Hungarians citizens moved to Castle Hill in the 13th century, seeking protection from the Mongolian invasion; the first royal castle was built around this time by Béla IV. Castle Hill really flourished in the 15th century, after the marriage of King Matthias Corvinus and Beatrix of Naples led to an influx of Italian artists and craftsmen and Buda became an influential European city. Its fortunes have been up and down since: the Turkish occupation and World War II both led to huge damage. Today it has been restored to its former glory, and is now recognised as a World Heritage Site. The hill itself is a kilometre-long limestone plateau that towers over the Danube, offering a breathtaking panorama of the river and the Pest side of the city on the opposite bank. Below it there is a 28 kilometre-long web of caves formed by man-made passageways and thermal springs like those that fuel the city’s famous baths. Castle Hill has two main parts: the Old Town and the Royal Palace. Spread about it are many over Budapest’s most important medieval monuments and museums, including Trinity Square, Matthias Church and Fishermen’s Bastion. The most picturesque ways to reach it are either by walking across Széchenyi Chain Bridge and taking the Sikló, a railway built in 1870 that ascends steeply from Clark Ádám tér to Szent György tér near the Royal Palace, or by walking up the Royal Steps leading northwest off Clark Ádám tér. Although people still live here, cars are banned from the area: taxis, buses and those who work or live there have permission to go up.

Found on Castle Hill, this historic church is over 700 years old. It is a place fit for kings: it has been the site of several coronations, including that of the last Habsburg King Charles IV in 1916. It earned its name by virtue of the fact that King Matthias Corvinus married Beatriz here in 1474, ushering in a time when Castle Hill was the jewel of Buda as it became an increasingly influential European city. Each part of the church dates back from a different era, and together they provide a cross-section of Budapest’s turbulent history. The eastern gate was built in the 13th century, when citizens moved to Castle Hill for protection from the Mongols. The central part of the church was built in the 14th century, and from then on it was the place to crown kings. During the Turkish occupation, it became the city’s main mosque; the walls were whitewashes and strewn with carpets. Later, in the 17th century, parts of it were restored in Baroque style. But it was not until the end of the 19th century when it fully reclaimed its former splendour. Following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise it was the scene of a historic event: the coronation of Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth, which established the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Till death do us part Inside, the church is decorated with frescoes by two renowned Hungarian painters, Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz, who also designed the magnificent stained glass windows. But perhaps the most famous item is the exquisitely carved double sarcophagus of king Béla III and his wife Anne de Châtillon, with their loyal hounds at their feet. Although he lived before the church was built, in 1848 archaeologists found his remains in the city’s ruined cathedral and transported it here.

Fisherman’s Bastion is located just behind Matthias Church in the Castle District of Buda. A very, very long stairway, adorned with reliefs of coats-of-arms, links the bastion to the streets below — scale it if you dare. Built in a combination of neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque styles, with a twist of fantasy, the turrets and parapets look like something from a fairytale. In fact, the whole bastion looks rather like the Disney logo. The bastion was built as a viewing platform in 1905 by Frigyes Schulek, the same architect who helped restore Matthias Church to its former splendour after centuries of decay, and it offers one of the best views in Budapest — a city that is not lacking in magnificent panoramas. Perhaps only the views from Gellért Hill and Buda Castle can challenge it.  From the bastion there is a spectacular view of the Danube river and Pest on the other side. You can clearly see some of Budapest’s iconic landmarks, such as St Stephen’s Basilica and the Parliament, the two tallest buildings in Budapest, as well as the famous Chain Bridge. By night the buildings on the riverbank are floodlit, and the effect is tremendously dramatic. The great and the small The bastion’s seven dazzling milk-white turrets represent the seven chieftains of the Magyar tribes who brought their people into the Carpathian Basin in the 9th century and founded Hungary, but the monument owes its name to rather more modest men: the medieval guild of fishermen who were responsible for defending this stretch of wall during the Middle Ages.

