 m, it was one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest of that time.
5. MARGARET ISLAND
Margaret Island (in Hungarian: “Margit-sziget”) is a 2.5 km long island, 500 m wide, 238 acres in area in the middle of the Danube. It was called “Island of Rabbits” before being named after Saint Margaret in the 14th century. The ruins of a 13th-century Dominican convents are reminders of its importance as a religious centre in the past. Pedestrian promenades navigate around parkland, an art nouveau water tower, a musical fountain and a small zoo. Other attractions include jogging tracks, thermal spas and swimming pools. Summertime brings pop-up bars and restaurants, as well as live music.
6. CASTLE DISTRICT
The Castle District (in Hungarian: “Várnegyed”) is nerve centre of Budapest’s history and packed with many of the capital’s most important museums and other attractions. Since the 13th century, Buda Castle located on the strategically defensible Buda Castle Hill has served as the residence of Hungarian kings. Today, the Castle District has become a sanctuary for religion, politics, sciences, culture, and arts. It hosts treasures such as Matthias Church, the Hungarian National Gallery, the National Széchényi Library, the Budapest History Museum, the seven-towered Fisherman’s Bastion, and the residence of the President of Hungary, the Sándor Palace. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. A unique ascent to the Castle District can be made via the Budavári Sikló, a funicular inaugurated in 1870.
7. VIGADÓ SQUARE
The Vigadó Square stretches on the Danube embankment, replete with fantastic views of the Buda Castle. The Square is named after Budapest’s second largest concert hall called “Vigadó” (usually translated as “Place for Merriment”). It was designed by Frigyes Feszl in 1859. The uniquely beautiful building, inaugurated in 1865, was the venue for a wide variety of balls and social events, where the best-known composers of the era performed. It was also badly damaged during World War II. The post-war reconstruction, which took some thirty-six years to complete, remains faithful to his original design and continues to attract leading conductors and performers from around the world. The façade of the Vigadó was cleaned and restored in 2006. In and around the square there are curious statuettes, famous among them being the Children’s Well and the Little Princess.
8. ELISABETH BRIDGE
Elisabeth Bridge (in Hungarian: “Erzsébet híd”) is the third newest bridge connecting Buda and Pest across the River Danube. It is named after Elisabeth of Bavaria, a popular queen and empress of Austria-Hungary. The original eclectic flamboyant style bridge was built between 1897 and 1903. It was destroyed during World War II. The currently standing slender white cable bridge was built on the very same location between 1961 and 1964 based on Pál Sávoly’s design. The 6,300-ton steel bridge spanning 290 m consists of 29 bridge members weighing 90 tons each, this load is supported by just over a thousand tons of cables.
9. LIBERTY STATUE
The Liberty Statue is a prominent feature of Budapest’s cityscape at the east end of the Citadel on Gellért Hill. The 14 m tall bronze female sculpture which stands atop a 26 m pedestal holding a palm leaf was designed by Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl. It was first erected in 1947 in remembrance of the Soviet liberation of Hungary during World War II, which ended the occupation by Nazi Germany. After the 1989 transition from communist rule to democracy the sculpture ensemble was slightly transformed and the references to the Soviets, such as the 4-meter-high statue of a Soviet soldier standing in front of the statue, were also removed. The statue itself is 14 meters high, which, together with its pedestal, rises 40 meters above the 235-meter-high Gellért Hill.
10. GELLÉRT BATHS
The Gellért Baths is one of Budapest’s famous spas. It is part of the famous Hotel Gellért in Buda built between 1912 and 1918 in Art Nouveau style. At that time, thermal baths luxuriously furnished with mosaic tiles, mud treatments, salt and sparkling pine baths, as well as inhaling, pneumatic infrared chambers were also available to the public. Thus, it was considered the most modern spa in Europe. 1927 it was expanded in with an outdoor artificial wave pool considered as a curiosity in Europe at the time. In 1945, the building and equipment of the spa suffered serious damage during the siege of Budapest. Some of the rooms were restored that year, the part of the building facing the Danube was renovated and modernized only in 1961, and then the hotel part in 1980. The 2008 reconstruction served to restore the bath to its original splendour.
