The Underground (M1 Budapest) appeared in the February 2019 issue of Travel+Leisure as a ‘Through the Lens’ feature. The text in the feature was abridged. Here’s the unabridged version of the same.
‘How do I get to Szechenyi Thermal Baths?’ ‘Take the M1.’ ‘And to Opera?’ ‘M1.’ ‘Hero’s Park?’ You guessed it, ‘M1.’
I was settling in my AirBnB on Erzsébet körút (Elizabeth boulevard), near Oktogon. It was on the Pest side of Danube in Budapest. I was making enquiries about places I was keen to visit as my host Ambrus handed me a can of beer. Her staccato answers punctuated with M1 intrigued me.
You could walk across to Hungarian Parliament from the Underground M1 Budapest
The Underground M1 Budapest
‘What is M1?’ I asked. ‘It is the Underground Train you can take from Oktogon.’
I have travelled to many large European cities. Most of them, a maze. I had ended up crisscrossing across those cities to visit the city attractions. And here I was, hearing I only needed to use M1 to check out most of Budapest.
It piqued my interest. Enough, for me to do some research on M1. The findings left me gaping. Join me for an underground ride as I uncover Budapest’s heritage.
The yellow-brown of the Underground M1 Budapest
M1 is the oldest underground train network in Mainland Europe. Built over a short 21-month period, it was commissioned in 1896. In time for Millennium celebrations of the arrival of Magyars. That explains its official name – Millennium Underground Railway.
Vörösmarty Square is named after Mihály Vörösmarty – a famous Hungarian poet and dramatist.
The line is 4.4 km long and runs a metre under Andrássy út (Andrassy Avenue) – the Champs-Élysées of Budapest. Like the avenue, M1 also runs in a southeast-northwest direction. From Vörösmarty tér (Vörösmarty Square) to Mexikói út. Along with the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue, the Underground also forms a part of the same UNESCO listing.
Close to Vörösmarty Square lies the food and shopping Mecca of Budapest.
Budapest Attractions and The Underground
The M1 terminal Vörösmarty Square is a stone’s throw from the east bank of Danube. The square is named after Mihály Vörösmarty – a famous Hungarian poet and dramatist. It is a short walk from the Hungarian Parliament – one of the top Budapest attractions. The square is also the food and shopping Mecca of Budapest. The neighbourhood boasts of global brands. Like Zara, H&M, Hard Rock Café, Marriott, Intercontinental, Las Vegas Casino, and more.
The main lobby of the State Opera House
The next station, Deák Ferenc tér, takes you to the city’s townhall and Metro Museum. The townhall is an exquisite heritage building. And you can find the vintage yellow and brown cars resting on their original rails in Metro Museum.
A few hundred metres from Deák Ferenc tér is the third station – Bajcsy–Zsilinszky út. This is where you get off to visit the splendid St. Stephen’s Basilica.
Area around Vörösmarty Square is souvenir hunters’ haven!
The next station is Opera. Need I say you get off here to visit the famous Hungarian State Opera House?
Oktogon – the next stop – is a busy crossing. Here, Erzsébet körút (Elizabeth boulevard) cuts through Andrássy út (Andrassy Avenue). The area houses many prominent theatres like Mikroszkóp, Miklós Radnóti, Operette, etc.
The Underground M1 Budapest takes you to Heroes’ Square too
What follows is another station named after Vörösmarty – Vörösmarty utca. Here, you can visit the House of Terror. It is a memorial. To the victims who suffered torture and death. During the fascist and communist regime in Hungary.
Vajdahunyad Castle is located in City Park and can be accessed through the Underground M1
More Budapest and The Underground
After you get past Kodály körönd and Bajza utca, M1 brings you to Hősök tere (Heroes square). Alight here for some sterling sight-seeing. Museum of Fine Arts, Heroes Square, and Városliget (City Park) dot this area. Another interesting site here is Vajdahunyad Castle. Located in City Park, this castle was also built in 1896 to celebrate a thousand years of the arrival of Magyars. It is an amalgamation of architectural features from different periods. Parts of it resemble the famous the Hunyad Castle in Transylvania (now in Romania).
The entrance lobby of Szechenyi Thermal Baths – the largest medicinal baths in Europe. The Underground M1 Budapest brings you here too.
M1 then takes you to Széchenyi fürdő. Get off here to visit the Budapest Zoo, Botanical Garden, and the Szechenyi Thermal Baths. Szechenyi Baths are the largest medicinal baths in Europe. Two natural thermal springs are the source of its water supply. Scientific research has shown the water here has curative properties. No visit to Budapest is complete without visiting Szechenyi.
A view of Szechenyi Thermal Baths. These baths can be reached by the Underground M1, Budapest
Skip the last stop, Mexikói út, as it takes you to a residential area. By now you’d agree with me. M1 offers travellers more attractions than similar underground train journey elsewhere. As an avid traveller myself, I definitely endorse the rich and varied heritage fare it offers.
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 appeared in the February 2019 issue of Travel+Leisure as a 'Through the Lens' feature... Travelure ©){kind=link}