Construction of St. Stephen's Basilica began in the mid-19th century, and it took over 50 years to complete. This was mainly due to the dome collapsing during a storm, an act of God which set them back a long time. But when the building was finally completed in 1905, its beauty made it more than worth the wait. It is the largest church in Budapest, holding up to 8,500 people. Although technically a cathedral, it was given the title of Basilica Minor by Pope Pius XI in 1931. Along with the Hungarian Parliament Building, it is one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest at 96 metres. This was no accident: it was meant to be symbolic of the equal standing of worldly and spiritual matters. Current regulations dictate that no building in Budapest can be taller. The height of 96 metres is itself also significant: it refers to 896, the year when the Magyar tribes settled in the Carpathian Basin, leading to the foundation of Hungary. Inside, the basilica is dark, sombre and beautiful. Many of Hungary’s most well-known sculptors and painters were called upon to contribute to the decoration of the interior. It’s certainly opulent, with more than fifty types of marble, exquisite little chapels and numerous sculptures — including one of St Stephen, naturally. Right-hand man The Holy Right Chapel is perhaps the highlight of the basilica. It allegedly contains the mummified right hand of St Stephen, who was the first King of Hungary and namesake of the basilica. This relic was pinched during World War II but it was returned home soon after. It is supposedly incorruptible, and is paraded through the city every year on August 20th, the anniversary of St Stephen’s death.

Budapest’s Great Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe, capable of seating 3,000 people, and is the heart of Hungary’s once much more populous Jewish community. It is also the centre of Neolog Judaism, a conservative part of the Jewish faith. It was built in five years from 1854 in the Moorish Revival style, but also features Byzantine, Romantic and Gothic elements, reflecting the great range of the Jewish diaspora. Inside, there is a beautiful rose window standing over the main entrance and an extraordinary organ which dates back to 1902. It is also contains the Hungarian Jewish Museum which includes 3rd century Jewish headstones from Roman Pannonia, along side a wealth of ritualistic silver. Battered, but not brokenThe Great Synagogue has been in the wars: it was bombed by pro-Nazi Hungarians in 1939, used as a radio base and stable by the Germans during World War II, suffered huge damage during the Siege of Budapest, and only started to be used again as a place of worship during the Communist era by the then greatly diminished Jewish community. Its restoration was only completed in 1998. Never forgetThe Great Synagogue was part of the Jewish Ghetto during World War II. On the synagogue’s north side there is a Holocaust memorial which looks over the mass graves of those murdered by the Nazis. Over 2,000 of the Jews confined to the Ghetto died of starvation and cold during the winter or 1944-45 and are buried here — which was atypical, as cemeteries are not usually found near synagogues. There is also a metal ‘tree of life’, designed by Imre Varga in 1991, on whose leaves you will find the names of some of the many thousands of victims. It is a beautiful tribute.

After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise in 1867 resulted in a dual monarchy, Hungary was more independent: it wrote its own constitution, and resolved to build a new, impressive parliament building to underline its sovereignty. 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones and 40 kilograms of gold later, the spectacular Hungarian Parliament Building was complete. It lies in Lajos Kossuth Square, on the bank of the Danube, and is currently the largest building in Hungary. It also holds the title of being the joint tallest building in Budapest, along with St Stephen’s Basilica. They both stand at 96 metres, and this was no accident: it symbolises the equal standing of worldly and spiritual matters in Budapest. The height of 96 metres refers to 896, the year when the Magyar tribes settled in the Carpathian Basin. The architect, Imre Steindl, sought to combine historical architecture with modern techniques, and the Hungarian Parliament is a fine example of historical eclecticism. It features elements of the Neo-Gothic style, with its many turrets and towers, but also takes inspiration from Renaissance and Byzantine traditions. Steindl may have based his design on the Houses of Parliament in London, but the result was far from imitation. The interior is just as stunning as the exterior: the staircase hall, for example, is a marvel, with its granite Corinthian columns, gilded ornaments and sprawling ceiling painting by Károly Lotz. The building also houses some treasures, including the Hungarian Crown Jewels which after World War II were given to the Americans for safekeeping from the Soviet Union. President Jimmy Carter eventually returned them in 1978.

Liberty Square or Szabadsag ter in Budapest is one of the largest squares in the city

Kossuth Lajos Square in Budapest surrounds the Hungarian Parliament Building, with statues and monuments.