landmark
Széchenyi Chain Bridge
Budapest's most iconic bridge and the first permanent crossing of the Danube between Buda and Pest, a symbol of Hungarian national pride.
0 km · about 5 min drive
Budapest, Hungary · Europe
Budapest works well as a base: 1km from Matthias Church.
Budapest is a major city located in Budapest, Hungary. With a population of 1,741,041, it is one of the largest urban centers in Europe.
On a road trip, Budapest sits in Hungary, where you drive on the right. It's in the Europe/Budapest time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Budapest to your route.
The interwar Kingdom of Hungary, referred to retrospectively as the Regency, the Horthy era, the Horthy regime, and Horthyist Hungary, was the Hungarian state under a monarchy from 1920 to 1946 under the rule of Miklós Horthy for most of its existence, who officially represented the Hungarian monarchy after a periodRead more
of revolutions and the counter-revolution as the Regent of Hungary. In reality there was no king, and attempts by King Charles IV to return to the throne shortly before his death were prevented by Horthy.
Horthy came to power after suppressing the Hungarian Soviet Republic during the period of White Terror, installing an authoritarian political system relying on the traditional economic elites and bureaucracy. Hungary under Horthy was characterized by its conservative, nationalist, and fiercely anti-communist character; some historians have described this system as para-fascist. The government was based on an unstable alliance of conservatives and right-wingers; while conservatism was predominant in the 1920s, afterwards Horthy manoeuvered between conservatives and the far right with fascist leanings. Foreign policy was characterized by revisionism — the total or partial revision of the Treaty of Trianon, which had seen Hungary lose over 70% of its historic territory along with over three million Hungarians, who mostly lived in the border territories outside the new borders of the kingdom, in the Kingdom of Romania in Transylvania and the newly created states of Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (in greatly enlarged Romania there also remained a significant Hungarian population in Székely Land). Republican Austria, the successor of the former other half of the dual monarchy also received some minor territory from Hungary. Thus the post-1918 kingdom can be described as a rump state. Hungary's interwar politics were dominated by a focus on the territorial losses suffered from this treaty, with the resentment continuing until the present. After a period of international isolation in the 1920s, it began maintaining ties with Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.
Nazi Germany's influence in Hungary has led some historians to conclude that the country increasingly became a client state after 1938. The Kingdom of Hungary was an Axis power during World War II, intent on regaining Hungarian-majority territory that had been lost in the Treaty of Trianon, which it mostly did in early 1941 after the First and Second Vienna Awards and after joining the German invasion of Yugoslavia. By 1944, following heavy setbacks for the Axis, Horthy's government negotiated secretly with the Allies, and also considered leaving the war. Because of this Hungary was occupied by Germany and Horthy was deposed. The extremist Arrow Cross Party's leader Ferenc Szálasi established a new Nazi-backed government, effectively turning Hungary into a German-occupied puppet state. As the Soviet Union reached Hungary, its anti-fascist parties found it possible to create a counter-government which sided with the Soviet Union in the last months of the war and began progressive reforms and the transition towards a republic.
After World War II, the country fell within the Soviet Union's sphere of influence. It changed its name to the Hungarian State (Hungarian: Magyar Állam) and the Second Hungarian Republic was soon thereafter proclaimed in 1946, succeeded by the communist Hungarian People's Republic in 1949.
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Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Budapest.
Budapest offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.
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Budapest is located in Budapest, Hungary, Europe. The coordinates are 47.4984 latitude, 19.0404 longitude.
Budapest has a population of approximately 1,741,041 people, making it a major city in Hungary.
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Essential numbers in Hungary
e-vignette required for motorways. Zero alcohol limit for drivers.
Full driving guide for Hungary8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Budapest's most iconic bridge and the first permanent crossing of the Danube between Buda and Pest, a symbol of Hungarian national pride.
0 km · about 5 min drive
cathedral
A richly decorated Gothic church in Budapest's Castle District with colorful Zsolnay ceramic roof tiles.
1 km · about 5 min drive
landmark
A breathtaking neo-Gothic masterpiece on the Danube riverbank and one of the largest parliament buildings in the world.
1 km · about 5 min drive
scenic viewpoint
A fairy-tale neo-Romanesque terrace on Castle Hill offering the most iconic panoramic views over Budapest and the Danube.
1 km · about 5 min drive
cafe
Hungary's grand confectionery institution on Vörösmarty Square, serving cakes since 1858. Its Gerbeaud slice and dobos torte under chandeliered ceilings made it the benchmark of Hungarian pastry art.
1 km · about 5 min drive
cafe
Budapest's eclectic-renaissance coffee palace of 1894, all gilded twisted columns, frescoes and chandeliers: the literary headquarters of turn-of-the-century Hungary, often called the most beautiful café in the world. Expect a queue.
2 km · about 5 min drive
landmark
Monumental square at the end of Andrassy Avenue in Budapest, with the Millennium Memorial colonnade and two flanking art museums.
3 km · about 5 min drive
landmark
One of the largest public thermal bath complexes in Europe, a grand neo-baroque palace filled with steaming mineral-rich pools.
4 km · about 5 min drive
April to October
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