Andrássy Avenue (Andrássy út in Hungarian) is certainly Budapest's most famous and most prominent street, where you will find many luxury boutiques, countless restaurants and cafes, as well as a number of galleries and museums, palaces and state buildings. The famous M1 Jubilee metro line, colloquially known as Földalatti, runs under the entire length of Andrássy Avenue.

This 2.5-kilometre-long avenue runs from St. Stephen's Basilica to Heroes' Square.

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History and UNESCO inscription

The decision to build the city's grand boulevard was taken in 1870, along with the steeply increasing transport needs. The main aim was to connect the Old Town with the popular Városliget Park and to create a commercial and administrative avenue for the rapidly expanding Pest, later Budapest.

Construction began in 1872 and was completed along with most of the buildings in record time in 1876.

In 1987, Andrássy Street and its immediate surroundings were inscribed on the UNESCO list as a unique and distinctly city-forming urban work.

3 parts of Andrássy Avenue

The boulevard can be beautifully divided into 3 distinct and almost equally long parts:

From Deák Ferenc tér to the Oktogon intersection - the narrowest part with a single row of trees on each side, where you will find the largest concentration of luxury shops, banks and offices of major companies, there is also the monumental Opera House.
From the Oktogon intersection to Kodály körönd Square - the street widens with two more rows of trees and a pair of side streets designed. In this part there are mainly large residential Art Nouveau houses and universities.
From Kodály körönd Square to Városliget Park - the street is further widened by a central belt of trees and is mainly surrounded by villas with large gardens, a large part of them serving as embassies.

Accommodation

Given the fact that there is a metro line running under the entire avenue to the historic centre, this is a strategic place to stay if you love being in the centre of the action. You will find some great hotels here, prices are higher and range between 90 eur and 120 eur per night for 2: