Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe, bordered by seven countries from Austria to Romania. The Danube crosses it from north to south and runs straight through the capital, Budapest. Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe, lies about 90 minutes southwest of the city.
Budapest
Our Hungary archive is one city, photographed in four days. Daria and I spent 21 to 24 November 2014 in Budapest with a Nikon D800 and a tripod. Every photo on this page comes from that trip.
It was my third visit, though. The one before was five years earlier, when I did not yet own a real camera. So this time I arrived knowing which frames I wanted. As on every visit, we stayed near St. Stephen’s Basilica, a few minutes from the Chain Bridge.
The full Budapest guide covers each location in depth. This page, therefore, gives the country view and the story behind each frame.
Buda Castle
The trip opened on Castle Hill. At 3 pm on 21 November, the low sun lit the palace walls while the cobbles stayed in shade. In the corner of the Hunyadi Court stands the Matthias Fountain below the palace dome. Alajos Stróbl finished it in 1904. King Matthias Corvinus stands above a fallen stag, with his hunting party and dogs below.
The palace has been rebuilt more than once. After the 1686 siege ended Ottoman rule, a Baroque palace rose on the ruins. Later, the Second World War left it badly damaged again.
This frame also taught me something about my own archive. The raw file waited more than six years for an edit I was happy with. I finished it in January 2021, once my processing had caught up with the light. As a result, a photo from 2014 is now one of our most viewed Hungary pages.
Széchenyi Chain Bridge
The next morning began in fog. At 7:39 on 22 November, I stood on the empty roadway with the lamps still burning. Behind the far pier, Castle Hill had dissolved into blue haze. A two-second exposure at f/8 kept the stone lions sharp and the road clean.
The bridge in morning fog became the frame of the trip. Count István Széchenyi championed the bridge, built between 1839 and 1849 as the first permanent crossing between Buda and Pest. German troops blew it up in 1945. It reopened in 1949, a hundred years after its first inauguration. Since August 2023, after a renovation of two and a half years, private cars may no longer cross it.
Hungarian Parliament
Imre Steindl designed the Parliament in the Gothic Revival style, and it was completed in 1904. Seen from the river, it is the image most people carry of Hungary. For years I walked past it with one question: could the inside match the facade?
On the afternoon of 22 November, a guided tour gave the answer. At 14:23, I photographed the Grand Staircase from the top of its red-carpeted flights. Gilded ribs, ceiling paintings and stained glass fill the frame at 14mm.
About twenty minutes later, the tour reached the Assembly Hall with its curved wooden benches, empty between groups. Visits are guided only, so there is no tripod and no lingering. Both frames were made handheld at ISO 800. Meanwhile, the Holy Crown of Hungary rests in the Dome Hall, where it has been kept since 2000.
The Danube at Night
That evening, I climbed back up the slope of Castle Hill for the view across the river. At 18:46, a 20-second exposure at f/8 drew the traffic on the Chain Bridge into lines of light. The panorama across the Danube to Pest holds the whole day in one frame. The bridge from the morning sits in the centre, and the Parliament from the afternoon glows on the left. On the right, the Basilica dome rises above the rooftops.
This riverfront is World Heritage. Since 1987, UNESCO has protected the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue, with the avenue added in 2002. In other words, the view in this frame is protected as a whole, not building by building.
St. Stephen’s Basilica
The last frame came two days later, at 10:25 on 24 November. Standing at the centre of the Basilica, I pointed the camera straight up. From there, the dome resolves into rings: coffers, a band of windows, then the mosaics. Károly Lotz designed them. God the Father sits at the very centre, while the four evangelists fill the corners below.
The golden cupola from directly below was made handheld at ISO 1600. Perfect symmetry leaves no room for error, so the camera has to sit exactly on the axis. At 96 metres, the Basilica also matches the height of the Parliament.
Photographing Hungary
Six photos from four days is a small archive. Still, it works hard. The Assembly Hall is the most viewed of them in Google Images, while the Buda Castle frame brings the most visitors from search. Both share the same qualities: a recognisable subject, clean light and no people in the way. That combination is also what licenses.
The Danube links Hungary to two more capitals within three hours by train. Upstream, Bratislava sits beneath its castle on the river. Further on, the imperial interiors of Vienna continue the same story of Habsburg architecture.
When to Visit Hungary
November gave us fog, drizzle and short days. In late November, the sun rises around 7 am and sets around 4 pm. For night work, however, that is an advantage. Blue hour arrives while offices are still lit and the bridges are full of traffic.
Spring and early autumn bring mild weather and longer light. Summer is hot, and Lake Balaton fills with holidaymakers. Winter, by contrast, is cold but quiet, and it is thermal bath season in Budapest.
Getting Around Hungary
Most visitors arrive at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, southeast of the city centre. Direct trains also run from Vienna and Bratislava. Hungary is in the European Union and the Schengen Area, but it uses the forint instead of the euro.
Inside Budapest, the centre is walkable on the Pest side. Tram 2 runs along the Pest riverbank, past the Parliament. The M1 metro under Andrássy Avenue opened in 1896, and it is part of the World Heritage site too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time to visit Hungary?
Spring and early autumn bring mild weather and long light. Summer is hot and busy, especially around Lake Balaton. For photography, November is underrated: fog over the Danube, early blue hour and fewer visitors. Winter is cold, but it is the classic season for the thermal baths in Budapest.
How many days do you need in Hungary?
Three to four days cover Budapest at a sensible pace: Castle Hill, the Parliament tour, the Basilica and the Danube viewpoints. A week allows a second region, such as Lake Balaton, the Danube Bend or the wine town of Eger. All of them are reachable from Budapest by train or car.
Can you visit the inside of the Hungarian Parliament?
Yes, but only on a guided tour. Tickets sell out early in summer, so book ahead through the official visitor centre. The route includes the Grand Staircase, the Dome Hall with the Holy Crown and a debating chamber. On our tour, photography was allowed in the staircase hall and in the chamber.
What currency does Hungary use?
Hungary uses the forint (HUF), not the euro, although it is a member of the European Union. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in Budapest, including on public transport. Some shops and restaurants also take euros, but the exchange rate is usually poor. Withdraw forints from bank ATMs rather than independent machines.
How do you get from Vienna to Budapest?
By train. Direct trains run from Vienna Hauptbahnhof to Budapest-Keleti in under three hours, with several departures a day. Many of them also stop at Győr. By car, the motorway takes a similar time. A Hungarian motorway vignette is required, and it can be bought online before crossing the border.
Is Hungary safe for travellers?
Yes, Hungary is generally safe by European standards. In Budapest, use app-based or official taxis rather than hailing one on the street. Check bills in tourist bars near the river, and keep bags closed on crowded trams. The historic centre stays well lit and busy late into the evening.
