Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been to. You are in for a real treat when visiting Fisherman’s Bastion because you will feel like you are stepping into a real-life fairytale. This architectural wonder is situated on the “Buda” side of the Danube. In case you didn’t know, Budapest is separated by the Danube and one is the Buda side and the other side is the Pest side. Fisherman’s Bastion is located on top of Castle Hill and overlooks the Pest side and the Danube.
Fisherman’s Bastion just so happens to be situated right across from the Danube from the Hungarian Parliament Building. The Parliament Building is truly one of the most stunning buildings in the whole entire world. You will get a birds-eye view of the Parliament when you are standing on Fisherman’s Bastion.
In this guide, we are going to show you all the best viewpoints from Fisherman’s Bastion. These viewpoints are perfect whether you are looking for an Instagram photo, family photo, or simply the absolute best viewpoints to take in the gorgeous city below you. We will also include exact Google Maps locations so you will see the exact spot that these photos were taken so you can better prepare for your own trip.
10 Best Viewpoints From Fisherman’s Bastion In Budapest
The Hungarian Parliament From The Very Center Of Fisherman’s Bastion
We are starting off with this viewpoint from Fisherman’s Bastion as it is the most popular and well-known and also one of the prettiest. This gorgeous viewpoint is located at the very center of Fisherman’s Bastion. You can see the Hungarian Parliament and the Danube River below and the gorgeous architecture in the foreground. This is also a wonderful viewpoint for photography if you are visiting Fisherman’s Bastion when it is crowded or at high season. The best part is that there are no people in the background as it is just the beautiful city of Budapest. You will easily be able to take photos at will without getting fellow tourists in the shot.
Tips for photographing this spot: If you want to get the Hungarian Parliament at it’s best, you are going to want to shoot with a zoom lens if possible. Of course, you can capture stunning photos with your smartphone too. We do not suggest using a wide angle lens here such as a 15-30mm because it will make the Parliament appear super tiny when you want actually want to be featuring it. This is a spot you can photograph at any time of day and you do not have to arrive super early to capture it without too many people.
From The Upper Right Turret With Pest In The Background
One of our favorite magical views from Fisherman’s Bastion is from the upper-right turret facing the city of Budapest below. This upper-turret section requires an entrance fee unless you go early in the morning. If you visit early in the morning then there is no entrance fee as there is nobody manning the stations so you can just walk around and climb up. Tons of people do it every day, but as soon as the ticket-taker comes the fee costs (Adults): HUF 1000 (approx. 3.4 Euro). If you want to shoot this view, we recommend coming early in the morning as the price isn’t really worth it for such a small area. That being said, if you are only here once, it is, at the end of the day, a small price to pay to walk around the top of Fisherman’s Bastion.
Tips for photographing this spot: If you are looking to photograph this spot, you are going to want to stand and face the city of Budapest. There will be one turret that will tower above the city so you will stand in front of one and photograph the other. One turret faces inland to the Buda side, that is the turret you stand in front of. You will want to photograph the turret that is high above the Pest side and the Danube. To beat the crowds at this spot, we do recommend coming earlier or later in the day if possible!
Matthias Church From The Upper Turret Area
While you are in the upper turret area, this is the perfect opportunity to grab a unique and stunning view from Fisherman’s Bastion. If you paid the entrance fee to the upper level, why not maximize it with all of the best viewpoints possible? This is one of the more unique views. You will stand on top of the “paid” area of Fisherman’s Bastion and instead of looking at the Danube you will turn around and take in the splendor of Saint Matthias Church. You can capture the courtyard area and the church in the background. It is a wonderfully unique view that many people miss while they only look one direction toward the Parliament Building.
Tips for photographing this spot: Go early in the morning if you want to capture the courtyard and church free of people. Otherwise, go at any time as sometimes the crowd adds to the beauty of your photo. You will want a wide-angle lens if possible to capture the entirety of Matthias Church from the upper-level of Fisherman’s Bastion. Finally, if you want to be in the photo, you will have to stand on the upper level as a photographer with someone else [your subject] walking in the courtyard. This difference in height makes the shot appear as though it was taken with a drone when in reality it is just taken from the upper turret.
The Parliament Building From The Upper Turrets
Since we want to maximize the entrance fee for the upper turret area, should you be paying one, we want to continue with the last amazing view from Fisherman’s Bastion’s paid entrance fee area. This fantastic view can be seen from the inside of the turret discussed in the second location here. We will flag it in the map below. This way, you can get a fantastic view of Budapest while looking through the small and beautiful windows in the turret on this upper-level area. This turret in Fisherman’s Bastion offers a more unique view than the first location on this list as it is curved instead of straight and it is a lesser-known spot so it should be less crowded. The views are stunning and we highly recommend this lovely spot.
