Andrássy út: the boulevard to Heroes' Square

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

1. 01

   1

   Hungarian State Opera House

   Start at the neo-Renaissance opera house, finished in 1884, the sphinxes flanking its entrance and Liszt and Erkel seated above the door. Daytime guided tours run if there's no rehearsal; even from the pavement the loggia and the frescoed ceiling glimpsed through the doors are worth the stop.

   01

   Hungarian State Opera House

   Start at the neo-Renaissance opera house, finished in 1884, the sphinxes flanking its entrance and Liszt and Erkel seated above the door. Daytime guided tours run if there's no rehearsal; even from the pavement the loggia and the frescoed ceiling glimpsed through the doors are worth the stop.

   ◉Street View
2. 02

   2

   Liszt Ferenc tér

   Just off the avenue, the leafy square named for the composer and lined with café terraces and the Music Academy at its far end. The seated Liszt statue is at the boulevard end. A good place to sit before the avenue gets long; the trees make it the shadiest stretch.

   02

   Liszt Ferenc tér

   Just off the avenue, the leafy square named for the composer and lined with café terraces and the Music Academy at its far end. The seated Liszt statue is at the boulevard end. A good place to sit before the avenue gets long; the trees make it the shadiest stretch.

   ◉Street View
3. 03

   3

   Oktogon

   The eight-sided crossing where the avenue meets the Grand Boulevard and the trams. The matched corner blocks make it a proper formal square rather than a junction. The trams 4 and 6 run the ring road through here day and night; cross and carry on north-east.

   03

   Oktogon

   The eight-sided crossing where the avenue meets the Grand Boulevard and the trams. The matched corner blocks make it a proper formal square rather than a junction. The trams 4 and 6 run the ring road through here day and night; cross and carry on north-east.

   ◉Street View
4. 04

   4

   House of Terror

   At number 60, the building used as headquarters by both the fascist Arrow Cross and the communist secret police — now a museum to the victims of both, its black blade of a cornice throwing the building's name across the pavement in shadow. A heavy stop; take it or leave it, but know what the address means.

   04

   House of Terror

   At number 60, the building used as headquarters by both the fascist Arrow Cross and the communist secret police — now a museum to the victims of both, its black blade of a cornice throwing the building's name across the pavement in shadow. A heavy stop; take it or leave it, but know what the address means.

   ◉Street View
5. 05

   5

   Kodály körönd

   The circular junction further up, four sweeping curved façades around it, named for the composer who lived on it. The grandest of the avenue's set-pieces and the point where the mansions and embassies take over from the shops. Walk the circle and look up at all four.

   05

   Kodály körönd

   The circular junction further up, four sweeping curved façades around it, named for the composer who lived on it. The grandest of the avenue's set-pieces and the point where the mansions and embassies take over from the shops. Walk the circle and look up at all four.

   ◉Street View
6. 06

   6

   Hősök tere

   End where the avenue does, at Heroes' Square — the colonnade and the Millennium column opening out at the gates of the City Park. The shift from boulevard to monument is sudden and deliberate. The M1 surfaces right on the square for the ride back.

   06

   Hősök tere

   End where the avenue does, at Heroes' Square — the colonnade and the Millennium column opening out at the gates of the City Park. The shift from boulevard to monument is sudden and deliberate. The M1 surfaces right on the square for the ride back.

   ◉Street View