The interior is very striking. Despite the vaulting and the stained glass windows, it's nothing like

Other option is to take the V rbusz (Castle bus: no. 16 and 16A), it departs every few minutes from Sz ll K lm n t r (formerly called Moszkva t r) ( M2, red metro line , or tram 4,6). A more romantic way of getting to the Castle is by taking the steps leading up the hill from Clark Adam Square.
You can choose from several tasting packages based on wine producing regions. The cellar also offers tasting of p linka , a traditional Hungarian fruit spirit - there's cheap last minute air travel a choice of 30 types of p linka.
First inhabitants moved up here in the 13th century after the devastating Mongol attacks. Budapest Castle District's Golden Age started when the Royal Court moved here. During the 15th century, under the rule of King Matthias, cheap last minute air travel Buda became one of Europe s most influential cities.
After the Turks the Habsburgs moved here. Reconstructions began immediately, following cheap last minute air travel the old street layout. The Castle became a government district. The current elegant Baroque appearance was formed by the mid 18th century.
Reconstructions after the war rebuilt Budapest Castle District: the buildings by the Habsburgs were reconstructed, the street cheap last minute air travel pattern cheap last minute air travel of the medieval city has been kept and much of the architectural features have been restored.
The so-called Europe Grove is to the right of the Gate. Mayors of all the major European cities planted rare trees here in 1972. You'll find about 16 types of trees here, for example Turkish hazel and Japanese cherry.
On the corner of Kapisztr n t r and Orsz gh z utca, you bump into the Maria Magdalene Tower . It was a Franciscan church in medieval cheap last minute air travel times. Under the Turkish rule this was the only Christian church; the Turks converted cheap last minute air travel all the other churches into mosques. Since this was the only Christian church, both Catholics cheap last minute air travel and Protestants used it. In the end, the Turks converted it into a mosque as well. The church was destroyed in World War II, only its 15th century tower survived the bombings.
Visit its room devoted to the 1956 Uprising and you'll find out everything important about these 13 chaotic days. The hand of the legendary Stalin Statue is here too. People destroyed the statue in the huge parking area behind M csarnok in Heroes' Square during the uprising. A remarkable cheap last minute air travel historical weapon collection, uniforms, cheap last minute air travel flags and coins are also exhibited in this museum.
Admission is 10 % less if you have a Budapest Card . The card entitles you to discount admission to a wide range of attractions cheap last minute air travel in Budapest (museums, baths etc.) as well as you can travel on the Budapest public transport services free with your card.
TIP: Buy your Budapest card online here (the 24-hour card costs 3 900 HUF, the 48-hour card is 9 900 HUF (incl. a Hop on Hop off Bus Tour and a Cruise on the Danube) the 72-hour one is 7 900 HUF) . It's convenient and secure.
According to a legend our first king St. Stephen started to build the church, but it hasn't been proved yet. Historical proof shows that King B la IV founded the church in 1255 after he moved his court up to Castle Hill from buda.
However, its name comes from the fact that the popular King Matthias held both of his weddings cheap last minute air travel here. The main eastern gate and the long apse are 13th century, the central part was built around 1400. Every king and era added something to the church.
In 1541 the Turks captured Buda and transformed it into a mosque . They celebrated their victory cheap last minute air travel here. Luckily the church's treasures had already been moved from Budapest Castle District to Bratislava.
After the Habsburgs recaptured Buda in 1686, Matthias Church came under Jesuit patronage. Frigyes Schulek rebuilt Matthias Church n neo-Gothic style at the turn of the last century. He incorporated the 13th century remains in the new design. You can view a King Matthias' small collection of religious treasures in the church museum.
cheap last minute air travel The interior is very striking. Despite the vaulting and the stained glass windows, it's nothing like a Gothic cathedral; it has a sort of mystic, Eastern atmosphere . The wall paintings are scenes from the Bible and events cheap last minute air travel from Hungary's cheap last minute air travel history.
