The Castle Hill Funicular (Budavari Siklo) is a historic funicular railway that climbs the steep western flank of Castle Hill in Budapest, connecting the Buda end of the Szechenyi Chain Bridge at Clark Adam Square to the Buda Castle complex at the top of the ridge. The funicular is one of the oldest funicular railways in the world and is both a working piece of public transport and one of the principal visitor attractions of the Buda Castle Quarter, offering a dramatic short ascent with panoramic views across the Danube. The funicular was the second of its kind in the world, after the Lyon funicular of 1862, and was built on the initiative of Count Odon Szechenyi - the son of the great Hungarian reformer Count Istvan Szechenyi who had built the adjacent Chain Bridge. The funicular was opened on the 2nd of March 1870 to provide easy access for the clerks and officials working in the royal palace and government offices on Castle Hill, who had previously faced a long climb up the hill. It was originally powered by a steam engine and was converted to electric operation in 1928. The funicular was completely destroyed during the siege of Budapest in 1944-45, when the fighting on Castle Hill reduced the entire quarter to ruins, and the line stood derelict for several decades. It was finally reconstructed and reopened on the 4th of June 1986, faithfully recreating the historic appearance of the original cars, with two ornate wood-and-glass carriages - named Margit and Gellert - climbing and descending the parallel track in counterbalance on the ninety-five-metre incline. The ascent rises around fifty-one metres over a track length of ninety-five metres at a steep gradient, and takes around one and a half minutes, with the cars stepped internally into compartments so that passengers always face level. The upper station opens directly onto the Castle Quarter beside the palace and the Sandor Palace (the office of the President of Hungary), and the journey offers a dramatic close-up view of the Chain Bridge and the Danube. The funicular operates daily from 08:00 to 22:00, with separate single and return tickets.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Clark Adam ter, Budapest, Hungary

Opening Date: 02/03/1870