Budapest is one of my favorite cities in Europe to photograph. The variety of architectural styles from Roman to Turkish in unmistakable and unique. I’ve spent nearly two months spanning every other day, photographing the cityscape between the two districts of Buda and Pest.
Here are my favorite places to take amazing photographs in Budapest.
Hint: At any time you can refer to the BUDAPEST PHOTOGRAPHER'S MAP to find the locations.
1 - Gellert Hill
Szechenyi Bridge and Buda Castle as seen from Gellert Hill
There’s a huge fortress on top of Gellert Hill and it’s one of my favorite places to shoot sunsets in Budapest. You get a sweeping panoramic view of Buda and Pest. The Sun just happens to set below Buda Castle and if there happen to be clouds, you end with some pretty amazing and dramatic skies. It’s also a great place to catch the blue hour for dramatic nighttime shots. One side the view of Liberty Bridge and the other has a view of the Szechenyi Chain Bridge - you’re never short on interesting subjects to shoot.
The Liberty Bridge as seen from Gellert Hill
The hike up is fairly mild and minimal and it’s one of the few places that offer decent vantage points in the country (Hungary is very flat). There’s a convenient stop on the metro on Gellert hill. Once you get off the subway you can see the massive Gellert Hotel (also cool to shoot) and directly to the right is Gellert Hill. You can either wind your way up from this side with some unmarked trail or approach it via the Danube on Elizabeth Bridge over some a few flights up the stairs.
Buda Castle as seen from Gellert Hill
Ideally, you want to use a good wide-angle telephoto lens like the Sony 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS Zoom Lens or the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM Lens. A sturdy travel tripod like a Davis & Sanford Carbon Fibre Compact Tripod is also ideal.
2 - Fisherman’s Bastion
Fisherman's Bastion in Budapest, Hungary
The one cool thing about this place is the amazing architecture. Plucked straight out of a fairytale book, the Fisherman's Bastion should provide excellent photos. There’s a good view of the Budapest skyline and you can even see the Parliament building on one side of the walls. The high arched windows and gothic style walls make great complimentary foreground to the already beautiful Pest backdrop.
Fisherman's Bastion view of the Budapest Parliament
You’ll find yourself wandering in the terraces and perhaps lost in thoughts as you marvel at the incredible Matthias church. Walking along its vaulted walls and ramparts and you can see the Danube and the Parliament building down below.
3 - The Buda Castle
Under this castle is a cool wine cellar
This castle has some interesting history. It was built to fend off Mongol attacks in the thirteenth century. The foundations of the current castle were laid out in the fourteenth century all in Romanesque style and completed in 1356. Later on, it was replaced and expanded with a Gothic style making one of the grandest palaces in Europe.
The Danube as seen from Buda Castle
Szenchenyi Chain Bridge from the Castle Hill Funicular
You can’t go out of Buda Castle without taking cool pictures. It’s one of Budapest's leading postcard landmarks. You can shoot this from up close or from afar across the Danube. The view of the castle walls is epic as well.
4 - Szechenyi Chain Bridge
Szechenyi Chain Bridge at night
Budapest has many cool spots to photograph but the Chain Bridge is the most photogenic. At the time of its inception, the Chain Bridge was considered to be one of the nth wonders of the world.
Szechenyi Chain Bridge and Parliament at Night
Crossing the bridge is just a short walk and no matter which direction you face, you’re sure to get an awesome view of whatever it is you want to photograph. Ideally, you would want to visit in the evening when the bridge lights up and the reflection on the Danube turns the river blue. You’ll need a sturdy tripod and a Cable Release for the long exposure.
5 - Szimpla Kert
Zimpla Kert Ruin Bar in Budapest
Ruin bars is one of the coolest things to check out in Budapest – It’s unique only this city. Out of all the Ruin Bars, Szimpla Kert is the most well-known. It’s a very grungy dive bar but in a deliberate way. Punk rock props and paraphernalia litter the stairs and hallways. The Graffiti filled walls make it ideal to go crazy with your camera for some creative shots.
There are many craftsman shops offering interesting knickknacks and a hookah bar where you would chill be able to at in case you're not testing the beers at the different bars on the second and first floor.
A tripod isn’t ideal in this place as it can get very crowded. A good flash like the Altura Flash might come in handy as well as a good high ISO camera for those dark interior hallways.
6 - The Parliament Building
The Hungarian Parliament Building
The Budapest Parliament was built in part to commemorate the freedom of Hungary from Austria. As a testament to their freedom, the Hungarians built the landmark in a competition for the architectural design. The building is massive and worth a visit and taking pictures inside. But this place is great to photograph across the Buda side of the Danube.
