Kamermayer Károly tér
In the heart of downtown Pest, this often-overlooked jewellery-box square occupies a trapezoidal junction of slender side streets. A recent renovation added newly planted flora and nice benches to welcome public loungers amid the plaza’s über-European environment – a setting that the Gerlóczy brasserie makes the most of with its pleasant Parisian-style terrace for sipping cafés au lait and savouring crispy croissants. For new-wave snacking, the popular Alma Nomad Bakery opened here a few months ago next door to the stylish florists of Wild Flower Bar.
Location: District V, intersection of Gerlóczy utca and Városház utca, near Deák tér
Vértanúk tere
A stirring statue looms over this leafy pocket park by Parliament. Standing on a bridge, a bespectacled figure looks pensively towards Hungary’s national seat – this man is Imre Nagy, the leader of Hungary’s 1956 Revolution against Soviet oppression, who was executed after the Red Army quashed the Magyars’ freedom fight. This monument to Nagy stands solemnly amid the benches and verdant shrubbery of this bustling bijou square linking riverfront Kossuth Lajos tér and nearby Szabadság tér; stop here for an ice-cream cone from Szamos Café across the street.
Location: District V, intersection of Báthory utca and Nádor utca, near Kossuth Lajos tér M2 metro stop
Gárdonyi Géza tér
Branching out from a curve along Buda’s liveliest boulevard, this square is named after the author of Hungarian literary masterpiece Eclipse of the Crescent Moon, and appropriately this is the epicentre of several hangouts favoured by creative locals. Alongside an appealing row of tree-shaded picnic tables, an expanse of the plaza hosts the terrace for historic Hadik, a regular café for renowned Magyar artists from a century ago to modern times. Across Bartók Béla út, cosy Kelet is an ideal locale for sipping and scribbling amid shelves of countless books.
Location: District XI, alongside Bartók Béla út between Gellért tér and Móricz Zsigmond körtér
Herzl Tivadar tér
The gateway to Budapest’s historic Jewish Quarter is this busy little plaza named after the father of Zionism, who was born at this site in 1860. Now this is the location of Europe’s biggest synagogue, a meticulously ornamented brick fusion of Moorish and Byzantine architecture topped by onion-domed towers, with seating capacity for almost 3,000. The temple sometimes hosts varied concerts, and guided tours are provided in multiple languages. Several friendly hangouts provide shaded terrace tables just across the street, including Skål and Haverok.
Location: District VII, intersection of Dohány utca and Wesselényi utca
Eötvös tér
One of Budapest’s most panoramic parks could fit within an average high-school gymnasium. Sited steps away from the Chain Bridge at the northern end of Pest’s Danube Promenade, this flower-lined square is often disregarded as little more than a stop on the scenic tram 2 line, but no other plaza offers such landmark views over Buda Castle. Thanks to this prime waterfront open space, guests at the nearby Paris Budapest restaurant terrace enjoy an unobstructed backdrop of monumental city sights while lunching alfresco or sipping sunset cocktails.
Location: District V, at intersection of Széchenyi István tér and Jane Haining rakpart
Kéthly Anna tér
Every weekend, thousands of partiers pass this fenced square without realising it’s a park. Inside, the landscaping is rather spare – just a few benches, shrubs and a statue. Why does this public gathering place have such a forsaken appearance? Well, in a previous article we guessed that this park design could actually be a bizarrely appropriate tribute to Anna Kéthly (Hungary’s second-ever female Parliament member, who bravely spoke out against the Nazis and the Soviets). Regardless, it’s a welcome oasis of open space amid Pest’s bar scene.
Location: District VII, intersection of Wesselényi utca and Klauzál utca
Lőrinc Pap tér
Spanning the space of one ordinary downtown apartment building, this peewee plaza is a treasure hidden among the historic urban palaces of District VIII near Kálvin tér. Centrepieced by a statue of outspoken 19th-century Count Nándor Zichy across the street from his former home – now the Hotel Palazzo Zichy – the square has a big tree providing shade for several benches and a fruit vendor, making it a pleasant place to stop and admire the Jesuit church across the street. Tempting terrace hangouts await on the nearby pedestrianised stretch of Krúdy utca.
Location: District VIII, intersection of Krúdy Gyula utca and Mária utca
Bem József tér
Sadly, this riverfront square is more of a Buda traffic artery than a welcoming urban haven, yet this diminutive park has an outsized role in Hungarian history. Not only is the square named after the 19th-century Polish general who proudly fought with the Magyars during Hungary’s 1848 Revolution, it was also the initial gathering place for the student protest that began on October 23rd, 1956, and led to the outbreak of Hungary’s bold uprising against Kremlin control. Another venerable attraction lies nearby here – the Communist-era Bambi café.
Location: District II, at intersection of Bem rakpart and Bem József utca
Rózsák tere
Budapest promises you a rose garden at this humbly sized square that makes up for its out-of-the-way location with serene scenery and fragrant blooms. Tucked amid residential buildings near Keleti station, the square features a church designed by Parliament architect Imre Steindl, surrounded by hallowed open space with benches and a praying statue. True to its name (rózsák is Hungarian for ‘roses’), the park features a well-maintained garden of colourful rose varieties providing whiffs of nature’s finest floral perfume amid the urban atmosphere.
Location: District VII, intersection of Dohány utca and Rózsa utca
Szervita tér
This downtown-Pest plaza recently received a thorough renovation – new wooden benches line the curvaceous flowerbed around the ten-metre-tall Immaculata Column dating back to 1942. However, this site is currently not as picturesque as it could be because simultaneous construction projects are underway on two sides of the square, sandwiching the Church of St. Anne between ongoing commotions of loud labouring. Nonetheless, the slender Török Bank House here is a major Art Nouveau attraction, while nearby À la Maison Grand is a hotspot for all-day breakfast.
Location: District V, intersection of Petőfi Sándor utca and Bárczy István utca
