6 Best Sights in Hungary

Kecskemét’s most famous building is the Cifrapalota (Ornamental Palace), a unique and remarkable Hungarian-style Art Nouveau building built in 1902. A three-story cream-colored structure studded with folksy lilac, blue, red, and yellow Zsolnay majolica flowers and hearts, it stands on Liberty Square’s corner like a cheerful cream pastry. Once a residential building, it now houses the Kecskeméti képtár (Kecskemét Gallery), with an excellent display of artwork by Hungarian fine artists as well as occasional international exhibits and some space devoted to local history and traditions. The ground floor houses the permanent fine art collection, but it's the Peacock Hall on the second floor that's the highlight here, with its decorative ceiling dotted with peafowl.

This symbol of Sopron’s endurance—and entranceway to the Inner Town—is 200 feet high, with foundations dating to the days of the Árpád dynasty (9th–13th centuries) and perhaps back to the Romans. The tower is remarkable for its uniquely harmonious blend of architectural styles: it has a Romanesque base rising to a circular balcony of Renaissance loggias topped by an octagonal clock tower that is itself capped by a brass baroque onion dome and belfry. The upper portions were rebuilt after most of the earlier Fire Tower was, ironically, destroyed by the Great Fire of 1676, started by students roasting chestnuts in a high wind (today a double-headed eagle weather vane helps to predict wind direction; it's said that if the eagles face north and south it's going to rain). On the inside of the gate, you'll find a depiction of "Hungaria" receiving the loyalty of Sopron's kneeling citizens. Climb the 200-step spiral staircase to the top of the tower for lovely views of the town and surrounding countryside. It's from here that tower watchmen warned of approaching enemies and tolled the alarm for fire or the death of a prominent citizen. And occasionally, musicians would serenade the townsfolk from here.

Beside the City Park’s lake stands Vajdahunyad Vár, a fantastic medley of Hungary’s historic and architectural past, starting with the Romanesque gateway of the cloister of Ják, in western Hungary. A Gothic castle whose Transylvanian turrets, Renaissance loggia, baroque portico, and Byzantine decorations are all guarded by a spooky bronze statue of the anonymous medieval “chronicler,” who was the first recorder of Hungarian history. Designed for the millennial celebration in 1896, the permanent structure was not completed until 1908. This hodgepodge houses the surprisingly interesting Mezogazdasági Múzeum (Agricultural Museum), which touts itself as Europe’s largest such museum and offers regular arts and crafts events for kids. Plan ahead for tickets to the Vajdahunyad Castle Summer Music Festival featuring some of Hungary's most popular musicians. If time permits, stroll around the castle to spot the Mermaid fountain and the bust of legendary Hollywood B-movie actor and Hungarian-American Béla Lugosi that was placed in an alcove along the southeast corner in 2003; its origins remain a mystery today.

Designed by architect Kas Oosterhuis and opened in 2013, this commercial and cultural hub looks pretty much like its name, which means "whale" in English. The interior is largely empty, with temporary cultural exhibits held in spaces meant for retail stores. Outside, though, trendy bars and restaurants lining its periphery make this a popular meeting point to admire the Danube, especially in the summer. The north-facing Esetleg Bisztró is the ideal location from which to catch a stunning sunset over Buda’s Gellért Hill. Just a few meters away at neighborhood hangout Nehru Park, locals play football, basketball, and practice skateboarding, but most of all they chill out with a picnic or drink, enjoying this welcome green zone next to the river. The south-facing Buda view of the Citadella is almost as gorgeous as the one of Gellért.

This beautiful, decadent building, built in 1910, was once the fashionable Parisian Department Store. After sitting in disarray for decades, it has recently been renovated. It is now home to the Hungarian bookshop chain, Alexandra Könyvesház (they also carry books in English). Treating yourself to a cake and coffee in the ornate coffeehouse on the second floor is an opportunity not to be missed.

This eye-catching, glass-covered building, designed in 1906 by architects Henrik Böhm and Ármin Hegedűs, proudly displays Budapest's largest outdoor mosaic. Can't see it? Take a few steps back and crane your neck until you have a good view of the facade's upper gable. It's there you will find the Seccessionist-style mosaic by Hungarian master Miksa Roth, which depicts the Virgin Mary wearing the country's royal crown and wielding a sword before a veritable who's who of Hungarian heroes.