The Budapest Parliament is one of the oldest and biggest legislative buildings in Europe.
You can catch it in great light in the Fisherman’s Bastion and Buda Castle. But the best place to shoot it is directly across. It’s better to shoot it early in the morning where the river is calmer and with less traffic from tour boats.
7 - The Liberty Bridge
The Liberty Bridge in Budapest
The Liberty Bridge is one of the oldest bridge in Budapest. Built between 1849 and 1896 in steampunk style with the green color and overly ornate decorations. It lights up the Danube at night and the blazing illumination makes it an amazing object to photograph. Shooting this bridge during the Blue hour on top of Gellert Hill is ideal, but walking up and down its streets on a late afternoon can produce some creative ideas as well.
This structure, as well, was built from a design completion in 1893. It connects Buda and Pest in Art Nouveau style and should give you plenty of creative ideas for a cool photograph.
8 - Heroes’ Square
The Heroes' Square during the Blue Hour. Budapest, Hungary
The Heroes' Square is my favorite spot to shoot during the Blue Hour on the Pest side. Located at end of the famed Andrassy Avenue, this historic complex of statues deserves a few visits and snaps with your camera. Representing celebrated leaders and Hungary's historic Seven Chieftains, the elegant memorial is a hotspot for tourists. But don’t let this dissuade you, it’s still worth it for the postcard shots and if you’re willing to wait, the crowd dies down when the sun comes down.
Ideally, you want to shoot this place with a tripod during the blue hour or sunset. You can shoot the Vajdahunyad or the Szécsényi Baths nearby while you’re waiting for a sunset or dusk. If you like the slow-moving clouds effect, use a variable ND filter like the B&W ND.
9 - Vajdahunyad Castle
The Vajdahunyad Castle in Budapest was made from cardboard wood. But it proved to be a hit among locals that the upgraded to real stone.
Just behind the Heroes’ Square are a strange castle and a man-made lake where you can bike pedal on plastic ducks. The place, for the lack of a better way to describe its aesthetics, is plasticky. Built during the millennial celebration to commemorate a thousand years since the Magyars first settled in Hungary. The castle, originally built out of cardboard wood, became such a hit that it was upgraded to real stone later.
This is spot provides a decent distraction for your camera when you’re waiting around for good light at the Heroes’ Square. Maybe it doesn't provide the most postcard-perfect representation of Budapest but it's certainly entertaining to try to make it on a photograph.
10 - St. Stephen’s Basilica
Dome inside St. Stephen's Basilica
The interior of this Cathedral is tough to shoot without a tripod and unfortunately, not allowed inside either. This is the biggest church in Budapest, with amazing murals and gold inlays inside. It’s surprisingly more photogenic inside than it is outside. There’s technically no fee to go inside but there’s this sort of unspoken donation requirement that you feel like you have to pay at the booth as you enter the door, it’s cheap though at $.50 an entry.
I’ve gotten away with a tripod inside by intermingling with tourists. Just be very discreet about it and pretend you didn’t see the signs if you get caught.
11 - The Shoes on the Danube Banks
Shoes at the Banks of the Danube
This spot is kind of eerie and sad at the same time. Located near the Parliament Building and the Academy of Sciences on the banks of the Danube, the shoes are easy to find amongst the gathering of crowds. It’s often crowded and can provide challenges for photography when it’s swarmed with tourist.
The memorial contains sixty pairs of metal shoes scattered along the Danube River. Each pair of shoes mimicked the original WW2 pairs from the original owners. They represent the shows of Budapest Jews, massacred by Nazis between 1944 and 1945. The victims had to take their shoes off, being the most valuable belonging at the time, right before they form a line to get shot.
A shallow depth of field is ideal here. I’ve tried shooting it with narrower DOF and my photos didn’t look right. You might have better luck.
12 - Széchenyi Thermal Baths
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
To get decent pictures of this place you will need to pay the entrance. I’m not personally privy to paying the fee and there’s really only a few spots to get a decent snap of the place for free, on the left wing.
Budapest is home to many thermal baths and the Széchenyi Bath is one of the most popular. Perhaps you'll have better luck for dramatic shots in the winter as crowds of people often dominate the scene. The location is close to the Heroes’ Square so you can use this spot as filler while you’re waiting for the ideal light.
The water and open skies above make this place ideal for shooting with a good polarizer like the B+W 77mm HTC Kaesemann Circular Polarizer.
