Boats sailing past the Parliament building in Budapest
Photograph: Szabó Gábor for Time Out
Photograph: Szabó Gábor for Time Out

The best attractions in Budapest: our ultimate guide for 2025

From gorgeous architecture to lesser-known curiosities and quirky museums, these are the finest sights in the Hungarian capital

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When it comes to top attractions in Budapest, museums and galleries are not the only game in town – there are spa baths, hilltop castles and a great big wheel smack-bang in the city centre. It’s only when visitors come to my adopted home of the last 35 years that I pay proper attention to its attractions.

Much like Londoners not bothering with the British Museum, Budapest residents on the Danube-hugging No.2 tram barely give the stunning Parliament building a second glance and practically ignore Buda Castle’s UNESCO-protected cityscape. But the city I fell for never fails to deliver. I may not wander into the National Gallery every week but I’m glad it’s there, waiting for whenever visitors give me the excuse to recapture that thrill of discovery – and, naturally, party like it’s 1989.

📍 RECOMMENDED: Ultimate guide to what to do in Budapest

🏨 Ready to book? Here are Budapest’s best hotels and best Airbnbs, selected by our editors

Words by Peterjon Cresswell, original photos by Gábor Szabó, both based in Budapest. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelinesThis guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines

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Best Budapest attractions

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What is it? Lending its name to the hill it sits on and the Castle District around it, the former royal palace was turned into a museum by the Communist authorities tasked with rebuilding the area flattened in 1945. It has since housed the National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum and the national Széchényi Library.

Why we love it? Recently revamped as part of the Hauszmann programme to restore its Habsburg glory, Buda Castle has embraced the 21st century with a bright restaurant installed in its Royal Guard and Riding Hall, and modern art featuring at the National Gallery. Even the old-school Budapest History Museum now has a new permanent exhibition.

Time Out tip: Visitors to the National Gallery can access its dome at no extra cost for panoramic views of Budapest. 

Address: Szent György tér 2, 1014 Budapest

Opening hours: Museums Daily 10am-6pm. Outdoor areas & courtyards open 24 hours

Expect to pay: National Gallery (including Dome) Ft 5,400 (€13.50). Budapest History Museum Ft 3,800 (€9.50). Outdoor areas & courtyards free

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What is it? The most popular spa in a city famed for its baths, the palatial Széchenyi basks in City Park, far from its counterparts of Turkish heritage on the Buda side. Water and cabin temperatures vary, signs indicating the degrees to which you’re subjecting yourself to. 

Why we love it Fun in summer, indelibly atmospheric as snowflakes flutter in winter, three large outdoor pools are overlooked by a terrace restaurant and preface a tour of the many indoor pools and saunas just behind. Monthly Sparty pool parties take over after the last bather leaves.

Time Out tip: Cabins offer private changing for single visitors and couples alike.

Address: Állatkerti körút 9-11, 1146 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Thur 7am-8pm, Fri 7am-10pm, Sat-Sun 8am-8pm

Expect to pay: Mon-Thur Ft 12,500 (€31), Fri-Sun Ft 14,000 (€35)

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What is it? More chilling than any ghost train, the House of Terror fills a large house on Andrássy út once commandeered by the Secret Police during Communism and the Fascist authorities in World War II. Suspects would be brought here for imprisonment, torture and worse, as detailed on four levels of English-friendly exhibits. A video in the lift between floors plays an interview with a former guard who describes ripping up victims’ last letters to loved ones. 

Why we love it An essential visit if you want to understand Hungarian history – which is why this is such a popular if sinister attraction.

Time Out tip: Opt for the audio guide for a more in-depth explanation of the museum's exhibits. 

Address: Andrássy út 60, 1062 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Closed Mon

Expect to pay: Ft 4,000 (€10)

4. Children’s Railway

What is it? This vintage railway is a remnant of the Communist version of the Scout Movement called Pioneers, which encouraged younger ones to develop a work ethic and learn about responsibility. A staff of uniformed children still operate the narrow-gauge railway, but sans propaganda. The drivers and engineers are grown-ups.

Why we love it You can get out of the city centre and escape to the Buda Hills on this nostalgic 45-minute train ride through the woods. 

Time Out tip: Detailed hiking suggestions nearby are provided by the Gyermekvasút website – click on Maps.  

Address: Gyermekvasúthoz vezető út 5, 1021 Budapest

Opening hours: Summer daily 8.45am-6.45pm. Winter Tue-Sun 9am-5pm

Expect to pay: Ft 1,000 (€2.50). 6-18s Ft 500 (€1.25)

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5. St Stephen’s Basilica

What is it? This domed basilica is an iconic Budapest landmark and its equal tallest building at 96 metres, the height tied in with the Parliament building and the Hungarian Millennial celebrations of 1896. State funerals are held here. 

Why we love it Go inside for the spectacular frescoes and the mummified right hand of Hungary’s canonised first king. It's worth paying extra to ascend to the viewing platform for 360-degree views over the city. 

Time Out tip: for a truly magical experience, check out an organ concert. 

