7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Budapest, Hungary

Budapest was formed in 1873 from the merger of three towns, Buda, Óbuda and Pest, on opposite banks of the Danube, and the skyline that resulted, neo-Gothic spires on the Pest side facing a hilltop castle district across the river, has made the city one of Central Europe's most photographed. Add a working tradition of public thermal bathing and a nightlife scene built inside derelict buildings rather than purpose-built venues, and Budapest offers a wider range of shots than its riverfront alone suggests. Here are seven of its most photographed spots.

1. Hungarian Parliament Building

Completed in 1904 in a neo-Gothic style modelled partly on London's Houses of Parliament, this is Hungary's largest building and, from across the river or from a Danube cruise boat, the single most photographed structure in the city, especially when its riverside floodlighting comes on after dusk.

2. Fisherman's Bastion

A neo-Romanesque terrace built between 1895 and 1902 on Castle Hill, designed more for the view than for any defensive purpose its name suggests, with seven turrets said to represent the seven Magyar tribes that founded Hungary, and framed views straight across the river to the Parliament building.

3. Széchenyi Chain Bridge

Opened in 1849 as the first permanent bridge across the Danube linking Buda and Pest, the Chain Bridge's stone lions and suspension towers remain the classic foreground for a skyline shot, particularly at night when its cables are lit.

4. Buda Castle and the Castle District

The royal palace complex atop Castle Hill, largely rebuilt after wartime damage, anchors a UNESCO-listed old town of cobbled streets, Matthias Church's tiled roof among them, reached on foot, by bus or by the Budapest Castle Hill Funicular, itself a 19th-century structure.

5. Széchenyi Thermal Bath

One of Europe's largest public bathing complexes, opened in 1913 and fed by natural thermal springs, its mustard-yellow neo-Baroque courtyard and outdoor pools, often used by locals for chess as much as by visitors for photographs, are the most recognisable of Budapest's many thermal baths.

6. Ruin bars in the Jewish Quarter

Budapest's ruin bar scene began in the early 2000s when entrepreneurs began repurposing derelict pre-war buildings and courtyards in the Jewish Quarter into bars filled with mismatched furniture and street art, Szimpla Kert, the original and best known, remains the anchor of the district.

7. New York Café

Opened in 1894 and restored to its original Italian Renaissance-style interior, this ornate coffeehouse on the Pest side, with painted ceilings, chandeliers and marble columns, is regularly listed among the most elaborately decorated cafés in the world.

Traveller tips

• Budapest's airport, Ferenc Liszt International, has no direct flight from India; most journeys connect through the Gulf or Europe.
• Bring or rent a swimsuit for Széchenyi and Budapest's other thermal baths; locker and cabin rental is available on site.
• The Parliament building's interior can only be seen on a guided tour, which sells out in peak season, so booking ahead is worth doing.
• Ruin bars are busiest and most atmospheric after dark; the Jewish Quarter is walkable and generally safe for an evening out on foot.