The main railway stations can be seen as touristic gateways for any country, along with the airports. They often tell history and some of them are rich in architecture. Here are some photos of the two main railway stations of Budapest – Keleti and Nyugati. They are both in Pest. A third main railway station exists in Buda – the Déli Station.

The Budapest Nyugati Railway Station (Nyugati pályaudvar or the Western Railway Station) was built in 1877 by the Eiffel Company (the same who built the Eiffel Tower in Paris). The entire area is a transportation hub, with metro lines, buses, cars, commuters, connections to the airport, a shopping mall nearby and so on. Above is an image of the façade.

And here is a view from the inside, where there is also a McDonald’s restaurant which is considered to be the most elegant McDonald’s in the world. The places served are typically those from the western part of Hungary, but there are lines starting in Nyugati, going through the entire country up to Debrecen in the east, then returning back to Keleti, as some sort of circuit.

The Budapest Keleti Railway Station (Keleti pályaudvar or the Eastern Railway Station) was built in 1884 in the eclectic style. It is much bigger and is the “de facto” Budapest station. It connects pretty much everywhere, lies in the center of a large square and is a hub for metros, busses, trolleybuses, trams, cars, connections to the airport and also nocturnal lines. A different shopping mall is nearby (Arena Mall), as well as a stadium (Puskás Aréna). Above is the well-known façade.

Traditionally, the Nyugati was connected to Western Europe and Keleti to Eastern Europe. Today this rule persists more or less. Here is the typical view of the ceiling.

A different and rather atypical perspective – the view seen from a train (which is visible at the bottom of the image) towards the exit of the station.

As I said, these stations are also pieces of architecture. Here is a view from one of the sides.

The halls are rather tall. You can find all the facilities you can imagine in an international railway station.

One last view towards the train lines. It’s not only about functionality, but also about beauty…