Budapest’s best cemeteries

What is it? Also known as Fiumei út cemetery after the main road that leads from alongside Keleti station, Kerepesi most compares to Père Lachaise in Paris. Opened in 1847, it witnessed its first burial in 1849, at the exact time when the Hungarian Revolution was unfolding and being suppressed. The great figures involved in the Uprising and subsequent semi-autonomy with Vienna, the founding fathers of modern-day Hungary, are honoured here, Batthyány, Deák and Kossuth, along with the most notable writers, artists, composers and architects of the same era and beyond.

Why we love it Even if you’re not sure exactly what Lajos Batthyány did or who Lujza Blaha was, you cannot fail to be impressed by the vast mausoleums and dramatic monuments built around their remains. (Batthyány was the first prime minister of Hungary following the uprising of 1848 and executed a year later, Lujza was a revered actress who lends her name to a prominent city square.) Enormous growling felines protect the mausoleum dedicated to revolutionary politician Lajos Kossuth, while cloaked figures seem to be pulling in four different directions the shroud covering József Antall, Hungary’s first democratically elected leader after the fall of Communism.

Time Out tip: To guide you around the cemetery, you can download an English-language app, though it’s currently only available for Android users.

Address: Fiumei út 16-18, 1086 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily Jan-Feb, Nov-Dec 7.30am-5pm, Mar 7am-5.30pm, Apr & Aug 7am-7pm, May-July. Sept 7am-8pm, Sept 7am-6pm, Oct 7am-5pm

Transport: M2/M4 to Keleti pu then ten-minute walk or one stop on tram 24 to Dologház utca

What is it? A large cemetery on the hilly slopes of a quiet area of Buda, offering occasional views of the city from its vantage point. After Kerepesi was restricted to certain burials in 1952, Farkasréti became the de facto national cemetery, accommodating musicians, footballers and film directors, as well as former ministers.

Why we love it Given the colourful past lives of some the cemetery residents, graves here can be somewhat quite unusual – László Benkő lies beneath a mock keyboard, of the kind he would have played with 1970s’ rock heroes Omega. Footballs and Olympic rings feature prominently in the area dedicated to sports stars, while revered actress Hilda Gobbi pulls back the curtains before walking out to her last performance.

Time Out tip: If you get the chance to peek into the mortuary chapels just inside the main entrance, they represent a human ribcage, inside which the heart lies. They’re the work of seminal Hungarian architect Imre Makovecz, who was laid to rest at Farkasréti in 2011.

Address: Németvölgyi út 99, 1124 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily Jan-Feb & late Nov 7.30am-5pm, Mar, Dec 7am-5pm, Apr-early Nov 7am-7pm

Transport: Tram 59/bus 8A, 8E to Farkasréti temető

What is it? The New Public Cemetery is simply vast – at 207 hectares, it’s 4.5 times the size of Père Lachaise in Paris. Some three million burials have taken place here since its opening in 1886. Tucked away in a distant stretch of District X – you’ll hear planes taking off from Budapest airport alongside – it was the ideal spot for the Communist authorities to quietly dispose of the remains of the heroes of the 1956 Uprising, executed a couple of years afterwards.

Why we love it Given its enormous size, Új köztemető is a broad church with a distinct air of mystery – it’s no wonder the post-war authorities buried undesirables of every stripe here. Today, you can not only visit the notorious Plot 301, the resting place of the unlikely hero of the 1956 Uprising, prime minister Imre Nagy, there’s a visitor centre alongside outlining his deeds and those of his fellow revolutionaries. (It’s in the far north-eastern corner, shown on the map inside the entrance.) And then there’s the grave of experimental film director Gábor Body, whose apparent suicide in 1985 is shrouded in suspicion…

Time Out tip: In another far corner towards the northern fringes of the cemetery, a separate area is dedicated to the Ottoman soldiers who fell fighting Russian forces on the Eastern front during World War I. The Turkish flag flies above this roped-off burial ground, which occasionally welcomes visiting dignitaries from Ankara. The story of Ottoman divisions battling alongside their Austro-Hungarian counterparts in mainland Europe, after generations of enmity, is a little-known one, and best illustrated here. Of the 480 graves, 11 remain nameless.

Address: Kozma utca 8-10, 1108 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily Jan-Feb & late Nov 7.30am-5pm, Mar, Dec 7am-5pm, Apr-early Nov 7am-7pm

Transport: Tram 28, 37/bus 202E to Új köztemető

What is it? The largest Jewish cemetery in Hungary lies alongside Új köztemető on Kozma utca, housing notable artists, architects and sports stars among the thousands of graves. Explore and you’ll find the last resting places of Alfréd Hajós, Hungary’s first Olympic champion, and famed designer Béla Lajta, responsible for the groundbreaking New Theatre near the Opera House.

Why we love it Unlike its neighbour, so much of the Jewish cemetery is unkempt and overgrown. While a sorry reflection on the tragic fate of so many of its residents and their relatives, it does mean that visiting here feels like stepping inside a secret garden lost in time. Many of the mausoleums here, containing the remains of prominent families, are works of art. The Brüll dynasty are guarded by lions created by renowned sculptor Alajos Stróbl and mosaics of glazed brick comprising other mausoleums are the work of Béla Lajta and Ödön Lechner, father of Hungarian Art Nouveau.

Time Out tip: In line with Jewish custom, when entering the cemetery, visitors should be wearing a cap or hat. Disposable kippahs are available at the cemetery office.

Address: Kozma utca 6, 1108 Budapest

Opening hours: Winter Mon-Thur, Sun 8am-4pm, Fri 8am-3pm. Summer Mon-Thur, Sun 8am-6pm, Fri 8am-4pm. Closed Sat & Jewish holidays

Transport: Tram 28 to Izraelita temető (some services only run as far as Új köztemető one stop or ten minutes’ walk away.)