Vienna Gate, Budapest

Enjoy a 3-hour walking tour of Castle Hill and explore the monuments of Budapest’s oldest neighborhoods. Wander down cobblestone streets to see Baroque and Gothic façades, and gaze at the imposing palace on the southern tip of Castle Hill as well as the colored roof of Matthias Church. Explore the seat of royal power, rebuilt, extended, burned down and rebuilt again before it got its current appearance after World War II. Stroll past the Presidential Palace and National Dance Theatre to enter Castle Hill’s residential district, and learn how it was destroyed by the Hapsburg¬ troops that retook it from the Turks in 1686, and again when the Russians crushed the besieged troops of Nazi¬ Germany in 1945. Marvel at the decorated roof of Matthias Church, before a look at its amazing interior. The remnants of a Medieval synagogue, and a monument to the last Turkish pasha to rule Buda bear witness to the area’s multi-ethnic past. Along the way, see numerous town palaces, including an 18th-century pharmacist’s house where you will get an insight into the extensive damage caused by the siege of Buda in the first months of 1945. Visit a secret garden, and see 2 wooden hussars and a stone statue of a hussar who conquered Berlin. Hear about the mythical Turul bird, a genius baron and his amazing chess machine, and the reason why the bells of Catholic churches chime at Midday. End your tour at Vienna Gate, and enjoy views to Obuda (Old Buda), where the Romans founded the city as “Aquincum.”