Things to do in Budapest

On Castle Hill, the Buda Castle Hill Funicular has climbed from Clark Ádám Square to the Royal Palace since 1870; inside the palace the Hungarian National Gallery holds the largest collection of Hungarian fine art beneath a panoramic dome, and a short walk away the nearly 800-year-old Matthias Church stands beside the seven white towers of Fisherman's Bastion, facing the Parliament across the Danube. On the Pest bank, the Hungarian Parliament Guided Tour climbs the grand staircase to the Holy Crown in the Dome Hall, the dome terrace of St. Stephen's Basilica looks out to the Buda Hills, and the glass-roofed Duna Bella cruise glides past the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, lit by 1,180 lamps after dark; the Dohány Street Synagogue, the Hungarian State Opera House, the Great Market Hall with its goulash and lángos, and the gilded New York Café and Café Gerbeaud are all close by. Soak in the steaming outdoor pools of the Széchenyi Thermal Bath or the rooftop panorama pool of the Rudas Thermal Bath, then explore City Park, where Heroes' Square, the Museum of Fine Arts, Vajdahunyad Castle, the House of Music, Hungary, the Museum of Ethnography, the Budapest Zoo's Biodome and, in winter, the City Park Ice Rink sit side by side. Families can ride the Children's Railway run by uniformed schoolchildren and the Zugliget Chairlift in the Buda Hills, head underground in Pál-völgyi Cave, walk the shark tunnel at the Tropicarium, touch the installations at the Light Art Museum, step into an 1896 railcar at the Underground Railway Museum or loop Margaret Island past its musical fountain; in Advent, Christmas markets fill Vörösmarty Square and the square in front of St. Stephen's Basilica.

Good to knowThe upper towers of Fisherman's Bastion need a ticket paid by card only (the lower terraces are free around the clock), the 197-step tower of Matthias Church has a separate ticket, and for the Parliament tour you choose your language when booking. Bring a swimsuit and flip-flops for the baths (the Turkish bath at Rudas follows separate schedules on some weekdays), and note that the Hungarian National Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Ethnography and the Underground Railway Museum are closed on Mondays, when the funicular also stops for maintenance on some days. Pál-völgyi Cave stays about 11°C with 400+ steps and admits visitors from age 5 and 115 cm, the Zugliget Chairlift may close in strong wind or fog, and New York Café takes reservations only for dinner after 18:00, while Café Gerbeaud seats guests in order of arrival.