by Janet Sandford

Created on: February 23, 2010

Budapest is a large city and there are endless attractions for visitors to see but one thing I like to do and always make time for when I am in the city is to walk along the Danube Promenade and cross the Elizabeth Bridge to the massive limestone cliff of Gellerthegy and the Gellert Baths.

My starting point is Verosmarty ter and to reach there I take the Metro M3.

In Budapest's heyday the Danube Promenade running between the Chain Bridge and the Elisabeth Bridge on the Pest side of the river was the city's largest attraction. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries sophisticated hotels such as the Ritz and the Carlton lined the River Danube here, as did many elegant and gourmet restaurants, coffee houses, bars and cafes. It was the 'in' thing for the most fashionable people of that time to take a constitutional along the river banks. Budapest's society had always been cosmopolitan and amongst the fashionable celebrities, upper class families, citizens from the suburbs, skint bohemians, travellers and prostitutes stepped out side by side.

Unfortunately, World War II put an end to this serene and sophisticated scene. After the war the citizens of Budapest didn't seem to have the imagination or ambition to put the Promenade back to its former glory and now even though it still has an elegance it is a jaded shadow of what it was once. Having said that I still like it's paler shade of decadence.

To reach the promenade from Vorosmarty ter, walk westwards for a couple of hundred metres on Deak Ferenc utca. Here you will walk through an open square, Vigado ter. At the promenade you will see the pleasure-cruise boats and many stalls selling leather goods, lace, embroidery and other souvenirs. The back of the square is dominated by the majestic Vigado Concert Hall. This is an imaginative and vibrantly coloured building which was built in 1865. The architect who was in charge of the decoration was Frigyes Feszl. This is also another fine example of the mixture of Budapest's styles of architecture.

From Vigado ter I always walk upstream along the Korso, which is separated from the river by tracks for the No 2 tram - and pass the ugly Sofitel Atrium and Inter-Continental hotels.These nasty concrete blocks rise up above the River Danube with no sense of line or proportion and they don't seem to integrate with the rest of their surroundings. Inside the hotels may be sophisticated and stylish but this doesn't compensate for the ugliness of 1980's architecture.

Heading downstream

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