The best museums in Budapest

What is it? Established over the course of a decade from 1837 on, the Hungarian National Museum survived flood and the 1848 revolution to become the largest museum in the country, lending its name to the boulevard it sits on. It features an extensive collection of archaeological findings and relics from prehistory to the Communist era, with a regular agenda of niche temporary exhibitions.

Why we love it Key exhibits include the Coronation Mantle dating from the time of Szent István, Hungary's first king, 1,100 years ago, and artefacts salvaged from Hungary's transformative defeat against the Ottomans at the Battle of Mohács in 1526. The permanent exhibition is particularly strong on the urban development of Budapest from the mid-1800s onwards – during which time, this building served as the Upper House of Parliament.

Time Out tip: Relandscaped in recent years, the museum gardens are an attraction in their own right, with their own café run by the city's most venerable confectioners, Auguszt.

Address: Múzeum körút 14-16, 1088 Budapest

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

Expect to pay: Ft 3,500 (€8.75). All exhibitions inc temporary Ft 5,800 (€14.50)

What is it? The reopening of the Museum of Fine Arts following extensive renovation came with much fanfare and the unveiling of the long-hidden Romanesque main hall. The museum revamp dovetailed with an exchange of paintings with the National Gallery, so that this landmark overlooking Heroes' Square now covers European art, including sculpture, from the early Middle Ages to 1800, and two centuries of Baroque from Hungary and the region, as well as relics from Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece.

Why we love it Highlights include a horse sculpture attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and paintings by El Greco, Titian and Raphael, among a permanent collection spreading over five floors, beginning with treasures from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.

Time Out tip: Along with guided tours in English - scheduled for Thursdays in summer 2025 – the museum suggests themed walks around a specific group of paintings, taken at your own pace. See Explore the Museum on its English-language website.

Address: Dózsa György út 41, 1146 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am-6pm

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

What is it? Inside the Royal Palace of Buda Castle, this vast collection traces the country’s creative history from medieval triptychs through to post-1945 art and sculpture. Be sure to check out Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka’s dream-like landscapes and Mihály Munkácsy’s realist masterworks.

Why we love it One highlight is the interior of the palace dome, hung with elegant wire-like sculptures. In peak season (and when the weather’s nice), you can climb up to the National Gallery's viewing platform at the top. 

Time Out tip: in summer, the gallery hosts its popular series Wine Wednesdays, featuring a guided tour in English, live music and wines provided by Hungary's finest labels. See the Events section of the English-language page.

Address: Szent György tér 2, 1014 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 10am-6pm

Expect to pay: Permanent exhibition (inc admission to the Dome) Ft 5,400 (€13.50). Temporary exhibitions around Ft 6,000-8,000 (€15-20)

What is it? Number 60, Andrássy út, once put fear into all its visitors as the headquarters of the Secret Police. In 2002 it opened to the public as a museum to commemorate the victims of the Fascist and Communist regimes.

Why we love it The House of Terror stretches from the basement – where political prisoners were once interned to the exhibitions on the second floor. You could spend hours here, whether playing around with the interactive installations or watching gripping first-person accounts from survivors.

Time Out tip: For an idea of the forces that drove the political extremes of the mid-1900s, check out the dramatic relief of railway workers fighting in World War I, displayed nearby at Andrássy út 73.

Address: Andrássy út 60, 1062 Budapest

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

Expect to pay: Ft 4,000 (€10)

What is it? German couple Irene and Peter Ludwig established their namesake museum here before the fall of Communism, moving it to this location in 2005. The Ludwig Museum is now a core component of the Millennium Quarter, a multi-building arts complex in a former industrial neighbourhood in south Pest. 

Why we love it While the main focus is on contemporary art from Central and Eastern Europe, you'll also find classic American pop art by Roy Lichtenstein and challenging temporary exhibitions.

Time Out tip: The adjacent performing arts theatre, known by its acronym of Müpa, stages world-class classical, jazz and World Music, as well as contemporary dance.

Address: Komor Marcell utca 1, 1095 Budapest

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

Expect to pay: Combined ticket (regular collection & 2 temporary exhibitions) Ft 4,500 (€11.25)

What is it? The Kiscelli is tucked in an atmospheric 18th-century former monastery in the leafy Óbuda neighbourhood. As a museum, it houses a curious collection of artefacts that depict life in Budapest from the 18th century to the late 19th.

Why we love it Highlights include lush stained-glass, antique furniture and an array of beautiful vintage shop signs. Wonderfully curated temporary exhibitions cover all aspects of urban activity, a 2025 example being the role and development of the telephone – in which Hungarians played vital part.

Time Out tip: A 15-minute walk towards the river, the Museum of Commerce and Hospitality covers similar niche ground, displaying classic Hungarian advertising, brands and culinary legends.

Address: Kiscelli utca 108, 1037 Budapest

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

Expect to pay: Ft 3,000 (€7.50)

What is it? Once fusty and bookish, the Budapest History Museum was transformed in 2020 to present a user-friendly, informative journey through the city's various ages, starting long before the arrival of the Magyars in the late 800s. In Pursuit of Lost Times covers ten main themes during the prehistory of the Carpathian Basin, which segues in to Budapest – Light and Shadow, and the millennium of Hungarian civilisation, bathing and viticulture, war and reconstruction.

Why we love it Buda Palace, which houses the museum, now has its own section, running from the reconquest of Buda from the Ottomans in 1686 to the building's conversion into a cultural attraction decades after World War II. All is visually impressive and English-friendly.

