I’ve been doing photography tours in Budapest for 3 years now, and people on my tours often ask the very same questions.
So it makes sense to answer them all, in one article.
Here are your most frequently asked questions answered about taking photos in Budapest, Hungary.
(186 people already gave 5 star reviews on Tripadvisor).
Where is the Budapest sign?
Sorry, I have bad news for you…
You may know, that there used to be a Budapest sign at Heroes Square:
This was one of the tourist magnets – instagram photo spots in Budapest.
Everyone loved it obviously, but it was built away in 2015. Don’t ask me why, everyone’s missing it.
And since then, this particular one did not return anywhere in the city.
So currently, in January 2019, there’s no Budapest sign like that in the city.
Instead there’s a less attractive looking #helloHungary sign on Erzsébet square:
I will regularly update this part of the article, and let you know if the sign pops up anywhere.
Where to take good sunset photos in Budapest?
When people book me for a photo tour, they often tell me they want to shoot the sunset in Budapest.
The thing is that the geography location of Budapest is like this:
So there are hills on the Buda side, starting from almost the waterfront of the Danube.
This means that the best parts of a sunset are usually covered by these hills…
Of course, there are some compositions, where you can compose the orange sky well together with highlights of Buda, but you have to be lucky to have an orange-cloudy sunset.
Where is the best place to photograph the sunrise in Budapest?
Because of the geography of Budapest, photographing the city at sunrise is much more rewarding from a photographers point of view.
The best places for sunrise shots are:
Sunrise spot #1: Gellért-hill, south side
From those terraces where you have a clear view of the Liberty Bridge, you can also perfectly see the sunrise, too!
Sunrise spot #2: Fishermens Bastion in the Castle
In June / July, the Sun comes up from right behind the Parliament building, if you’re up at the Fishermens Bastion:
The other advantage of arriving early here is that there’ll be no one else 🙂
Sunrise spot #3: Looking down from Castle
There are many viewpoints facing east in the Castle, from where you can align the upcoming Sun with one of the highlights.
Sunrise spot #4: Opposite of Parliament building on Buda side
This spot is really easy to find!
First, go to Batthyány square metro and tram station. When you’re there, go down the small stairs to the riverbank, and just walk up 100 meters up north to get perfectly aligned with the center line of Parliament.
It may happen that a Scenic river cruise ship is docking there, blocking just the right spot.
It is really annoying, but there’s nothing you can do…
What time are the citylights turned ON in Budapest?
The lights go up according to the overall brightness / darkness level.
This means the lights are turned on around 5-20 minutes after sunset.
Here’s a site that tells you exactly when the sunset is in Budapest at various times of the year. And it also tells you when the Blue Hour is.
Of course these lights don’t remain up all night: they are turned off at midnight, or 1AM in daylight saving time.
So after midnight, the bridges and buildings are not lit up, only the street lights remain.
Are all the bridges lit up?
Yes, that’s the best part: all the bridges of Budapest are lit up!
Here’s the most known, the Chain Bridge:
The Liberty Bridge, the “green one”:
The Elisabeth Bridge, the “white one”:
The Margaret Bridge, the “one with arches”:
What time is the city less crowded?
According to my experience, these are the most crowded places in Budapest.
(Most crowded one on top)
Crowded spot #1: Fishermens Bastion
The Fishermens Bastion is one of the most known, iconic sites of Budapest. Therefore it’s on the must-see-list for every tourist.
And because it is a relatively small area, constrained by its walls, the crowd seems even larger.
Recommended time to visit: after 7 PM (or sunset), or before 7 AM.
It is fully lit up at night.
Crowded spot #2: Heroes Square
Heroes Square is definitely the second most crowded places in the city. But at least it really is a big square, so the crowd doesn’t feel as bad as in the Castle.
Recommended time to visit: after 7 PM (or sunset), or before 7 AM.
It is fully lit up at night.
Crowded spot #3: Citadel
This is a spot I always include in my night photo tours. Although it’s a relatively big area, because everybody wants to stand next to fence to be able to see the beautiful view (as above).
So this means it can get quite crowded here, as space is physically limited.
The number of people changes quite much with seasons and with weekends, and of course, the weather.
On a weekend with good weather in the summer, expect a lot of people. Same in December, before Christmas.
Usually on weekdays it’s a bit less crowded
Recommended time to visit: few minutes after sunset, to be able to see the view in Blue Hour. Or early in the morning, after sunrise
Crowded spot #4: Liberty Statue
Next to the Citadel, where the Liberty Statue is, you have a magnificent view as well:
This part is always crowded, but usually you’ll not have to wait more than a few minutes to grab a spot right next to the edge.
What are the best vantage points in Budapest?
I highly recommend you read my article about the best photo locations of Budapest: the spots I describe there are mostly vantage points.
When is the big fireworks in Budapest?
Every year it’s on St Stephen’s Day, 20th August.
The fireworks always starts at 9PM sharp.
Usually they are shot from the Chain Bridge and from boats on the river between Margaret and Chain Bridge.
Be prepared for extreme crowds, and that the Chain Bridge is fully closed off, while on the other bridges it’s crazy crowded. On this night, it’s best to walk or use the metro / tram system.
Can I climb up on the Chain Bridge, just like Will Smith?
No, you can’t do that anymore, thank God.
Will Smith did that on an early summer morning, in 2018 (he went all the way to the top, the pillar on the right):
Then the next day, people were literally lining up, which was extremely dangerous:
Luckily the city council installed anti-Will Smith-wannabe fences on every side, so now you just can’t go on top.
Can I take my camera into the thermal spas, is it allowed to take photos there?
Yes, you can.
Just watch out for the dew, and don’t drop it into the water 🙂
Is Budapest safe at night?
Yes, Budapest is a very safe city. There are lots of people walking on the streets, and in summer, the night life gets really busy:
This means that you can feel safe all the time.
In Hungary no one car wear guns, except police and armed forces. Not even security guards, they can’t have guns either.
I often walk at night in parks on the Buda side, and luckily I’ve never had any bad experiences.
Of course, as other big cities around the world, there are some parts where I wouldn’t go at night.
But still these areas are way ‘softer’ than for some neighborhoods in Paris or Los Angeles…
Your life will not be danger if you go to these places, it’s just there’s a higher chance of seeing some people behaving in verbally aggressive way.
So the good news is that the touristy part – the downtown Pest and the Buda side – is very safe. Even for single female travelers.
With everybody I met they all told the same thing: they “always felt safe in Budapest“.
How to avoid being ripped off by taxi drivers
This one is easy: AVOID FREELANCER taxis in Budapest. Use taxis that belong to companies (like Főtaxi, City Taxi, Bolt)
It’s very easy to spot them: here’s my detailed article on this.
Note: there’s no Uber in Budapest since summer of 2016.
(To be honest, I like the taxis better than Uber, so that’s good news)
Useful links
Best photo spots in Budapest, my detailed article with tons of pictures and maps
My private night photo tours in Budapest
Blue Hour site, that helps you calculate sunset and Blue Hour
Do you have any questions regarding photography in Budapest?
Please ask it in the comments, I’ll answer it!
_2015-02.jpg){kind=link}