As part of the renovations the Fishermen s Bastion was added in 1905. There are two explanations cheap last minute air travel about the origin of the Bastion s name: some say a fish market was nearby in the Middle Ages, according to others the Guild of Fishermen defended this part of the wall.
Despite its name it's a look-out terrace . It has seven turrets one for each of the Hungarian tribes. The design was inspired by the Far East. Kitchs but beautiful according to the writer Szerb Antal.
TIP: to enjoy the breathtaking view and a fine meal try the Hal szb stya Restaurant. You can eat inside the Knight Hall or enjoy the panorama from one of the terraces (Margar ta Terrace, Hal szb stya Terrace) (entrance is to the right of the Fishermen's Bastion).
To make the area even more romantic, beneath Budapest Castle Hill stretches a labyrinth of caves , tunnels and cellars. It's about 10 km in length and a section of about 1.5 km is open to visitors. cheap last minute air travel Part of the labyrinth was formed naturally; the other parts were excavated mostly in the Middle Ages for protection purposes. During World War II thousands lived through the siege down there.
Medieval architecture - travel back in time under the ground to see the magnificent royal palace of King Sigismund of Luxembourg and King Matthias as well as monuments from the era of the Turkish rule,
The original Royal Palace was destroyed and rebuilt many times. Its history is very much like that of the Matthias Church's. King B la IV started building a palace in the 13th century after the Mongol invasion. The original Gothic Palace was built and expanded cheap last minute air travel for 300 years.
The golden era of the palace was under the rule of King Matthias (1451-90). It was totally destroyed in 1686 when the Habsburg army liberated Buda from the Turkish occupation. The Habsburgs built a completely new, small Baroque palace in the beginning of the 18th century. It was damaged cheap last minute air travel again in the 1848-49 War of Independence. The following reconstruction almost doubled it in length at the end of the 19th century (now it's 304 m long) and a large wing was attached to the back. In 1945 it was the last defense of the German troops in Budapest. Post-war reconstruction revealed Gothic and Renaissance foundations that have been incorporated in the building during the works. Thus the Palace is a mix of architectural styles.
TIP: visit the new temporary exhibition titled Light and Shadow-The 1000 year History of the Hungarian Capital in the History Museum that introduces the history of Budapest in a chronological order using the meandering Danube as motif.
The Hungarian Virtuosi Orchestra regularly gives concerts in teh Castle District. They used to performed in Matthias Church but due to the renovation works of the church concerts are held in the Lutheran Church (Budav ri Evang likus Templom, address: T ncsics M. u. 28.) and in the ball room of Hilton Budapest cheap last minute air travel Castle.
This small bakery is in a narrow alley connecting T rnok utca with ri utca and specializes in strudels with various fillings (cottage cheese, cherry, apple etc.). We tried strudels of several other Budapest cheap last minute air travel bakeries but R tesv r's are the most delicious.
For something more substantial, your best bet is Caf Pierrot in Fortuna utca. Besides Hungarian dishes you can choose from a variety of pastas and sandwiches. It has a free wireless internet access for its customers.
According to their motto 21 Magyar offers Hungarian cuisine as it used to be in the good old days , updated to the 21st century . The wine list includes only Hungarian wines from the country's best wineries (Tam s G nzer Vill ny, Tam s D zsi Szeksz rd, Kony ri Winery Balatonlelle, Otto L gli Balatonbogl r, St. Andrea in Eger).
The menu of Arany Kavi r represents traditional Russian cuisine and the classical cuisine of the court of the Czars influenced by French cuisine. Guests can choose from the 5 course Tasting Menu , changed regularly, or the 8 course Gourmet Menu , both very popular.
Apart from the menu, the restaurant pays special attention to the selection of wines and spirits, which are chosen by two sommeliers from famous Hungarian wine cellars and from among the masterpieces produced by smaller artisan wineries.
Alab rdos is in a 400 year old gothic building in Orsz gh z utca (a small street opposite Matthias Church). The restaurant specializes in Hungarian cuisine but they're open to new culinary trends. The wine lists offers 70-80 different types of wine form Hungary's cheap last minute air travel various wine regions.