Address: Szent István tér 1, 1051 Budapest

Opening hours: Church Mon-Sat 9am-5.15pm, Sun 12.30pm-5.15pm. Panoramic terrace Daily 9am-6.30pm 

Expect to pay: Church Ft 2,400 (€6), Terrace & Treasury Ft 4,500 (€11.25), Combined ticket Ft 6,200 (€15.50). Under-18s & over-65s Church Ft 1,800 (€4.50), Terrace & Treasury Ft 3,600 (€9), Combined ticket Ft 5,000 (€12.50)

6. Parliament

What is it? The Parliament building dominates the Pest side of the river with its neo-gothic spires and a dome that peaks at 96 metres. Tour the building, see it from a boat or simply look over from Buda.

Why we love it If you take a guided tour, climb the golden staircase and admire the crown jewels that once belonged to Hungary’s first king (plus the rooms where MPs now meet). 

Time Out tip: If you don't have time for a tour, at least pass by at night to see the bulding lit up in all its glory. 

Address: Kossuth Lajos tér 1-3, 1055 Budapest

Opening hoursApr-Oct daily 8am-6pm. Nov-Mar daily 8am-4pm

Expect to payNon-EU/EEA citizens Ft 13,000 (€32.50), 6-24s Ft 6,500 (€16.25). EU/EEA citizens Ft 6,500 (€16.25), 6-24s Ft 3,250 (€8.15)

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7. House of Music Hungary

What is it? The jewel in the crown of the Liget Project currently transforming City Park, the House of Music Hungary is an architectural wonder and a complex of spaces for live music, events and exhibitions.

Why we love it As well as a hands-on journey through the history of music, the HoMH never fails to amaze thanks to the adventurous design by Japan's Sou Fujimoto, who integrated the surrounding trees into the building, its roof full of holes and seemingly floating on air. The kids can have a great time making strange sounds as they jump around the playground outside.

Time Out tip: Jazz, pop, rock, folk and World Music acts comprise the regular agenda of concerts here – the Event Calendar option on the museum's English-language page provides full details.

Address: Olof Palme sétány 3, 1146 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am-6pm (summer until 8pm Thur). Closed Mon

Expect to payPermanent exhibition Ft 4,500 (€11.25), 6-26s, over-62s & students Ft 2,700 (€6.75). Concerts free-Ft 5,000 (€12.50)

8. Citadella

What is it? The landmark you see from almost everywhere in the city is the Statue of Lady Liberty which tops Gellért Hill. Unveiled by the Soviets to symbolise their liberation of Budapest in 1945, until modern times it carried inscriptions in Hungarian and Russian. Below is a Habsburg-era garrison currently being adapted to house a museum dedicated to the Hungarian struggle for liberation.

Why we love it Few views of Budapest are more supreme than the panoramic ones from this spot – which is why it's a popular one for wedding photos.

Time Out tip: To reach Citadella by public transport, bus 27 runs from Móricz Zsigmond körtér every ten minutes – alight at Búsuló Juhász (Citadella), the nearest stop a shortish climb from the landmark.

Address: Citadella sétány, 1118 Budapest

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9. Museum of Fine Arts

What is it? The most prestigious collection of fine art gathered under one roof in Budapest, along with treasures from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and a wealth of medieval Hungarian art, filling a stately edifice on Heroes’ Square.

Why we love it Along with works by Titian, Velázquez and El Greco, the museum has opened the revamped Romanesque Hall to the public after decades of neglect. Its restoration formed part of a huge overhaul undertaken in the later 2010s, which helped break this huge, fusty collection into visitor-friendly, bite-sized chunks. 

Time Out tip: Along with an easier-to-negotiate permanent collection, the MFA now offers English-language tours and workshops for all ages, some free of charge.

Address: Dózsa György út 41, 1146 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am-6pm

Expect to payPermanent exhibition Ft 5,800 (€14.50). Temporary exhibitions (inc admission to the permanent exhibition) Ft 6,400 (€16)

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What is it? This neo-Moorish building, topped with two gold-dappled onion-dome turrets, is the largest Jewish house of worship in Europe. Inside, the Synagogue dazzles with its rare rose window, lavish gold leaf detailing and carved-wood features.

Why we love it Few sights in Budapest are as poignant. A graveyard marks where some 2,000 Jews were killed during the Holocaust, alongside a weeping willow sculpture that bears the name of the victims on each of its leaves. 

Time Out tip: Standing on the site of the birthplace of Theodor Herzl, founder of modern Zionism, the National Jewish Museum within the complex presents artefacts and photographs relating to the history of Jewry in Hungary.

Address: Dohány utca 2, 1074 Budapest

Opening hoursSummer Mon-Thur, Sun 10am-8pm, Fri 10am-4pm. Spring/autumn Mon-Thur, Sun 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-4pm. Winter Mon-Thur, Sun 10am-4pm, Fri 10am-2pm

Expect to pay: Ft 13,000 (€32.50). 6-12s 5,000 (€12.50)

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