Budavári Palota (Royal Palace)
Dating from the 13th century, the Royal Palace, on Castle Hill, has survived many wars. Within the palace's partially reconstructed walls lies a vast museum complex that includes the Budapest History Museum (also known as Castle Museum) and the Hungarian National Gallery. The Castle Museum traces the city's history from Buda's liberation from the Turks in 1686 to the 1970s. The Hungarian National Gallery is situated at the core of the palace and its encyclopaedic collection of Hungarian art from the 10th century to the present day provides a valuable insight into the Hungarian national identity.


Szent György tér 2
I Budavári Palota
Budapest
Hungary
Tel: (01) 487 8800 (Castle Museum); (01) 439 7325 (Hungarian National Gallery).
Web: www.mng.hu
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800 (Mar-Oct); Tues-Sun 1000-1600 (Nov-Feb) for the Castle Museum).
Admission Fee: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes


Dohány Zsinagóga (Central Synagogue)
Europe's largest synagogue (and the world's second largest) was designed by Lajos Föster, in a Byzantine-Moorish style, and completed in 1859. Desecrated by German and Hungarian Nazis, its two Moorish domes gleam afresh after a 10-year restoration project financed by the Hungarian government and Tony Curtis' Emmanuel Foundation. Some 724,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and their lives are remembered in the Jewish History Museum, annexed to the synagogue, and at Imre Varga's memorial to the side of the synagogue.


VII Dohány utca 2
Budapest
Hungary
Tel: (01) 342 8949.
Web: www.dohany-zsinagoga.hu
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 1000-1700, Fri 1000-1400 (mid Apr-Oct); Sun-Thurs 1000-1500, Fri 1000-1400 (Nov-mid Apr).
Admission Fee: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes


Fishermen's Bastion
Behind the sanctuary of the Matthias Church, the Fishermen's Bastion offers a splendid view of the Danube and Pest. At the end of the 19th century, Frigyes Schulek designed a graceful system of stairs running from the Danube to the hilltop, and the current structure, which has been embellished with turrets, arcades, curved stairs and statues, was intended to be the end point. Schulek imagined the bastion section defended by the fishermen's guild, hence the name. Many felt his vision was of a more austere, defensible and less decorated piece of architecture, but his original plans were later altered to the delight of today's visitors.


I Szentháromság tér
Budapest
Hungary
Hotel Gellért and Thermal Baths
Many regard the thermal baths attached to Hotel Gellért as the finest in the city. A bathhouse has stood on the site since the 1500s, when its waters were valued for their medicinal qualities by the Turks, but the current art nouveau building dates from the turn of last century. Bathing in its soothing waters, surrounded by flower motifs, columns and delicate wall designs, is one of Budapest's highlights, but even if you're not up for a dip, stop by to drink in the glorious foyer. A huge array of treatments and massages are offered, so read the display board carefully before approaching the normally grumpy staff.


XI Szent Gellért tér 2-6
Budapest
Hungary
Tel: (01) 889 5500.
Web: www.danubiusgroup.com/danubius/gellert
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0600-1900, Sat and Sun 0600-1700.
Admission Fee: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes


H?sök Tere (Heroes' Square) and Millenniumi Emlékm? (Millennium Monument)
Many regard the thermal baths attached to Hotel Gellért as the finest in the city. A bathhouse has stood on the site since the 1500s, when its waters were valued for their medicinal qualities by the Turks, but the current art nouveau building dates from the turn of last century. Bathing in its soothing waters, surrounded by flower motifs, columns and delicate wall designs, is one of Budapest's highlights, but even if you're not up for a dip, stop by to drink in the glorious foyer. If you’d like a massage or treatment, approach the normally grumpy staff.


corner of Dózsa Dyörgy utca
VI Andrássy út
Budapest
Hungary
Disabled Access: Yes


Margitsziget (Margaret Island)
Wedged in a loop of the River Danube and linked by Árpád híd and Margit híd to Buda and Pest, the 2km (1.5-mile) Margaret Island is one of the calmest and greenest spots in Budapest. No cars are allowed or needed - the island from Margit híd to Árpád híd can be crossed on foot in 20 minutes. The island is named after the devout daughter of King Béla IV, who lived here in a Dominican convent in the 13th century. In summer, Margaret Island is bursting with people heading for a swim at the Hajós Alfréd swimming pool or Palatinus pool.


Margaret Island
Budapest
Hungary
Admission Fee: No.
Disabled Access: Yes


Mátyás Templom (Matthias Church)
The Zsolnay pyrogranite tiles of Matthias Church are as colourful and richly patterned as snakeskin. Inside is a melange of styles from the 13th to the 19th centuries. It is thought that a church was first built on this site in 1015, by King István. When the Turks occupied the Castle District in 1541, the church was turned into a mosque and the walls painted with extracts from the Koran. In the 20th century, the church was used as a kitchen by occupying German forces, and later as stables by the Russians.


Országház utca 14
Budapest
Hungary
Tel: (01) 489 0716.
Web: www.matyas-templom.hu
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0900-1300, Sun 1300-1700.
Admission Fee: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes


Országház (Parliament)
Imre Steindl's design for Budapest's parliament, inspired by London's Houses of Parliament, won first prize in a competition to celebrate the 1,000th year of the Hungarian nation. Work commenced in 1885 and was finally completed in 1902. The edifice, with its elegant neo-Renaissance dome, topped by a pointy neo-gothic spire, stretches for over 250m (820ft) along the River Danube. It was here that the crowds assembled on 23 October 1989, when Mátyás Szurös declared the Hungarian Republic from the balcony on Kossuth Lajos tér.


V Kossuth Lajos tér 1-3
Budapest
Hungary
Tel: (01) 441 4000.
Web: www.parlament.hu
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1800, Sat 0800-1600, Sun 0800-1400. Guided tours in English 1000, 1200, 1400.
Admission Fee: Y (except for EU citizens carrying passports).
Disabled Access: Yes