Váci utca (Váci street) is one of the main pedestrian thoroughfares and perhaps the most famous street of central Budapest, Hungary. It features a large number of restaurants and shops catering primarily to the tourist market. Váci utca became a fashionable shopping street at the end of the 18th century. In the Middle Ages, the length of this street (1300 metres, just under a mile) equalled the length of the city of Pest. The two separate parts of Váci utca, to the north and the south of Elizabeth Bridge, are totally different. The northern part is overcrowded with tourists and shop windows in every building, while the southern part, which is also pedestrianised, has a quieter and more historical atmosphere.