Tips for photographing this spot: You have two choices when photographing this spot on Fisherman’s Bastion. You can shoot with a wide angle lens to get the entire interior of the turret, of you can zoom in a little bit to just one or two windows for a fairytale look with the Hungarian Parliament in the background. If you are looking for something a little different, we highly recommend this view so you get the traditional Parliament from Fisherman’s Bastion shot but with a little bit of a twist.
From The Side Stairs With Turrets In The Background
If we are being honest, this is probably one of the most popular viewpoints at Fisherman’s Bastion. It is just such a classic and so beautiful it is easy to see why it is always appearing in photographs from Budapest. There are two side staircases at the front of Fisherman’s Bastion and this view works from either. The great part about this viewpoint is that you get to see all of the stunning architecture. While the Parliament is beautiful, it doesn’t need to be in every view or photograph from Fisherman’s Bastion.
Tips for photographing this spot: This is one of the more crowded parts of Fisherman’s Bastion so just know that it will be full of fellow tourists if you arrive after 9-10am. That is okay, we have seen some tasteful photographs from here with tourists in the background! That being said, if you want to visit without people, go early in the morning for the best light and lack of people in your shot. We used a wide angle lens here but honestly any lens even a smartphone works wonders. It is impossible to take a bad shot from this view at Fisherman’s Bastion.
Looking Up On Fisherman’s Bastion From The Main Staircase
This is another one of the more unique viewpoints from Fisherman’s Bastion. Again, this view doesn’t focus on the Danube or Budapest but on the stunning architecture Fisherman’s Bastion has to offer. Since you are already on the staircase from the photo above, continue on down until the staircase merges from two into one large staircase. Then turn around and stare back up where you came from. This is a really unique “up angle” and not only does it capture the architecture of Fisherman’s Bastion, but it also captures Matthias Church in the background too. Many people just stick to walking within the walls of Fisherman’s Bastion and never venture down and that is a real shame as there are many unique viewpoints to see!
Tips for photographing this spot: Depending on how much architecture you want to see, you are going to want to use a wider lens if possible. If you are looking to take some fun tourist photos with your smartphone, this is also the perfect spot. If you don’t arrive early you will have to contend with crowds at this location but it still offers some of the best views in Fisherman’s Bastion.
The Parliament With A Balcony In The Foreground
We totally love this view of Fisherman’s Bastion and it took us a little while to find the best spot to shoot from. There are lots of pretty balconies at Fisherman’s Bastion but finding just the right one with the Parliament in the background took a little effort. We are cutting down on the work and showing you the exact spot to photograph from if you want to get this viewpoint. We really love this spot as it is more unique and can be enjoyed even when it is crowded. It is also a wonderful place to enjoy both sunrise and sunset from Fisherman’s Bastion.
Tips for photographing this spot: When you photograph this view, you are going to want to stand near the archways mentioned in location #1. If someone is going to be your model or the subject, that person will stand on the balcony and overlook the city of Budapest while the person photographing will stand in the left archway at the center of Fisherman’s Bastion to shoot this view. If you want good compression that shows off the Parliament Building, you are going to want to forgo your wide lens and shoot with at least a semi-zoom lens. A smartphone works well too. You can shoot this angle even if Fisherman’s Bastion is crowded as you just have to wait for the balcony to get freed up and not any other area.
From The Right Entry To Fisherman’s Bastion
This is one of the Fisherman’s Bastion viewpoints that never gets any love when people visit Budapest. It doesn’t “scream” Budapest like all the other viewpoints do, but it is a lovely little cove of beauty that is reminiscent of a fairytale. Unless this is the way you arrived at Fisherman’s Bastion, you will probably never know this beautiful ivy-covered doorway even existed. It is below the furthest right turret in Fisherman’s Bastion if you are overlooking the city. You simply walk down and you will find where the viewpoint is. We think this is a very underrated section for photography as it really is one of the more magical and lesser-known spots to see.
Tips for photographing this spot: Luckily, you can photograph this location even if Fisherman’s Bastion is super busy. It isn’t nearly as crowded as other spots on this list and allows for a more relaxed and enjoyable time taking photos. If you are looking for unique Instagram spots in Budapest, this is it! You can shoot this location with a smartphone, zoom, or wide lens. It is pretty much impossible to take a bad photo here.