Time Out tip: As part of the ongoing Hauszmann Programme to renovate Buda Castle, the magnificent St Stephen's Hall reopened to the public in 2021. To view its exquisite craftsmanship, book your visit through the museum's website.

Address: Szent György tér 2, 1014 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 10am-6pm

Expect to pay: Ft 3,800 (€9.50). Incl St Stephen's Hall Ft 4,500 (€11.25)

What is it? On theatre-lined Nagymező utca off Andrássy út, this gorgeous house clad in ceramics once belonged to Manó Mai, royal court photographer in the 1890s. Today the House of Photography is a museum and gallery dedicated to this art in which Hungarians have long excelled.

Why we love it The highlight is Mai’s preserved former studio, but there’s a regular agenda of other brilliant exhibitions at this quirky institution.

Time Out tip: In the entranceway, a plaque commemorates the legendary Arizona cabaret that operated here in the 1930s. It closed in tragic circumstances in 1944, its tale dramatised in a film starring Marcello Mastroianni.

Address: Nagymező utca 20, 1065 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Sun noon-7pm. Closed Mon

Expect to pay: Ft 3,600 (€9)

What is it? Located where a Roman garrison once stood at the gateway to Pannonia, Aquincum displays the mosaics, coins, paintings and statues inadvertently left by previous residents 2,000 years ago. Outside, an archaeological park represents about a quarter of the civilian town that once stood here.

Why we love it After a significant revamp in the 2010s, these authentic artefacts have since been given the display space they merit, particularly the large, near-intact mosaic. The museum doesn't forget its Celtic heritage – the word Aquincum comes from 'Ak-ink', plentiful water – and celebrates its pre-Roman legacy with a Samhain festival at Halloween.

Time Out tip: Open between April and October (not Mondays), the Hercules Villa stands just under 2km south at Meggyfa utca 21. Likenesses of Bacchus and Hercules can easily be made out amid the impressive mosaics that once decorated this residence of a well-to-do member of the Roman community.

Address: 135 Szentendrei út 135, 1031 Budapest

Opening hours: Summer Tue-Sun 10am-6pm (Archaelogical Park from 9am). Closed Mon. Winter Tue-Sun 10am-4pm. Closed Mon. Archaelogical Park closed in bad weather.

Expect to pay: Ft 3,000 (€7.50)

What is it? This poignant, modern exhibition space wraps around a beautiful 1920s synagogue in District IX. It’s a rather difficult museum to stomach as it takes you through the history of the Holocaust in Hungary, including graphic depictions of the concentration camps. At the end of the Memorial Centre's dimly lit chambers, you enter the breezy blue hall of the former synagogue.

Why we love it The exhibition blends interactive displays, installations and personal artefacts, like glasses, pens and toys, making the permanent exhibition feel both contemporary yet authentic.

Time Out tip: Temporary exhibitions here cover little-known aspects of local Jewish life and culture. One on the contribution of Jews to Hungarian football between the wars runs in the summer of 2025. These are usually free to enter.

Address: Páva utca 39, 1094 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Fri, Sun 10am-6pm. Closed Sat

Expect to pay: Ft 3,600 (€9)

What is it? In this curious basement in the Újlipótváros neighbourhood, you’ll find Europe’s largest interactive museum dedicated to pinball machines. At the Pinball Museum, some 130 vintage consoles flash ready for action. Some date back to the 1880s – bagatelles, in fact, their predecessors – and you can also examine a Humpty Dumpty game from the 1940s, one of the first with flipper bumpers.

Why we love it There's no need to bring any change to play the machines – once you get your ticket, you can jump on as many as you like.

Time Out tip: Jump on a No.15 bus from the Radnóti Miklós utca stop right outside and in ten minutes you arrive at the Hungarian Rock Museum (open Sat-Sun), dedicated to Socialist-era bands and venues.

Address: Radnóti Miklós utca 18, 1137 Budapest

Opening hours: Wed-Fri 4pm-midnight, Sat 1pm-midnight, Sun 11am-10pm. Closed Mon-Tue

Expect to pay: Ft 5,500 (€13.75). Under-26s & over-62s Ft 4,000 (€10)

What is it? The house where Hungary's most famous composer lived has been turned into a memorial museum, showcasing the life and work of this musical ethnographer before he fled Nazism for America at the outbreak of World War II.

Why we love it In 2024, the museum underwent a complete overhaul and now features a silent film and interactive exhibits allowing visitors a clearer picture of this misunderstood composer.

Time Out tip:Although the museum is closed over the summer of 2025, it is preparing for a weekly series of concerts starting from September.

Address: Csalán út 29, 1025 Budapest

Opening hours: From September 2025 Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. Closed Mon

Expect to pay: Ft 2,000 (€5)

What is it? You can find the stained-glass masterpieces of Miksa Róth in the most unlikely of places – from the windows of the Hungarian Parliament to Mexico City. This small museum, tucked in a house in outer District VII close to Keleti station, offers a fascinating glimpse into the artist’s life and work at his former home and studio.

Why we love it Although only comprising three or four rooms, each presents prime examples of the windows and mosaics Róth created, invariably by commission during the Golden Age of Budapest.

Time Out tip: As this museum generally closes all summer, head to the nearby György Ráth Villa, showcasing the Artt Nouveau design and exquisite artefacts of Miksa Róth's great contemporaries.

Address: Nefelejcs utca 26, 1078 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Wed 10am-2pm, Thur 1pm-7pm, Fri-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-6pm. Closed Mon

Expect to pay: Ft 2,000 (€5)