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.
Our Planet’s Landmarks Series #20
Surprise Surprise
‘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
The Underground M1 Budapest
‘What is M1?’ I asked.
‘It is the Underground Train you can take from Oktogon.’
I have
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.
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.
The line is 4.4 km long and runs a
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
The next station, Deák Ferenc tér, takes you to the city’s
A few hundred
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.
What follows is another station named after Vörösmarty – Vörösmarty
More Budapest and The Underground
After you get past Kodály körönd and Bajza
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.
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.
The Travel+Leisure article as it appeared:
For more planet’s landmarks, click HERE
📷 Photographer’s Note
Something in this post caught your eye — a slant of light, a detail the guidebook skipped, a piece of history that sits differently now that you have seen it through a lens. Good. That is exactly what these posts are for.
This site is part of a larger body of work: over 110 UNESCO World Heritage Sites photographed across 40+ countries, with the same approach — the history, the light, the politics, and what most visitors walk past without noticing. I have put the India coverage together in two dedicated guides. If you want more of this, start there.
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 appeared in the February 2019 issue of Travel+Leisure as a 'Through the Lens' feature... Travelure ©){kind=link}