Downtown Pest Walking Tour

This 3-hour walking tour takes you through Pest, the downtown section of the city located on the east bank of the Danube River.  Start off in front of the Parliament at Kossuth square. At its inauguration in 1896, it was the largest and most costly structure ever built in Hungary. Massive and impressive from the outside and dazzling within, it is home to works of art that represent nearly every famous Hungarian painter and sculptor of the time. Admire the other buildings and monuments around the square. Visit the impressive Holocaust Monument that stands on the banks of the Danube River, right behind Parliament. The monument pays tribute to the many thousands of Jewish citizens of Budapest tragically killed on that same spot in the last months of World War II. Freedom Square is your next stop. It was originally built as the financial center of the city and according to many is Budapest’s most beautiful square. There’s much to see here, including the massive Stock Exchange Palace and the opulent buildings that still house several banks. See the statue of Cardinal Mindszenty, the head of the Catholic church in Hungary, who lived hidden for 15 years in the U.S. embassy, while on the run from the communists. Continue to St. Stephen’s Basilica, passing by several beautiful Art Nouveau buildings for which Budapest is famous. A bit farther on you’ll come to the second-largest synagogue in the world. It is a monument to the vital role that the city’s Jewish population and its wealthy bourgeois played in the development of the city. Travel along and under Andrassy Boulevard, an esplanade that was designed for Hungarian nobility. After a short stop at the Opera House, the tour ends at Heroes Square, where in 1896 Hungarians celebrated the 1,000­-year anniversary of the founding of their kingdom.