Skylines and views
If there is something that Budapest hasn't got it is an impressive skyline. Tall buildings are banned from the city center and there isn't a single skyscraper in the whole city. In return, the church towers and the ancient spires creates an ancient skyline together with the Buda Castle with the backdrop of the hills on the Buda side. The more flat Pest side is totally dominated by St Stephen's Basilica and The Hungaraina Parliament Building, the 2 tallest buildings in Budapest (both 96m to the top of the spire).
In the outskirts there are a lot of oldfashioned grey and white residential highrises from the commie times. There are many modern office buildings in Budapest, but most of them aren't very tall. The tallest highrise in Budapest is the 23-storey Semmelweiss Medical University from 1976 at a height of 89m.
Views of Buda from Pest:
Buda Castle.
Buda Castle at night.
Elizabeth Bridge, Danube and Gellért Hill after dark.
The red neo-gothic church in the middle is Calvinist Church, designed by József Hild and completed in the 19th century,and the one to the right St Anne's Church.
View of Elizabeth Bridge, Statue of Liberty on Gellért Hill and Danube from Chain Bridge.
The historic Citadel and the Freedom statue.
View of Buda from the Parliament.
Views from St Stephen's Basilica:
Towards the Parliament.
Towards Zrinyi ut.
Traffic jam below the basilica. Note the large number of modern cars, in contrast to the poor cars during the commie times.
Towards Ödön Lechner's former Postal Savings Bank and a mountain on Buda side.
Towards Buda and nearby commercial buildings.
Views of Pest from Buda:e a
The strand at Danube on Pest side and Liberty Bridge.
To the left is Inner City Parish church, close to our hostel.
View towards the Marriott and Vigado Concert Hall.
A skyline picture with the Funkturm TV tower and the 89m tall 23-storey Semmelweiss Medical University from 1976, the tallest highrise in Budapest in the background. Many of central Budapest's church towers in the foreground.
Towards Margaret Island (Margit-sziget), with both Pest and Buda visible on the sides. Margaret Island is a popular island with a park, an amusement park and some thermal baths. We never visited the island because of our lack of time. In the foreground you can see the Margaret Bridge.
A romantic view of Margaret Island, Margaret Bridge, the Hungarian Parliament, Danube and an oldfashioned streetlight.
Margaret Bridge and Margaret Island seen from Chain Bridge.
Famous Budapest landmarks: Chain Bridge, Danube, Gresham Palace, Gresham Square and St Stephen's Basilica all seen from the Royal Palace.
Chain Bridge, Danube, Parliament and Margaret Island.
The Calvin Church on Buda side and the Parliament on the Pest side.
The 96m tall Gothic Hungarian Parliament from Batthyany tér after dark.
Closeup of the parliament.
Views of Buda from Buda:
Views towards the mountains of Buda from Buda castle.
Towards Freedom Statue, Gellért Hill, The Citadel, Elizabeth Bridge and Freedom Bridge.
Leaving Budapest Ferihegy International Airport with views of the commie blocks and villas in the outskirts.