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P O L I T I KTHE BUDAPEST TIMES
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B U D A P E S T
„LEE REANEY
I
nitial plans were drafted as ear-
ly as 1895; however construction
didn’t begin until after World War
II and the line wasn’t completed until
1970. Today the red line links up with
Lines One and Three at Deák Ference
tér, and connects with two of the city’s
most important railway stations – Ke-
leti (Eastern) and Déli (Southern).
A major reconstruction was car-
ried out in 2008, and Line Two also
takes travellers to such popular des-
tinations as the multi-purpose Puskás
Ferenc Stadium, the Király Thermal
Bath and Budapest’s original ruin
pub, Szimpla Kert. So whether you’re
a sports fan, history buff, political afi-
cionado, shop-‘til-you-drop type or pub
lover – Line Two is sure to have some-
thing special just for you.
Pest – the Hungarian home
of sports and politics
Our tour begins at the easternmost
terminus of the line at Örs Vezér tere,
a major transportation hub that links
travellers to the Hungarian suburban
train system and features a tram and
bus hub alongside the Arkad and Ark-
ad 2 shopping centres.
Horse-racing enthusiasts may want
to stop at Pillangó utca to catch a race
at the nearby Kincsem Park, however
the next must-see stop for most sight-
seers will be at Puskás Ferenc Stadi-
on – Hungary’s sports hub. Here vis-
itors will find Budapest’s sports and
entertainment district where they
EXPLORE BUDAPEST BY METRO – PART 3
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beer, a bath and more
Budapest’s Line Two, also known as the Red Line, takes passengers to some of the city’s most popular
sightseeing destinations, including the Hungarian Parliament, Matthias Church and the iconic Buda Castle.
It is the city’s second oldest, the first to cross the Danube and the only metro
to link Buda with Pest until the opening of Line Four last year.
Suggested Route: Puskás Ferenc Stadion - Blaha Lujza tér - Astoria -
Kossuth Lajos tér - Batthyany tér - Széll Kálmán tér.
Highlights: Buda Castle, Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Hungarian Parliament,
Matthias Church, Király Thermal Bath, Puskás Ferenc Stadium
and Budapest’s original ruin pub (Szimpla Kert).
The More You Know: With daily rider-
ship exceeding 450,000, the Budapest
Metro authorities were forced to replace
the decrepit Line Two Soviet trains with
new air-conditioned Alstom Metropolis
carriages in 2013.
3. THE BUDAPEST TIMES
26
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B U D A P E S T
can catch handball, boxing, ice hock-
ey and musical concerts at the Papp
László Budapest Sports Arena; ten-
nis at the Syma Event and Congress
Centre; basketball and ice hockey at
the Kisstadion; or football and major
outdoor concerts at the Ferenc Puskás
Stadion, the largest in Hungary.
The stadium, which originally held
over 100,000 spectators, was espe-
cially built in the hope of hosting the
Olympic Games, though it never did.
Now undergoing an extensive refur-
bishment, the venue – which is home
to the Hungarian national football
team - hopes to host the Opening Cer-
emony of the 2024 Olympic Games, for
which Hungary is considering a bid.
The next stop on the tour takes us
to Keleti pályaudvar (train station)
which, in addition to being Budapest’s
main train station, is home to Buda-
pest’s largest shopping mall – Arena
Plaza. Among the first Western-style
shopping plazas in all of Central and
Eastern Europe, it hosts a variety of
services for shoppers, including an in-
door ice skating rink, a rooftop garden
and an IMAX movie theatre that of-
fers some showings in English.
Your next stop will be Blaha Lu-
jza tér (named after a Hungarian
actress), a major transport junction
linking Line Two with Trams 4 and 6
that run the length of Budapest’s won-
derful Grand Boulevard. Step out here
to go for a coffee at the magnificent
New York Café.
This opulent restaurant, now part of
the luxury Boscolo Budapest Hotel, in-
itially opened in 1894 and underwent a
major reconstruction in 2006 to bring
the eatery back to its original glory.
Your next stop is at Astoria, home
of the Astoria Hotel – where scenes
from the 2004 Annette Benning-Jere-
my Irons film “Being Julia” were shot
– and the nearby Dohány utca Syn-
agogue, better known as The Great
Synagogue. Built in the mid-19th cen-
tury in Moorish Revival style, it is one
of the largest synagogues in the world
and at one time marked the border of
Budapest’s Jewish ghetto.
