Voyages of a Foodie: Budapest Must See: The Hungarian Parliament

"The city is so Beautiful, you almost feel too embarrassed to look"

Budapest is one of the most under marketed cities. I also truly believe it is one of the most beautiful cities on our planet, having justly earned the label of being the "Paris of the East." Its a wonderful mix of history, art and modern culture, making it one of my favourite vacations. The city's beauty will leave you in awe.

I've decided to blog about Budapest, to share my experience with others and if possible, inspire others to visit this incredible city. Pictures and text do not do justice to the feeling you get of the city and atmosphere, when you are actually there.

The Hungarian Parliament

The Hungarian Parliament

Standing Sentinel on the bank of the Danube River is the Majestic Hungarian Parliament, the third largest Parliament building in the world, but arguably, the most beautiful. This Gothic Style architectural mammoth was officially opened in 1920 after decades of construction.

Access:

Parliament can be accessed via Metro line 2 (Red line) at Kossuth Lajos ter, tram lines 47,48,49 or via Bus stop 16.

Spend some time walking around the parliament. Along the river, you'd find the "Shoe's on the Danube Bank" - an emotional memorial to honour the Jews killed by Fascist Arrow Cross during World War II. We grabbed a strudel at Szalai Cukraszda (It was delish!), kicked back on one of the many benches in the vicinity and just took in the city.

Shoes on Danube Bank

Structure:

Its main facade faces the Danube River, measuring 268m long. Its beautiful close up, but simply breath-taking when observed from the opposite Buda side (have coffee at Fisherman's Bastion and take in the Parliament - more on this later in another post!).

The building is symmetrical, with the dome in the center, peaking at 96m (the exact same height as St. Stephen's Basilica). The left and right wings are identical, inside and out. I strongly suggest you book a tour, or arrive very early (the first two days we wanted to tour, it was sold out!). Tours are ran throughout the day, in multiple languages and last approximately 45 min. We had a fantastic English guide, who had an outstanding amount of general knowledge of the Parliament and Budapest in general.

Outer Facade of the Hungarian Parliament

My favourite feature of the tour was the domed hall: 16 pillars holding up the impressive dome, lined with statues of the 16 most loved Hungarian kings. Under the dome you will find the Hungarian Crown Jewels.

Fun Fact about the Crown Jewels: After World War II, the jewels were given to the Americans for safe keeping from the Soviets. It was stored in Fort Knox. It was eventually returned to Hungary in 1978... but when they got it back, the cross affixed to the top was crooked. There was a brief debate as to whether it was crooked before or after the American's took over custody. Research eventually showed that it damaged as far back as the 1600's. (Phew!)

The Crown Jewels

Another experience I will highly recommend, is a night time cruise down the Danube (we booked a dinner cruise via Legenda Sightseeing Boats,and it was spectacular!) Since Budapest is truly two different cities between day and night, it is a whole other experience seeing Parliament at night!