5 hidden viewpoints in Budapest to watch the 20 August fireworks

20 August is the national day of Hungary when we celebrate the foundation of the Christian Medieval state in 1000 by our first Christian king, Stephen I (997-1038). Of course, there will be many programmes, and the government even reintroduces food and drink price caps for the time of the celebrations. Needless to say, the main attraction will be the evening fireworks over the Danube. In this article, we recommend five scenic viewpoints to watch Europe’s greatest fireworks.

According to Csodálatos Magyarország, the main attraction of this year’s Staint Stephen Days will be Europe’s greatest fireworks, organised on Sunday evening. Turizmus.com says we can anticipate a vividly colourful show. There will be concerts, family and children’s programmes, pop and classical music performances and traditional ceremonies. For those who would like to celebrate Hungary’s birthday in an exciting yet cosy place, the organisers recommended five spots with exceptional vistas of the fireworks. Here is their promo video:

The fireworks show titled “Fire and Lights” will take place on Sunday, the final day of the festivities. To enjoy it without the crowd, the organisers recommend the following vantage points:

1. Gül Baba’s astonishing tomb, one of Budapest’s greatest Ottoman heritage sites – we wrote about that HERE
2. A Gellért Hill oasis on the hill’s Elizabeth Bridge side: we wrote HERE about its mystical water reservoir
3. The Garden of Philosophers in the Tabán: you can find more information about it in THIS article. Furthermore, according to turizmus.com, it’ll also host a live concert on the eve of 20 August.
4. All the places mentioned before are in Buda and are accessible both by car and public transport. Moreover, since they are in near proximity, you can even take a walk from downtown. An alternative for those who would like to remain on the Pest side of the city, can be the Nehru embankment between the Petőri Bridge and the Bálna event centre.
5. Keen to travel farther? The organisers recommend the Széchenyi outlook and memorial on the popular Svábhegy. The latter is only 10 kilometres from downtown but offers a unique fireworks experience. We wrote about Svábhegy HERE.

As we wrote before, the Hungarian government will reintroduce the food and drink price cap during the time of the celebrations. For example, a bottle of mineral water will cost only HUF 190 (EUR 0.5), while a piece of pretzel will be available for HUF 300 (EUR 0.8). That is way under the market prices. Furthermore, you can get a can of beer for HUF 350 (EUR 0.9). Such prices will be applied between 18 and 20 August at the 20 Budapest venues of the celebrations. HERE you may check out the entire programme guide. You can click HERE for the venues of the celebrations. The event will take place in more than 20 venues and offer hundreds of different programmes. You may read more about the programmes on the event’s WEBSITE. In THIS article, we summarised what you should know about the traffic changes in Budapest during the time of the festivities.