Andrássy út, UNESCO World Heritage boulevard in District VI, Hungary

Andrássy út is a 2,310-metre boulevard cutting through Terézváros, District VI, from the inner-city boundary to the edge of City Park. Its roadway runs above the Millennium Underground, and the street widens in stages: commercial blocks near Erzsébet tér, an allée between Oktogon and Kodály körönd, then residential palaces with small front gardens, ending in a villa quarter. The buildings form a unified eclectic Neo-renaissance line, with the State Opera House among them.

Construction began in 1872 and finished in 1896, coinciding with celebrations marking a thousand years since the Hungarian settlement of the region. The completion also aligned with the opening of mainland Europe's first underground railway system.

The avenue's name honours Prime Minister Gyula Andrássy, who backed the plan; it was renamed three times in the 1950s before reverting in 1990. Its eclectic Neo-renaissance palaces, designed by architects including Miklós Ybl, now house cafés, theatres, embassies and luxury boutiques.

An underground metro line runs beneath the avenue with several stations along the route, making it easy to navigate the entire area. The best way to explore is to walk and hop on the metro for longer stretches.

The avenue's roadway was originally paved with wooden blocks to spare horses' hooves and reduce noise. The plot at the avenue's far end was not built on until 1885, nine years after the road opened. The first underground railway in continental Europe was proposed in 1870 precisely because the capital opposed surface transport on this road.