11. GREAT MARKET HALL
At the Pest bridgehead of today’s Liberty bridge was the General Customs House, where customs clearance was carried out for goods transported on the Danube. The proximity of the waterway also explains why one of Pest’s market halls, was created here in 1897 based on the plans of the architect Samu Pecz, professor at the university of art. It is one of the most beautiful works of brick architecture of Hungarian historicism. The stone entrance gates have a neogothic touch. The roof is covered with colourful tiling from the Zsolnay factory in Pécs. The size of the building is 10,000 square meters. It is covered by a huge steel roof structure. After a thorough renovation the building was re-opened in 1977 and declared a monument.
12. LIBERTY BRIDGE
Liberty Bridge (in Hungarian: “Szabadság Híd”) is the third public road bridge connecting Gellért Square on the Buda and the General Customs House Square on the Pest side across the River Danube. The bridge was built between 1894 and 1896 to the plans of János Feketeházy in art nouveau style as part of the Millennium World Exhibition at the end of the 19th century. It was opened in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph; the last silver rivet being inserted into the iron structure by the emperor himself, and the bridge was originally named after him. The bridge is 333 m in length and 20 m in width. The tops of the four masts are decorated with large bronze statues of the Turul, a falcon-like mythological bird in Hungarian folklore.
13. BUDAPEST WHALE (BÁLNA)
The colossal glass and metal structure in the shape of a whale’s head (in Hungarian: “bálna”) between Liberty and Petőfi bridge, directly on the Danube bank in Pest is a modern shopping and cultural centre and a tourist attraction. By the beginning of the 21st century the four public warehouses which originally stood in this site were in bad shape. A project was launched to refurbish and use the warehouses in ways that meet the requirements of a 21st century, modern capital city. The Dutch architect Kas Oosterhuis and the architectural office of Ilona Lénárd prepared the plans for a new building that connects two of the four warehouse buildings with an atrium, and at the same time extends them parallel to the Danube bank with a glass shell. The Whale is a defining visual element of the Budapest cityscape and the Danube bank in Pest. From inside, almost every point offers a special view of the city. After dark, a laser light show and video mapping await the public.
14. PALACE OF ARTS BUDAPEST
Palace of Arts Budapest called Müpa is a multi-functional cultural facility that provides a permanent home for practitioners and lovers of three different arts: music, visual and theatre arts. It is located near Rákóczi Bridge and was designed by Zoboky, Demeter and Partners Architectural Office. The structure of Müpa Budapest covers a ground area of 10,000 m2 and the total floor space of the building is 70,000 m2. It was completed in three years and was opened to the public on March 14, 2005. The facility consists of three main units. The central part is the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, the premises of the Festival Theatre on the east side, and the exhibition and lecture halls of the Ludwig Museum on the west side facing the Danube.
15. NATIONAL THEATRE
The National Theatre of Hungary, located in Budapest was originally opened in 1837. Since then, it has occupied several locations. It currently occupies the National Theatre building at the Pest-side bridgehead of Rákóczi Bridge in a huge park and sculpture garden. The artistic task of the first independently established National Theatre institution in Budapest is to honour the interpreters of Hungarian and universal dramatic literature and theatre art in a worthy manner. The construction, based on the plans of architect Mária Siklós and under the supervision of György Schwajda, was finished at a record-breaking pace in a mere 15 months. On March 15, 2002, the National Theatre opened its doors with a performance of the dramatic poem Imre Madách: The Tragedy of Man.
16. BUDAPEST UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
The Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) is the most significant university of technology in the country and is considered the world’s oldest institute of technology which has university rank and structure. Founded in 1782, today it is one of the largest universities in Hungary with more than 110 departments and institutes operating within the structure of eight faculties. Approximately 1381 of the university’s 22 000 students are foreigners, coming from 50 countries. The university town was completed between 1904 and 1909 based on the plans of Alajos Hauszmann, Samu Pecz and Győző Czigler.
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