Andrassy Avenue

The Hungarian State Opera is situated on Andrassy Avenue, the grandest of all avenues in Budapest. Andrassy Avenue (Andrassy utca) is designated by Unesco as a world heritage site and is named after Count Gyula Andrássy, Hungary’s prime minister (1867-1871) who promoted its construction along with several other major projects in Pest at the time.

The elegant 2.5 km long avenue connects the city center (almost adjacent to St. Stephen’s Basilica) on the southeast to the Heroes Square on the northwest side. Constructed in the late 19th century Andrassy is considered Budapest’s Champs Elysées.

The grand avenue is lined with magnificent buildings. Neo-Renaissance mansions, embassies, expensive hotels, beautiful cafes, high-end restaurants,designer shops,the State Opera,the House of Terror museum, the Budapest Puppet Theatre..the list is quite extensive.

If you find the street too long to walk from end to end then we would recommend a stop at the Book Café – Lotz-terem (Lotz Hall). This is one of the most impressive cafes in the world. Magnificent frescoes, beautiful chandeliers contrast strikingly with the gentle live piano music in the so-called Lotz Hall creating a dream-like atmosphere you will probably memorize for ever …. try their fruity cottage cheese cake with whole strawberries on top… heaven!