Sights · 37 of the best in Budapest
The Danube bridges: how Buda and Pest became one
The back story
About The Danube bridges: how Buda and Pest became one
For most of history, the only way across the Danube between Buda and Pest was by ferry or by a pontoon bridge removed in winter. The Chain Bridge, opened in 1849, changed everything, and within a generation Buda, Pest and Óbuda were united as one city, Budapest, in 1873.
The Chain Bridge
Count István Széchenyi, the great reformer, championed the first permanent bridge after he was unable to cross the icy river to his father’s funeral. Designed by the English engineer William Tierney Clark and built under the Scot Adam Clark, the Széchenyi Chain Bridge opened in 1849, guarded by its stone lions. It reopened in 2023 after a long renovation.
A city of bridges
More bridges followed: the Margaret Bridge, with its distinctive angle at Margaret Island, opened in 1876; the green Liberty Bridge, with its mythical turul birds, in 1896; and the white Elisabeth Bridge, named after Empress Elisabeth, in 1903.
Budapest exists because of its bridges.
Rebuilt after 1945
At the end of the Second World War, all of Budapest’s Danube bridges were blown up. They were rebuilt in the following years, the Elisabeth Bridge in a new, modern form in 1964.
Walking the bridges
Walking across is one of the joys of Budapest: the Chain Bridge for the view of the Parliament and the castle, the Liberty Bridge, where people sit on the girders on summer evenings, and the Margaret Bridge for the island.
Our advice: cross the Chain Bridge at dusk, when the castle and Parliament light up, then walk along the Pest embankment to the Liberty Bridge. Tram 2 along the river is one of the most beautiful tram rides in Europe.
Why it's on our list
- The Chain Bridge
- Margaret and Liberty bridges
- Rebuilt after 1945
- Walking the bridges
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Danube bridges: how Buda and Pest became one before you go.