If you haven’t yet checked out the
city’s tram museum, be sure to give it
a look when you get to Deák Ferenc
tér. If you have, then keep moving on
to the last stop on the Pest side of the
river, Kossuth Lajos tér, home of the
Hungarian Parliament and many of
the major political moments in mod-
ern Hungarian history.
The Parliament building (pictured) is
a wonder in its own right; completed in
time for Hungary’s millennium celebra-
tions in 1896, the Gothic Revival-style
building remains the largest in Hun-
gary and the tallest in Budapest. One
of the largest parliaments in the world
and one of the most photographed sites
in Budapest, the stunning building
houses the Holy Crown of Hungary and
features majestic stained-glass win-
dows and stunning glass mosaics.
Also found at the square are the
wonderful Ethnographic Museum and
Interesting fact: Featuring the deepest
metro station and the longest escalator
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metres underground) this was the first
metro line to connect Buda with Pest.
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B U D A P E S T
the memorial to the 1956 Hungarian
Revolution.
Buda – marvel
in the medieval city
While you’re free to catch the met-
ro under the Danube to the next sta-
tion, Batthyány ter, we recommend
instead taking a stroll across one of
Europe’s most legendary rivers on its
most famous bridge – the Széchenyi
Chain Bridge. The suspension bridge,
the first to connect Buda with Pest, is
known as one of the world’s pre-em-
inent architectural wonders and car-
ries cultural relevance in Europe
much the same way that the Brooklyn
Bridge does in the United States.
The bridgehead on the Buda side
is also the centre of possibly the
most-visited sites in Budapest – Fish-
erman’s Bastion, Matthias Church
and Buda Castle District. Another one
of Budapest’s UNESCO-recognised
World Heritage Sites, the Castle Dis-
trict – also known as the Royal Cas-
tle – is a 13th-century castle complex
known for its medieval and Baroque
architecture, churches and other pub-
lic buildings.
Katy Perry fans might recognise the
area because it served as the back-
ground for her viral hit “Firework”.
Nearby, guests of Budapest will find the
11th-century gem Matthias Church.
This sumptuous Roman Catholic ca-
thedral was originally crafted in Ro-
manesque style but was reworked into
its haunting Gothic manifestation in
the late 14th century. The building was
wonderfully restored at a cost of HUF
9.4 billion in 2013 and houses replicas
of the Hungarian Royal Crown and cor-
onation jewels.
The cathedral rests along the Fish-
erman’s Bastion (pictured) – among
the most popular sites in Budapest for
photographers. The neo-Gothic and
neo-Romanesque terrace offers deli-
cious views of the Danube, the Parlia-
ment Building and Buda Castle, which
is why it was chosen as a Pit Stop in
the sixth season of the popular Ameri-
can television show The Amazing Race.
A 1.4-kilometre walk from the Bas-
tion down the hill towards the river and
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to Roman times, will take you to one
of Budapest’s premiere spa locations –
the Király Thermal Bath. After a long
day of exploring Budapest’s rich medi-
eval history, what better way to relax
than to take a dip in warm therapeu-
tic waters of the city’s oldest thermal
bath? Oozing with Ottoman charm, the
once male-only waters that served the
Empire’s sultans are now open to both
sexes daily from 9am to 9pm.
After you’ve finished relaxing, take
the half-kilometre hike back to Bat-
thyany tér and hop on the metro to
Széll Kálmán ter. Be sure to jump out
here to catch a ride on Hungary’s long-
est escalator, as this metro stop is the
deepest in Budapest at 38.4 metres.
Feel free to head on out to Városma-
jor Park, where you can find the city’s
historic cog-wheel railway. Dating to
1874, this normal-gauge, single-track
railway will delight any transporta-
tion lover with its scenic sightlines
and romantic feel. The best thing is
that it is considered part of Budapest’s
transportation system (Tram #60), so
you can use your metro pass to ride.
The final stop on the Line Two
tour is at its western terminus, Déli
pályaudvar. This transport hub will
link you with the Southern (Déli) rail-
way station, as well as city trams and
buses. Of course, you could just head
back to Fisherman’s Bastion for the
once-in-a-lifetime view of the sunset
along the Danube in front of the Par-
liament building. Trust us – it’s a view
that you just can’t miss out on!
Interesting fact: Fisherman’s Bastion – a
picturesque Neo-Gothic terrace on the
Buda bank of the Danube - was a Pit
Stop in Season Six of the US version of
The Amazing Race.
