The spectacular Royal Palace Budapest sits high atop Castle Hill, where it towers almost 150 feet above the city and overlooks the Danube and the Pest side of the river. The palace in Budapest is also known as Buda Castle, and is a top Hungarian attraction for many reasons. The site is clearly historically significant, with centuries of history bottled up in its walls. Its also architecturally interesting, a composite of many styles. Furthermore, the palace is not simply to be looked at. There are additional points of interest inside—a national library, art museum, and history museum cater to the wide-ranging interests of visitors. To top it all off, the view from the Hungarian Palace is truly splendid.

The history of the Royal Palace Budapest dates to the thirteenth century. The first royal residence on the hill was built by King Bela IV, who wanted to protect the city against invasions from the Mongols. Following King Bela's reign and his work on the palace, the building went through many cycles of growth and expansion and, sadly, destruction. Some of the major builders were King Sigismund Luxemburg of Hungary and King Matthias Corivnus (the namesake of Budapest's Matthias Church), who added significantly to it in the sixteenth century. The building has suffered its fair share of destruction, being bombed and burned several times in its history. In particular, the Palace in Budapest last took a serious beating during World War II, when it was almost entirely destroyed. Thankfully, in the 1950s, modern and thorough restorations of the Hungarian palace began, and the building is now a pleasing mix of architectural styles.

Today the Palace in Budapest is one of the top things to do in Budapest and Hungary. After soaking up the history and the building's grand façade, step inside to tour one or more of the several museums contained inside the palace. Inside the building are the National Library, National Gallery, and the Budapest History Museum. The National Library was founded in 1802 by the Hungarian aristocrat Count Ferenc Széchényi. Széchényi, who donated his large collection of Hungarian books to the nation. Unstinting in his patriotism, Count Széchényi, also donated his private art collection to the country in the early nineteenth century, instigating the creation of the National Gallery, which is also now housed inside the palace. In the National Gallery's excellent collection you you can see Hungarian paintings spanning several centuries, all the way from the tenth century to the present. With so many attractions in one spot, not to mention the excellent views of the city, a visit to the Royal Palace Budapest during your Hungarian vacation is not to be missed.

Hungary Map

After a tour of the attractions inside the building, step outside and take in the choice views from the top of Castle Hill. Located on the banks of the Danube on Palota Utca (Palace Street), the Hungarian Palace is beautiful to look at but also provides beautiful views of the Budapest cityscape; from the Royal Palace Budapest and the Danube are in full view. From the high perch of the Royal Palace Budapest looks absolutely stunning, especially at night when below the Royal Palace Budapest is spread out in lights and splendor.