Budapest

By Skateboard

Pest is ideal for skateboarding. Sidewalks are wide and smooth without too many pedestrians to avoid. Police won't pay you any attention as long as you are using your skateboard for transport and not trying to do tricks. Longboards are ideal because of their stability and bigger wheels.

Orientation

Orientation is not a big problem in Budapest. The river Danube splits the city into two areas: Buda and Pest. Aside from the very center, the city's structure is quite logical. Landmarks in Buda as the Royal Castle or Citadella Castle also help you to find your way. Besides the Danube itself, the best reference points for orienting yourself are the bridges crossing the river. From North to South, they are:

Árpád Bridge

Árpád híd, A modern bridge linking to Northern Margaret Island. The longest bridge in Budapest at 973 meters.

Margaret Bridge

Margit híd, Easily identified thanks to its distinctive shape: it makes an approximately 35 degree turn half way across, at the southern tip of Margaret Island. Trams 4 and 6 cross the Danube here.

Chain Bridge

Széchenyi lánchíd, Completed in 1849, the oldest, arguably most beautiful and certainly the most photographed of Budapest's bridges, floodlit at night.

Elisabeth Bridge

Erzsébet híd, Completed in 1903. Its original chain structure was destroyed in World War II, and was eventually substituted by a modern cable bridge opened in 1964.

Liberty Bridge

Szabadság híd, Elegant but simple, opened in 1896; it connects the Gellért Baths Gellért fürdő in Buda with the Great Market Hall Nagyvásárcsarnok in Pest. Recently renovated.

Petőfi Bridge

Petőfi híd, For a long time the southernmost bridge, it links the inner ring road Nagykörút of Pest with Buda.

Lágymányosi Bridge

Lágymányosi híd, The newest bridge in Budapest, with modern architecture and a spectacular lighting system where mirrors reflect the beam of the upward facing floodlights. Built very next to a railway bridge on its southern side.

On foot

Many of Budapest's highlights are easy to approach walking, and in the center you find more pedestrian zones from year to year. Car drivers tend to respect pedestrians and often give advantage on a cross-walk even if there is no traffic light. Due to the lack of bike lanes, cyclists have to weave around pedestrian traffic; be prepared. Don't wear high-heeled shoes in the downtown as there are lots of stone pavements, especially in the Castle Hill.