13 - The Great Market Hall
Budapest's Great Market Hall
The Great Market Hall is a very touristy spot. It's the biggest market in Budapest and one of the oldest. This place is good to pass time during the harsh daylight hours outside. The Liberty Bridge is close by so you can photograph this place while waiting for good light.
There you have it. There are probably other places you can shoot and probably take good photos not mentioned here. But these spots, in my opinion, are the best spots to take amazing photographs of Budapest.
Here is a convenient map of where I've photographed these places: BUDAPEST PHOTOGRAPHER'S MAP.
DO YOU KNOW ANY OTHER AMAZING SPOTS TO SHOOT IN BUDAPEST?
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : Budapest Images
Amazing place & photograph was too good
these cities never sleep,
Wow Budapest is beautiful
This is incredible. Budapest was one of the most beautiful cities I went to on my trip to East Europe and it shows here!
I had no idea it was so beautiful, I need to go there
Great place to telecommute
I rented a flat and stayed a month or two there :)
A month! How do you get so much freedom haha teach me
How much was the flat per night?
Is it expensive to be tourist in Budapest for a month?
Great captures, beautiful angle. all described in your pics. Love it
Great shots. Budapest is definitely one of my favorite cities in Europe. I was a telling a friend that I think they must have had the blue hour in mind when they were building the city, there are just so many great locations to get great pics in the evening.
I was there four nights in June and it just was't enough time to see everything and get all the pics I wanted. I think I need to go back and spend at least a month there some time.
Yep the blue Danube isn't blue in the daytime :)
All images look to be smart look
All images have great pretty. In every photo gives some awefull place
amazing places and photography is very good . this places look like heaven. budapest is very beautiful place in the world.
bro i live in udipur. and i think udaipur is very beautiful as well as budapst. i share one photo of udaipur
The picture that can be painted with color of human imagination seems to be more natural. The painting is no longer in color and color. Photography is also limited to camera frames. Like technology and rich imagination of human imagination.
超讚的 !! Bravo ! Beautiful !
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a dream come true! tremendous paradise!
Wow such a amazing view these places is awesome and my favorite
All these very beautiful places.
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Beautiful image and my dream place thanx for sowing
good work - thanx
Wow, it awesome photos, I have no word to see OMG dude great and its a very good article @adonisabril
Amazing photographs! The architecture, the lights and the colors. Keep it up :)
Exactly, love the architecture and the lighting
Nice bridge pickup
And very beautiful photography
Lovely images and very fabulous photography with mesmerising shots and good scenery. Really like the landscale views and the structures too. Pribably the best spots to photograph.
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Very nice, I like the color contrast.
This is such an adorable place. i would definitely love to visit there.
Very beautiful and excellent post
Just discovered you. Catching up on your previous blogs. Very inspiring. Started following.
Amazing shots. I should add a visit to my bucket list. Budapest isn't a pest at all @adonisabril
I believe it, they are definitely the best places to take pictures of Budapest, the places look like as dreamy, historical and contemporary at the same time
Wow. Those are all beautiful photos. I don't think that I could choose a favorite photo. I hope to someday be able to travel and take some amazing pictures in beautiful places.
nice photoshoot, i wish i can visit budapest :)
Thank you friend for letting us know thanks to your photo so beautiful places, I want to go too and take my family
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La verdad tengo como eso de 30 minutos solo viendo tus hermosas fotos. Hace como 3 anos fui a Londres y creo que ninguna de mis fotos están tan bellas como las tuyas. Lo único malo es que no creo visitar otro país europeo, pues me quedé atrapa en Venezuela. Sabes problemas cada vez mas. Sin embargo, tengo la esperanza de volver algún día nuevamente a Europa, no pierdo las esperanzas, es lo mejor de verdad. Saludos.
I've been 3 years ago to Budapest. It is one of the most amazing places to visit. Either it is during the winter holidays or it is during the summer, it's always an amazing place.
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one of my favorite blog on steemit,great job @adonisabril
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very nice post sir, upvoted
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Fantastic work with this one, kudos
Makes we wanna reschedule my holiday destination
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Beautiful!!
to visit europe is my dream.Fisherman bastion is very beautiful, i wish i could go there.I am that when i start earning on steemit i will visit europe thank you bro for this update
These are absolutely stunning !! The Hungarian Parliament is my favorite 😊😊
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Wow, these are gorgeous shots! And quite a few of them. I really enjoyed to work my way along the river. all pretty picturesque subjects.
Well done! I will follow for more!
Beautiful photo, congratulations.