The beauty of Budapest enchants even the most demanding visitor. The city consists of the hilly Buda and the flat Pest sides and between the two the Danube runs through. On both sides of the town there is much to be seen. Here are a few of the MUST SEE sights:

One of the most beautiful and main tourist attractions in Budapest, giving panorama view to both Buda and Pest side, the Castle District is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Buda side which encloses palaces (e.g. the Royal Palace; the Alexander Palace – residency of the persident), museums, theater, churches (e.g. the Matthias Church with the Fishermen-s bastillion) as well as cafes and bars.
Walking through the 4000 sqm labyrinth under the Castle Hill is one of the most exciting tour in Budapest.

The Citadel is on top of one of the many hills of Buda (Gellért Hill). It was built in the 19 th century by the Austrian Emperor and functioned as a fortress; now it is a touristic centre. The visitor has one of the most spectacular views over Buda and Pest and the elaborate green cast iron Liberty bridge (Szabadság híd).The 40 metres tall Statue of Liberty can be seen even from the outskirts.

The gigantic communist monuments that used to ornament the parks and squares of Budapest but got obsolete after the recent political changes in Hungary were collected in this park. Statues of (among others) Lenin, Marx, Engels can be seen here. It's an exhibition without parallel in the world.

Designed by Imre Steindl, the 268-metres-long, 118-metres-wide and 96-metres-high neogothic house of the Parliament is the most famous building and one the most spectacle sights of the country. 10 inner courts, 242 statues and the works of the best artists of the 19th century embellish the eclectic building. The Parliament is the house of the The Holy Crown of Hungary and the coronational regalias.
The Parliamant can be visited in guided tours.

The largest church in Hungary, it was designed by József Hild in 1845. Due to serious construction errors the dome collapsed in 1851. Then the remainder of the church was demolished and replaced by a neo-Renaissance design by Miklós Ybl. This one is still standing, even though it got heavily damaged during World War II.

The interior of the basilica is breathtaking. Among the most valued sights within the church are the relics of St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary. In the chapel of the Holy Right you can find a piece of his skull, and in the church itself the most sacred relic in all of Hungary is on display in a golden display case: the mummified right hand of Stephen. A bit grisly, but very fascinating.

Not only described as the Champs Elysees of Budapest, Andrássy street and its environs are also listed World Heritage Sites. The avenue received its name after Count Gyula Andrássy, Hungary' prime minister between 1867-1871, who cared about Budapest and did much to develop it into a true metropolis.
There are numerous important cultural and historical buildings and sights of Budapest that can be reached in a few minutes along the road, like the Opera House, the Music Academy, Liszt Ferenc square, the Pesti Broadway with its many theatres and bars, and the Szechenyi Bath.
There are also elegant mansions and villas on Andrássy street that display architectural styles from the second half of the 19th century.

One of the best opera houses in Europe, comparable only to the Paris and the Viennese opera, had it's first performance in 1884. It is a fantastic neo-Renessaince building on Andrássy street. The Milleneum Undergroung exit is directly in front of it.

The interior is heavily decorated with real and fake marble, the bar has a cigar lounge and fantastic paintings on the ceiling, the main hall is decorated with 3 kilograms of gold leaf. Franz Josef II. had his very own lodge here and during his absence Empress Sissy liked to visit the opera on her own, for this purpose there was a lodge built just for her. There are organized tours in the house but it is not a whole lot more expensive to see a performance as well.

Andrássy street ends in grandeur at Heroes' Square. In the center of the square stands the Milleneum Monument, a semicircular twin colonnade with statues of Hungary's kings and leaders between its pillars. Set back in its open center, a 118-foot stone column is crowned by a dynamic statue of Archangel Gabriel, his outstretched arms bearing the ancient emblems of Hungary. At its base ride seven bronze horsemen: the Magyar chieftains, led by Árpád, whose tribes conquered the land in 896.

- The Museum of Fine Arts - both its permanent and temporary exhibitions worth a visit
- Hall of Art (Mûcsarnok) - home of Hungarian and international contemporary exhibitions

In 1991 Pope John Paul II conducted a mass here. In 1995 Madonna was shooting on this square a scene from the film Evita (supposedly set in Argentina, not Hungary).

Continental Europe's first underground line (M1 or yellow metro line) runs underneath Andrássy street, connecting the bustling downtown Budapest with the City Park behind Heroes' Square. The park is a place for entertainment and relaxation with the Amusement Park, Budapest Zoo and Botanical Gardens and the Széchenyi Bath. The lake entices you to rowing in summer or ice skating in winter.

The castle was first built of cardboard and wood for the World Exhibition in 1896. It was a monument to 1000 years of Magyar inhabitation and was supposed to give insight in the architectural past of Hungary and combined several small reproductions of buildings representing different architectural periods in history. The building proved to be so popular that after the Exhibition, they rebuilt the castle in stone. Part of it now houses the Agricultural Museum.

It is one of the oldest zoos in the world (completed in 1911), and some of the beautiful turn-of-the-century buildings, including the entrance gate, are still intact. The cast iron fence surrounding the zoo alone is worth a stroll along that direction.

The largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world after the Emanuel Synagogue in New York. Completed in 1859, it was built in a Moorish-Byzantine style by the Austrian architect Ludwig Förster. The building was partly destroyed by bombing campaigns during World War II, but has been the subject of much renovation to restore its two shining Moorish domes to their former brilliance. The Jewish Museum next door recounts the horrors of the Holocaust and displays exhibits dating as far back as the Middle Ages. The museum, which was built between 1931 and 1936, stands on the former home of Theodor Herzl, who was the founding father of Zionism and responsible for developing the idea of a modern Jewish state.

Built between 1837 and 1847 after the design of Mihály Pollack, this museum is one of the most explicit examples of Hungarian Classicism. With more than 8000 square meters of exhibition space it's the largest museum in Hungary. The National Museum is one of the focal points of celebrations marking the national holiday of March 15. Inside Hungarian history is presented from the foundation of the state up to 1990, with a special focus on the Roman period, the Middle Ages and the early modern times. As the museum played a great role in the revolution of 1848-49, this era and 20th century history are also elaborately displayed.