Street Photography Adventures in Budapest, Hungary

Nyugati Station in Budapest, Sep 2024.

Last month I spent a week doing street photography in Budapest. In short, I had some time to spare and a desire to head abroad, and Budapest intrigued me because it’s easily accessible from the UK and historically one of the major cities of Europe yet located in a country I knew little about. Actually I had been to Budapest before, briefly, about 15 years ago during a fleeting train tour of Central/Eastern Europe. However, this time I was keen to explore the city thoroughly, and certainly I didn’t regret my choice!

On the first day, to get my bearings, I did a Free Budapest Walking Tour, which was sensible. Firstly, because the weather was awful, with pouring rain and ominous grey skies making photography unappealing. Secondly because it was a wonderful introduction to the city, which, as I discovered through our extremely articulate, friendly and knowledgeable guide, has an absolutely fascinating history, as does Hungary in general. 

Ballerina posing by the flooded Danube, Sep 2024.

History

I learnt, for instance, that the Hungarians do not actually have European origins, having settled in this area of Central Europe in 896 from their ancestral homeland near the Ural Mountains. Then the Hungarian Kingdom grew and prospered, until the Ottomans conquered it in the early 16th century. So began several centuries of being ruled by outsiders; after the Ottomans came the Austrians and until World War I Hungary was a key part of the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Having found themselves on the losing side of WWI, then followed a great tragedy still lamented in Hungary to this day: the Treaty of Trianon (1920), which saw Hungary lose two-thirds of its historic territory. Thus over 3 million Hungarians found themselves in new neighbouring states such as Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania.

Hungary’s problems were then compounded by allying with the Axis powers during World War II and again ending up on the losing side. Now it found itself occupied by the Soviet Red Army, before a puppet Communist regime was established, headed by an associate of Stalin, Matyas Rakosi. Communism lasted until 1990, though in a lighter form after the famous Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Thus Hungary became free and democratic, though that is currently being tested again by the illiberal tendencies of long-time leader Viktor Orban.

Deak Ferenc Square metro entrance, Sep 2024.

Street Photo Hotspots

The tour led us through the city centre, from Deak Ferenc Square to the architecturally striking, Gothic Revival-style Hungarian Parliament. Indeed the city is characterised by all the grand, eye-catching architecture left over from the turn of the 20th century, built during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, mixed with all sorts of shops and cafes, both modern and historic. Meanwhile, a stone’s throw away is the broad Danube, which during my week in Budapest was flooded – a rare event which attracted many onlookers and provided some unique photo opportunities. 

In general, I felt the long Danube riverside area was one of the best places for street photography in Budapest, especially around the bridge entrances and down by the Hungarian Parliament building. However, other areas I particularly enjoyed were the city centre in general, with highlights such as Deak Ferenc Square, Vaci Street (a long shopping street) and Fovam Square, opposite which stands the massive Nagycsarnok Market, dating from the late 19th century and hosting a smorgasbord of local food and souvenir stalls. 

Also worth wandering around are the historic Jewish neighbourhood north of Karoly Street and between Kiraly and Rakoczi Streets, which the Nazis turned into a ghetto during WWII, from which many thousands of Jews were deported to death camps, or even just led down to the Danube to be shot; a brutal episode in Budapest’s history, of which the Shoes on the Danube Bank monument is a most poignant reminder. Nowadays the Jewish area is a hub of nightlife hosting many cool pubs, bars restaurants interspersed with historic synagogues, mansions and works of street art.

Bar in the Jewish district, Sep 2024.

Elsewhere, Andrassy Avenue is an extremely long and broad grand boulevard leading between the city centre and Heroes’ Square at the entrance of the City Park on the outskirts. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site lined with many of Budapest’s most sumptuous late 19th century buildings and hosting some of the city’s best cafes, theatres, museums (eg. the House of Terror) and embassy residencies, it’s definitely worth a stroll along. And incidentally, beneath it runs the M1 metro line, which is the second-oldest (or first continental) metro system in the world.

Buda Castle overlooking the Danube on the Buda side (Budapest is formed of Buda and Pest, formerly two distinct towns), and the surrounding district, is another popular photography spot, but a bit too touristy for my liking.

Street scene Esztergom, Sep 2024.

Beyond Budapest

Having wandered excessively around these areas and with a few days to spare, I then decided to take a couple of day trips, to get a feel for Hungary more broadly.

First I headed to Nyugati Station and took a train north to Esztergom, a lovely town beside the Danube that borders Slovakia. Here I spent a few hours wandering quite aimlessly, including a visit to the Esztergom Basilica, the largest church in Hungary and the town’s single famous attraction, which was under restoration so I just enjoyed the views from its hilltop setting of the Danube and beyond it – Slovakia.

View from the Basilica in Esztergom, Sep 2024.

On my last day I headed in the other direction from Budapest, first hopping on a bus to Memento Park, an open-air museum of Communist-era statues, and then boarding a train slicing through the countryside southwest to the ‘Hungarian Sea’ – Lake Balaton. Many towns and villages border this limitless lake, however the one I went to was Balatonfured, which on a Saturday afternoon was very peaceful and pleasant, though too lethargic and uneventful for street photography! 

Overall Impressions

So came to an end my street photography adventures in Budapest, Hungary. Overall I had a really enjoyable, insightful and relaxing time. And I left with a strong desire to make more, similar trips to other places in Central and Eastern Europe.  

Sushi restaurant in central Budapest, Sep 2024.

Finally, a caveat: Photographing people without permission is apparently illegal in Hungary, though the law seems to be a bit unclear and inconsistently applied. Plenty of other photographers have done street photography there, including snapping people up close, which is not really my style. In any case, I have chosen to show pictures where people cannot be easily identified.