Budapest Guide
Lipótváros and Újlipótváros
Újlipótváros
Szstreetent István körút, the section of the Nagykörút running from Nyugati Station to the Danube, marks the end of Lipótváros – but there are a few sights further out in Újlipótváros (the XIII District) that are worth a mention. The bank of the Danube north of the Margit híd is the site of the summertime Budapest Beach (Budapest Plázs), which takes its cue from the Paris original. From late May onwards the 1500-metre stretch of the Újpesti rakpart is closed to traffic and covered in sand and palm trees, recreating a seaside feel, and there are stages, live music, children's programmes and numerous food stalls, bars and restaurants to keep beach-goers happy.
Running up from the körút parallel to the beach is Pozsonyi út, a bustling tree-lined street leading to Szent István Park, the prewar social hub of a wealthy Jewish neighbourhood. It's an apt site for a monument to Raoul Wallenberg, who gave up a playboy life in neutral Sweden to help the Jews of Budapest in 1944. The monument was constructed in the 1950s but "exiled" to Debrecen in eastern Hungary before being stashed away for decades, only taking its rightful place in Budapest in 1999.
Heading 500m eastwards along Csanádi utca will take you to Lehel tér, notable for its picturesque 1930s reconstruction of the ruined Romanesque church at Zsámbék, west of Budapest. Beyond lies the Lehel tér market hall (Lehel Csarnok; Mon 6am–5pm, Tues– Fri 6am–6pm, Sat 6am–3pm), which may look like a stylistic mish-mash but has an excellent range of food stalls inside.