The neo-Renaissance arcades
Ranks of arches and columns by Miklós Ybl — among the finest architectural frontages on the Buda bank.
Katonams — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jorge Franganillo — CC BY 2.0 · Jorge Franganillo — CC BY 2.0 · Андрей Бобровский — CC BY 3.0
Yes, and the easiest and prettiest: stepped ramps and architectural stairways instead of a steep climb, lifts in some sections, and gardens to rest in on the way. Better than the direct steps from Clark Ádám tér, and cheaper than the funicular.
The complex was closed in the mid-20th century and maintenance stopped, so it decayed until it was listed among the world's most endangered sites in 1996. It was fully restored and reopened in 2014 — so what you see is recently restored and clean.
Yes: wide passages, level terraces and lifts in parts, making it the best route up to the castle with strollers or older travellers. There are cafés and places to sit.
Cross the Chain Bridge from Pest, walk a few minutes south along the embankment to the bazaar, then climb through it to Buda Castle and the Castle District — a connected route from the river up to the Fisherman's Bastion.
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The Castle Garden Bazaar is the architectural front that links the Danube embankment to Buda Castle above: a range of arcades, terraces, stairways and stepped gardens designed by Miklós Ybl — Hungary's foremost 19th-century architect — and completed in 1883 as a ceremonial approach to the palace from the river. Its story is one of long neglect: the complex was closed in the mid-20th century and left to decay for decades, until in 1996 it was listed among the world's most endangered sites. It then underwent a full restoration and reopened in 2014, returning to its original function as a public passage with gardens, exhibition spaces and cafés. For a visitor its value is both practical and visual. Practically: this is the easiest walking route from river level up to Buda Castle — stepped ramps and stairways instead of a steep climb, with lifts in some sections. Visually: the neo-Renaissance arcades, fountains and formal gardens are among the most photogenic things in Buda, and far less crowded than the Castle District above. Entry to the gardens and passages is free, and the site stays open late and is lit at night.
Ranks of arches and columns by Miklós Ybl — among the finest architectural frontages on the Buda bank.
Formal terraces with fountains and beds climbing towards the castle — quiet, free and less discovered than they deserve.
From the upper terraces you see the Danube, the Chain Bridge and the Pest skyline — a free view halfway up.
Arcades and fountains lit after dark with the site still open — one of the calmest places in Buda at night.
Ybl Miklós tér 2-6, at the foot of Buda Castle on the embankment, Buda 1013