In Front Of The Largest Turret At Fisherman’s Bastion
While you are visiting Fisherman’s Bastion, you will notice that one turret stands out from the rest. This turret is at the far left of Fisherman’s Bastion and is hard to miss. It is massive and towers over the entire complex. It is also easily the prettiest turret you will ever see. This is a classic Fisherman’s Bastion viewpoint that should not be missed. You are really going to enjoy marveling at the beautiful architecture that the turret has to offer. If you are visiting Fisherman’s Bastion and are short on time, you need to head straight to this gorgeous turret because it is a must-see.
Tips for photographing this spot: We have photographed this spot on Fisherman’s Bastion both when it was sunrise with no people and when it was very busy with lots of other tourists. Either way, you can still get good shots, but if it is busy you may have to wait a bit in order for a clear space. Be creative with your angles and stand up, kneel, or get really low on the ground for various unique angles and compositions for this gorgeous and popular spot. You can photograph this turret with any lens depending on your personal style and tastes.
The Parliament From The Road Next To Fisherman’s Bastion
We can safely say that we saved the best viewpoint for last! We really hope you read all this way because this is truly the most unique and underrated view from Fisherman’s Bastion. Not only does this view feature the Parliament, it also is easy to get even when it is busy out! In order to capture this fantastic view, you are going to head to the far left of the complex, even past the large turret.
As soon as you reach here and it appears you will leave the complex, you turn your attention right. At this point, you will see the road in your foreground and the Danube and beautiful Parliament in the background. This is a stunning viewpoint on its own, but if you want someone to be in your photograph here is how to access it. While the photographer stands on-top of Fisherman’s Bastion, you are going to walk down the main steps at the front of Fisherman’s Bastion and hook a left on the road that runs at the base of the complex. The person taking the photo will stand on top and photograph down and the person modeling as the subject will walk along this part of the road that runs along the side of Fisherman’s Bastion.
Tips for photographing this spot: We shot this spot on an 80mm zoom lens. This allowed us to capture the road in the foreground but also photograph the Parliament in the background so that it appeared to be “big” in the photo instead of a distant small shape. It is important for the photographer to stand at the furthest left of Fisherman’s Bastion and shoot zoomed in down the road below. This makes this shot appear as if it was taken by a drone when in reality it is simply shot from higher above.
Fisherman’s Bastion Ticket Prices
Believe it or not, visiting the majority of Fisherman’s Bastion is completely FREE! Yes, such a gorgeous location is free to visit! That being said, there are flexible ticket prices for Fisherman’s Bastion if you want to head into additional areas. The only area of Fisherman’s Bastion with an entrance fee is the upper terraces and turrets which is priced at 3.5 euros per person. If you arrive early or late, there is no one manning these upper terraces and you can enter free of charge.
If you are visiting, how much of an entrance fee to Fisherman’s Bastion you pay is up to you. We have been in the upper turrets and terraces and it isn’t a huge area for the fee. If you go early, you can visit free of charge. If you go later and still want to see it, you can rest assured that the Fisherman’s Bastion ticket prices aren’t all that much and you can still visit 95% of the complex for free. If you have the Budapest Card you will be able to enter the upper areas with a 10% discount.
History Of Fisherman’s Bastion
If you are visiting Budapest, you may be wondering about the history of Fisherman’s Bastion. Fisherman’s Bastion was completed in 1905 and was built on an old rampart that was defended by the fisherman in the middle ages. As you can probably guess, this is where the name Fisherman’s Bastion came from! An old fish market also once sat at this location which is again, another reason for the name. This stunning complex was built to celebrate fairytale architecture, not exactly to defend the city of Budapest. The history of Fisherman’s Bastion is very unique because this place was built for celebration not safety.
Fisherman’s Bastion is made up of seven towers and turrets. Each turret of the seven represents one of the seven tribes that settled Hungary back in 896. Between the church and Fisherman’s Bastion also stands the statue of Saint Stephen, the first Christian King of Hungary. His statue isn’t easy to miss so make sure to keep your eye out for it during your visit! Finally, Fisherman’s Bastion is constructed with white stone and built in a neo-gothic and neo-romanesque architecture. While the views are stunning, we think that Fisherman’s Bastion history is pretty cool to hear about too!
We hope that you enjoy all of the best viewpoints from Fisherman’s Bastion. We know that it can be hard or stressful visiting a new place, especially when you really want to see the best it has to offer but aren’t sure where to start. We hope that you take this as inspiration to explore the beautiful architecture and views that Fisherman’s Bastion has to offer. It is a truly incredible fairytale experience and should be prioritized for any visit to Budapest! We are happy to answer any questions in the comments should you need any additional help to find some of our favorite views!
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