Andrássy Avenue

Andrássy Avenua (Andrássy Út in Hungarian) is Budapest's own Champs-Élysées, an avenue showcasing important institutions, embassies, high-end boutiques and splendid villas. The construction of the boulevard began in the 1870s as an important urban development of Pest. In 1885, it took the name of Hungary's first prime minister, Count Gyula Andrássy, who was credited with developing the avenue.

Andrássy Avenue can be divided into three main sections: the busy downtown that stretches between Erzsébet and Oktogon dominated by luxury brands, the Opera House and the Paris Department Store, now a venue for entertainment and elegant cafe. Nearby next to Andrássy are Nagymező utca and Liszt Ferencêtr, providing a cultural scene of Budapest's main theatres, photo galleries and concert halls devoted to classical music.

From Oktogon to Kodály körönd, Andrássy Avenue is widened by a service street and a tree-lined walkway on either side. Here visitors will find the House of Terror, a unique museum that mainly focuses on and the gruesome consequences of detention and torture after the 1956 Uprising, in the building where it all took place. Museums stand nearby dedicated to the famous late composer Franz Liszt, and to the composer Zoltán Kodály, famous for the Kodály Method, in the houses where each composer lived.

Between Kodály körönd and Heroes' Square, the architectural tone changes from landscape to stately. The governments of Russia, Korea, Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia and Albania all choose to place their representation here rather than around Buda's upscale residential areas. While cultural institutions tend to be segmented and in place with a more selective audience than attracting too many visitors, such as: Oriental traveler Ferenc Hopp's East Asian art collection, the KOGART Library , MagNet Community Center.

The best way to explore Andrássy Avenue is to start your tour at Erzsébet Square (Elizabeth Square) and walk down to Heroes' Square with its iconic statues of the most important Hungarian national leaders . The easiest way to get there is to take the M1 metro to Bajcsy-Zsilinszky. If you want to start at Heroes' Square and go to Elizabeth Square, the nearest metro station is Hősök tere, also on the M1 line.

Address: Budapest, Andrássy Út, Hungary