Another way to see the city

On the Buda side of Budapest, there are two hills, the Castle Hill and the Gellert Hill.  The latter is taller than Castle Hill and offers beautiful views of the city. 

It is possible to walk up the mountain and enjoy the fresh air.  A large part of the Hill is a park with pathways that can lead you all the way to the Citadel and the Liberty Statue.

You can access the top via Elizabeth Bridge or the Liberty Bridge.

One of the best ways to visit is by foot.  You start from one end, reach the top and go down the other way. 

That will allow you to see:

or vice versa if you are starting from the Liberty Bridge.

The Gellert monument can be seen from all over the city.   It is in memory of a Bishop who was a victim of the cities religious control.  Born in Italy, he was invited to visit Hungary and eventually became the tutor of the King’s son.  During a   revolt, he was thrown off the hill that now bears his name.

The Citadel was built in 1849 under the reign of the Habsburgs.  Canons were installed, which can still be found on site, and was meant to insight fear in the city.  While it was not used by the Austrian rulers, it was by the Communist during the 1956 revolution. 

The Liberation monument, next to the Citadel, commemorates the liberation of Budapest by the Russian army in 1947.

The Church in the Rock is unique, and you are free to peruse my previous post on this site.  Although it doesn’t have a free entrance, I never seen anything like it. It is simple, and yet you discover it as if each room is filled with treasure.

The main façade of Gellert Hotel and spa is breathtaking.  This imposing building, with its numerous balconies, should have attracted more of my attention due to its hidden beautiful gardens which I should have tried better to see.   It sits at the foot of the hill and next to the Liberty Bridge.

Gellert hill and the Liberation Monument are free to access, however and for an unknown reason, we went back to the Castle Hill on our second visit but not on top of Gellert Hill.  Don’t get me wrong, the view is nice but there is more to see and do on Castle Hill around the Fisherman’s Bastion.

For an overview of Budapest click here.

For all posts on Budapest/Hungary click here.