The must-see tour for the traveling fashionista! This one is the best route to take if you are looking for good places to shop. Andrássy isn’t called the “avenue of fashion” for nothing; this boulevard has boutiques, cafés, museums, restaurants, fine dining, and cheap but quality places to grab a bite. So I took Have Fun Travel’s Andrássy Avenue Tour and went on to explore the secrets of this emblematic place.
Source: mtu.gov.hu
We started the tour in Heroes’ Square, an absolute must-see if you are visiting Budapest. After a short walk around the square, you jump right into the boulevard! In its first few hundred meters, Andrássy is lined with museums, embassies and 19th-century villas turned into galleries and cafés. I then went to the Academy of Music, learning about the history of cafés and the luxury that this boulevard is known for through the app’s stories.
The walk continued all the way to the Opera house. I simply had to stop at a lot of the places to get a more in-depth look, and as the tour is guided by an app, I had all the time in the world. I spent at least an hour in the gallery and checked out the Hopp Ferenc Asiatic Art Museum as well. This is a tiny private collection turned museum, with treasures collected a hundred years ago by a very curious individual.
There were lots of places to stop, shop and refresh myself along the way. Restaurants offering vegetarian and vegan dishes are also available on the avenue so I managed to get myself energized as well. The walk isn’t too bad, a nice afternoon journey, but it was definitely no hike.
Along the way, I learned a lot about the history of Hungary, presented in the way I like it best: through cute little cafés, high culture, amazing architecture, and a gripping emotional ride. This boulevard has seen so much and has been the site of both magnificent grandeur and outright terror. The House of Terror is definitely not for the faint of heart, but I can recommend the tour to anyone who wants to see the authentic side of the Budapest high life.
Photo by: Balázs Lukácsi
This tour was very chic and classy, but it did involve a bit of trekking, so perhaps leave the high heels at home. It was very informative, especially that bit of time devoted to the two Hungarian geniuses of classical music, Kodály, and Liszt, with whom everyone should be familiar. My favorite part was the Orpheum and the glimpse into the Moulin Rouge and the Mai Manó house of modern photography. I found out about the swing era in Budapest and learned that even Josephine Baker performed in one of the clubs here. Don’t miss out on this one!
