Central districts of Budapest – V-VII.

All you need to know about the interesting places of Budapest’s central districts, District V, VI and VII.

The central districts of Budapest truly show the side of the city that never sleeps – there’s always something to do. Looking for amazing sightseeing opportunities? Hungry for some delicious street food? Itching for a good dance until the morning? You can have it all in district V, VI, and VII. Read on and discover them along the way.

District V of Budapest (Lipótváros)

District V lies along the Danube right in the middle of the city’s Pest side. Fun fact: a part of it used to be an independent city in the mid-15^th century with walls where today’s avenues are. The district’s northern part just touches the Margaret Bridge and the always busy Nyugati railway station. You can find popular sightseeing destinations here, such as the Hungarian Parliament Building on Kossuth tér, Szabadság tér with its controversial Soviet memorial, and the Shoes on the Danube Bank Holocaust Memorial on the Danube promenade nearby.

Szabadság tér is a place that definitely deserves your attention, since it regularly hosts markets, concerts, beer festivals, and other events, such as watching the football World Cup or European Cup on huge screens.

The middle of the district is basically the downtown area of Budapest with famous places such as the Chain Bridge, the Vigadó, St. Stephen’s Basilica, as well as Deák Ferenc tér and Erzsébet tér, the most central squares of the city. They’re also regular hosts of culinary events and outdoor concerts thanks to the terrace of Akvárium, a club half-hidden just below ground level. It’s a great place to chill in the evening after a long day of sightseeing.

The southern part of the district ends at Liberty Bridge where the Central Market Hall lies. The main shopping street, Váci utca runs through this part of District V with both upmarket fashion brands and souvenir shops. The northern part of the street ends in Vörösmarty tér where the Christmas Fair is held every winter.

District VI of Budapest (Terézváros)

District VI is home to many cultural venues and historic sights of Budapest that will certainly make a great impression on you.

Just walk along Andrássy út, the wide avenue that starts from the center of the city and stretches out to Heroes’ Square, and you’ll see the Opera House, the Operetta Theater and the Liszt Ferenc Music Academy. You’ll also be able to spot the House of Terror with exhibits on fascist and communist regimes of the 20^th century. It is also a memorial for those that were interrogated, tortured, and killed in the building, so it’s surely not a light-hearted program on your itinerary, but a deep and thought-provoking one.

The Broadway of Budapest, Nagymező utca is also in District VI, it’s home to many theaters, and if you watch where you step, you’ll be able to find footprints of famous Hungarian actors on the ground. You’ll find the Hungarian House of Photography (Mai Manó Ház) here, and just across the street you’ll be able to check out the Robert Capa Center as well.

District VII of Budapest (Erzsébetváros)

District VII is most famous of two things – it’s the center of Jewish Budapest, and the best district if you want to get a taste of Budapest’s nightlife.

Starting from Károly körút between Deák Ferenc tér and Astoria, District VII will amaze you with Europe’s largest synagogue, the Dohány Street Synagogue, built in the mid-19^th century. The great synagogue budapest complex is home to the Jewish cemetery where more than 2,000 Jewish victims of the ghetto during World War II are buried. The Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park can be found in the rear courtyard where a statue of a weeping willow commemorates those Hungarian Jews that were killed by the Nazis. The Great Synagogue serves as a prayer house up to this day. Want to know more about Jewish Budapest? Let us recommend an informative walking tour on the history of Jews in the Hungarian capital.

Pro tip: If you liked the Dohány Street Synagogue, be sure to visit the Kazinczy Street Synagogue and the Rumbach Street Synagogue as well.

Interested in the nightlife Budapest can offer? The city is absolutely ready to show you how it’s done. Kazinczy utca and its surrounding streets are the perfect place to be in the city if you’re up for a few drinks and a bit of hip shaking. District VII is famous for its ruin pubs – the name comes from the fact that you sit down with your drink inside a dilapidated, war-torn building. The most popular and iconic ruin bar is Szimpla Kert, but it’s so widely known by now that it’s mostly visited by tourists. Other famous ruin pubs are Instant & Fogas Ház, UdvarRom and Füge Udvar (one of the cheapest ruin pubs).

If you’re looking for a place where you can really shake it, Szimpla is also a popular choice here, along with Doboz and Instant & Fogas Ház. Once you try them, it will surely be a night to remember.

The courtyards of Gozsdu-udvar’s houses are also quite popular among tourists, you can find a lot of restaurants and pubs here that are usually full every night, and it looks amazing in the dark when everything is covered with small lights.

Pro tip: If you want to experience more cultural attractions, visit the museums in Budapest.

“If you want to get to know the city, feel free to try one of the tours, which will allow you to explore Budapest in 1, 2, or even 3 days. You can also try the hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tours in Budapest at any time, where you can learn many interesting facts about the capital. Alternatively, you can explore all this on foot with the top walking tours in Budapest.

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