Budapest neighborhoods

Inside what used to be the old city wall, Belváros is located in the heart of Pest, Budapest's flat, eastern side. Small streets, constructed over a millennium ago, include the famous pedestrian Váci utca as well as the picturesque Belgrád Rakpart running along the east side of the Danube. Packed with tourist sights, including the Inner City Parish, the gorgeous Párizsi Udvar arcade, and the Klotild Palaces, the area is also, unfortunately, a haven for crimes both ordinary and extraordinary. Overpriced restaurants, souvenir shops, and female honey traps ply their wares.

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A Jewish neighborhood before and during World War II, Erzsébetváros is now a cornucopia of late 20th century architecture. Functional Communist era structures line narrow streets. The Great Synagogue, the second largest in the world, built in Byzantine-Moorish style, stands in gorgeous contrast to the surrounding area. Every day is business as usual; the local proletariat walk in and out of offices, Internet stations buzz, and restaurants serve local favorites. At day's end, the neighborhood redefines itself as a nightlife hub. The hip Liszt tér restaurant and café scene starts pulsing from the north, and in kert (courtyard) bars across the 'hood, bartenders get to work.

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Running along the western waters of the Danube, Gellért Hill showcases Budapest's royal and fantastic sides. It includes the Citadella, a major tourist draw. From its hilltop location, both hikers and motorists can appreciate an aerial view of Pest. At the foot of the Szabadság Bridge, the famous Gellért Hotel sits along the riverfront. Its gorgeous spa, open to the public, was built in Secessionist style and features marble columns and colorful mosaics. Across the street, monks from the Pauline Order participate in religious functions inside their cavernous cathedral.

Thankfully, budget hotels are on flatter ground, just west of the hills. The west side of Gellért, circling around the Congress Center, is markedly different from the hillside. The atmosphere is suburban, with office buildings and business class hotels scattered throughout residential neighborhoods. (On the east side, there are very few hotels. In fact, the only accommodation in east Gellért is one youth hostel, near The Citadella.)

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The old Red Light district of Budapest is in the process of a makeover. The massive neo-classical Hungarian National Museum sits grandly along the Múzeum on the west side and the József körút cuts through the middle of the neighborhood of reinvention. Once a bit seedy, József körút is turning into a fun, eccentric part of town. World music stores, gothic clothing shops, and numerous boho cafés and pubs have sprung up, adding new life to the area. The heart of Ferencváros merges with Józsefváros, and sports its very own savvy student scene.

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North of Belváros, Lipótváros feels like central Pest's airier cousin. The Becsi utca turns into Október 6 utca as the streets widen, the buildings are grander, and the landscapes of the térs (squares) increase in size. Wider walkways allow better views of the all-inclusive architecture scene in which Budapest is famous. Parliament has a gothic style in a Baroque structure. The Ethnographical Museum, across the street, merges elements of the Renaissance, the Baroque, and Classicism. And, the Ministry of Culture, next door, is built in the Historicism style Budapest architects embraced near the end of the 19th century.

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Rózsadomb—Rose Hill in English—is where Budapest's Turkish history is most readily apparent. Gül Baba's Tomb, the burial grounds of a Bektash dervish and poet, sits less than 200 meters west of the Danube. Bath houses, introduced to Huns by the Turks, dot the area. The Lukács Baths, built in the 19th century, sits along the Danube on the east side of Rózsadomb while the Király bath house, built by the Turks in 1566, is located 500 meters south in the Víziváros neighborhood. The steeper parts of the neighborhood have a quiet, residential feel. Clothing shops, grocery stores and cafés line the wider streets downhill closest to the Danube. The riverfront is also where the expansive parklands of Margit Island can be reached via the Margit Bridge.

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Surprisingly snazzy for a train station neighborhood, Terézváros lies just south of the Nyugati station, a glass showcase built by the Eiffel company. The Andrássy ut, the street some call the "Fifth Avenue of Budapest," lies on the south side, while Városliget, the large city park, borders the neighborhood's east side. Sights along the Andrássy include the Opera House and the House of Terror Museum. Gorgeous neo-classical mansions now serving as embassy headquarters add chic to the east side while the west side offers easy access to St. Stephen's Basilica and the central Deák tér Metro station.

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