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Budapest’s Top 10<br />
14<br />
Váci Utca<br />
Váci utca is quite simply the heart and soul of<br />
Budapest. A street in two parts – the southern end<br />
for shopping and the northern end for drinking and<br />
eating – it buzzes with life day and night, and acts<br />
as the city’s commercial and social hub. Although<br />
it is cut in half by the access road to Elizabeth<br />
Bridge, only a part of the street’s southern end is<br />
open to traffic. To get a real feel for Budapest,<br />
you should stroll down its full length.<br />
Metro station sign<br />
As with any place<br />
that attracts crowds,<br />
beware of pickpockets<br />
operating the<br />
length of Váci utca, as<br />
well as attractive<br />
blondes who invite<br />
men for a drink in the<br />
evenings (see p106).<br />
Although Gerbeaud<br />
Cukrászda is the<br />
more famous coffee<br />
house, the Taverna<br />
Hotel’s own coffee<br />
shop is another great<br />
place to unwind. It is<br />
more popular with<br />
locals than its more<br />
famous neighbour.<br />
• Map C5<br />
• Gerbeaud Cukrászda: V,<br />
Vörösmarty tér 7; 429 90<br />
00; www.gerbeaud.hu<br />
• Taverna Hotel: Váci<br />
utca 20; 485 31 00;<br />
www.taverna.hu<br />
• Fontana Department<br />
Store: Váci utca 16; 266<br />
64 00<br />
• Thonet House: Váci<br />
utca 11<br />
• Zsolnay Markabolt: Váci<br />
utca 19–21: 266 63 05<br />
• Club Verne: Váci utca<br />
60; 318 62 74<br />
Top 10 Attractions<br />
1 Vörösmarty Tér Metro Station<br />
2 The Promenade<br />
3 Gerbeaud Cukrászda<br />
4 Fontana Department Store<br />
5 Klotild Palaces<br />
6 Thonet House<br />
7 Zsolnay Markabolt<br />
8 St Michael’s City Church<br />
9 Central Market Hall<br />
0 Club Verne<br />
The Promenade<br />
Walk the full length<br />
of Váci utca (right) from<br />
Vörösmarty tér to Vámház<br />
körút and take in the<br />
atmosphere, the bustle and<br />
the stunning architecture<br />
of the street’s buildings.<br />
You won’t be alone during<br />
the summer, but the crowds<br />
are a part of the appeal.<br />
Fontana<br />
Department Store<br />
The Modernist Fontana Store (right)<br />
complements Váci utca’s older<br />
buildings. Built in the 1980s, it<br />
marked the beginning of a new<br />
consumerist trend and now<br />
houses outlets such as C&A, as<br />
well as fashion labels, sports<br />
gear, cosmetics and a café.<br />
Vörösmarty Tér<br />
Metro Station<br />
The tiled walls, wooden<br />
booths and platforms of this<br />
immaculate 1903 station<br />
(above) are a reminder of<br />
why underground railways<br />
were considered glamorous.<br />
The Lilliputian yellow<br />
trains are enchanting too.<br />
Gerbeaud<br />
Cukrászda<br />
This is the most famous<br />
coffee house in Budapest.<br />
Since 1858, Gerbeaud<br />
Cukrászda (left) has been<br />
renowned for its richly<br />
decorated interior and<br />
immaculate service.<br />
Mid-week at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center can be crowded<br />
with school groups; Mondays are more peaceful.
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