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Fisherman’s Bastion, Budapest

Fisherman's Bastion Sunrise
Written by Amy

Want to feel like you’ve stepped into Hogwart’s AND get great sunrise photos?

Budapest’s Fisherman’s Bastion is located on the Buda side of the city (see which side is which), on a hill overlooking the Danube. You’ll see it on a lot of “Must Visit” lists for Budapest and for good reason!

Looking northeast, towards Parliament across the Danube

On our first morning in Budapest we were severely jet-lagged and found ourselves wide awake at 4am. We tossed and turned but eventually gave up- the joys of international travel! Since we both were awake, we figured we’d take advantage of the opportunity and get into the city while the sun came up.

We headed towards what appeared to be some pillars on a hill across the river from our hotel and discovered Fisherman’s Bastion! If you’re a huge Harry Potter fan you might feel like you’ve stepped onto the movie set. The terrace and 7 towers surround Matthias Church (another place worth a visit) and is super close to Buda Castle and the Old Town areas.

The lovely backside of Matthias Church

There’s a portion of the Bastion that is open to tourists at all hours (there’s turnstiles, but they let you in) and it’s the perfect spot to see the city wake up. Later in the day this place fills up with people.

A later-in-the-morning photo, showing the always open turnstile to the right.

The sunrise here was unreal. We did get to share it with a group of girls taking constant selfies of themselves, as well as a guy jogging who paused for a minute to take in the view. Luckily, there’s more than enough room for a few groups of people to get their prized photos. The entire surrounding area is really nice in the early morning, too, although none of the shops and restaurants are open yet. If you find yourself awake at odd hours when you visit Budapest, you’ve got to check this place out!

We had to join the other group up here and get a selfie, of course.

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