Holiday homes & rentals in Budapest

Budapest is one of Europe's favourite destinations, and with good reason. Cultural opportunities housed in Baroque splendour contrasted with the pulsing annual music festival Sziget make this city a rich, varied mecca.

Discover the world's greatest Hungarian market

Hungarian markets are a phenomenon. With roots stretching back through the country's history, they are also a centre for its culture. Budapest's Great Market Hall is situated next to the main customs station on the Pest side of the Danube river. It has become an important meeting place over the years, and enjoys increasing popularity with foreign guests. It's a great place to stock up on Hungarian goods like salami, honey, and paprika, or enjoy goulash soup and sausages. The second level offers plenty of local souvenirs. Seasonal festivals also occasionally transform the stalls in this neo-Gothic structure, one of the city's most atmospheric and historic places.

A home to opera and culture

Discover the Hungarian State Opera, one of the most renowned examples of neo-Rennaissance architecture in Hungary. Fronted by statues of Liszt and Hungarian National Opera composer Alajos Strobl, it is also filled with Baroque art, and of course, offers regular musical performances. Buda Castle is Hungary's best known attraction, overlooking the city from its vertiginous position since the 13th century. Today it is home to several museums, including the Hungarian National Gallery, and is reachable by funicular if you'd rather not walk!

Children's Budapest

If you spend your vacation in Budapest, there will be plenty of activities for the whole family, including children. One of Europe's largest water parks, Aqua-World, is located in Budapest. It is a five-story building full of pools, suspension bridges and diving towers. But Aqua-World is not just for the youngest, there are plenty of other activities. How about a water massage, or maybe you want to learn how to surf in the park's surf pool?

If you want to do something outdoors, we recommend a visit to the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, which opened in 1866 and is one of the oldest of its kind in the world. Here you'll find everything from rhinos and tigers to a pony park where kids can go horseback riding.

Visit the free isle

Every year in August, Sziget Festival, the city's major music festival, is held on Óbuda Island. Drawing crowds from across the world, it hosts artists from multiple genres. Over 1,000 events take place across 60 stages at the festival, which has been awarded European Festival of the Year multiple times. All your favourites have likely headlined over the past few years, and besides the music, the festival grounds offer art and various scenes in which to simply relax.

Some of Budapest's best attractions

Parliament

You can't go to Budapest without seeing the Hungarian Parliament. In fact, it's barely possible, as the building rises 315 feet above the ground and is 938 feet long. The stately structure, completed in 1904, is built in the Gothic Revival style and stands in the center of Budapest overlooking the Danube. Rent a riverboat and take a closer look!

House of Terror

An intriguing, if somewhat eerie, attraction is the House of Terror. The museum depicts a tumultuous period when Hungary was ruled first by Nazis, and later by Communists. The House of Terror was a place where critics of the regime were imprisoned and tortured. Here you can visit the cell where Raoul Wallenberg was imprisoned. Despite all the horrors, the museum is a great experience and an important reminder of a dark time.

Elisabeth Bridge

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Budapest's two districts, Buda and Pest, are connected by eight bridges, of which the Elisabeth Bridge is the most famous. The bridge spans the Danube, and on the Buda side you are met by Gellért Mountain, with the famous statue of The Woman with the Palm Leaf. At the Pest side bridge abutment is the city's oldest church, the Belvarosi Plebania Templom, dating back to the 11th century.

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Slottshöjden

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The Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, is home to several of Budapest's most visited sights. The Matthias Church, built in the 14th century in neo-Gothic style, is a magical experience. But the most popular is the Fishing Bastion, a viewing terrace overlooking Pest. The bastion is recognizable by its seven towers, which extend like hands to the sky.

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Buda Castle

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On Slottshöjden you will also find the Buda Castle, or the 'Royal Castle', as it is also called. The castle is located at the top of Slottshöjden and to get up there you can either hike, or use the cable car that takes you the 167 feet up. To enter the Buda Castle you need to buy a ticket, and once inside you will find the Budapest Historical Museum. It's also an experience to wander around the castle's courtyards, and it's free.

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