There are more than enough museums and art galleries to keep you busy whilst visiting Budapest. Whether you love art, history, or something a bit quirky you won’t be disappointed. The National Museum is the first place most people visit but the House of Terror, Aeropark, and Flipper Museum can also be enjoyed whether alone or with the family.
Here are the spots that made our list:
House of Terror – Located in the building where interrogations, torture, and murder were carried out under Nazi and Soviet regimes, this somber museum acts as a memorial to the victims whilst also showing visitors what it was like to live in Hungary during these eras. With both permanent and temporary exhibitions, foreign visitors can understand this part of Hungarian history by making use of the audio tour as exhibitions are otherwise mostly only in Hungarian.
Address: Budapest, Andrássy út 60, 1062
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Hungarian Railway History Park – A must-see for train buffs with a variety of steam engines on display and 100 train cars parked up at the interactive open-air museum. The museum/park regularly runs special children’s days, perfect for a family day out and there’s even a miniature railway to enjoy.
Address: Budapest, Tatai u. 95, 1142
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Hospital in the Rock – Take a 1 hour tour and discover the underground hospital below Buda Castle that was used throughout WWII, the Hungarian Revolution, and then the Cold War when it was turned into a Soviet Nuclear Bunker. With hundreds of waxwork figures, the interactive underground hospital comes alive showing you how it would have looked with original furniture and medical equipment on display. Guided tours in English are available every hour on the hour.
Address: Budapest Lovas út 4/c. 1012
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Hungarian National Museum – Discover Hungary’s history at this large and well organized museum that takes you on a journey from prehistoric times through to the Soviet era as you learn about the countries culture, politics, education, and social development. See medieval swords, Roman inscriptions, weaponry, artwork, textiles, ceramics, prints, coins, furniture and so much more. An audio tour is available but most collections have English descriptions so you can learn about the objects you’re seeing.
Address: Budapest, Múzeum krt. 14-16, 1088
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Miniversum Budapest – A gigantic model railway / realistic miniature world that covers 3 countries and 14 settlements with more than 5,000 miniature figures and 100 tiny trains that the whole family will be enthralled with. See Budapest’s famous landmarks in miniature and even learn about life under Soviet rule with the interactive displays that will have you hooked for hours as you watch the cars on the streets and the trains whooshing through the countryside.
Address: Budapest, Andrássy út 12, 1061
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Hungarian Natural History Museum – Fun for everyone with life size dinosaurs, a variety of skull skeletons, minerals, rocks, and gems, Coral Reef displays and so much more covering 3 floors of interactive displays that will educate the whole family. Visitors should note that the museum is closed on Tuesdays.
Address: Budapest, Ludovika tér 2, 1083
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Budapest Flipper Museum – This fun museum shows the history of the pinball machine with 50 pinball machines dating from the 1950’s to the year 2000 that visitors can play on along with a variety of other arcade games such as space invaders, air hockey and table football. Anyone who enjoys some retro old-school gaming will fall in love with this place… Show your kids the fun they’re missing out on today at this quirky basement venue!!
Address: Budapest, Radnóti Miklós u. 18, 1137
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Hall of Art, Budapest – A contemporary art museum with changing exhibitions covering hand crafts, folk art, sketches, photography, sculpture, film, fashion and everything in between from Hungarian artists and international artists. In the Summer months, a variety of free music events are held plus there are workshops that take place throughout the year.
Address: Budapest, Dózsa György út 37, 1146
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Hungarian National Gallery – An impressive fine arts museum with permanent and temporary exhibitions showing collections of mostly 19th and 20th century Hungarian art as well as European art. You’ll also see stunning late Gothic altarpieces, Medieval and Renaissance stone carvings, and Baroque art. Be sure to go to the top floor to get great views overlooking the city!
Address: 1014 Budapest, Szent György tér 2
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Holocaust Memorial Center – Located in a renovated synagogue, this memorial and museum tells the sad story of Hungarian Jews who were killed during The Holocaust through a variety of interactive multimedia exhibitions and texts. See original documents and objects as you learn the personal stories of this devastating period at this small yet powerful museum.
Address: Budapest, Páva u., 1094
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Museum of Military History – A good museum for military history buffs to spend a few hours in as they learn the history of Hungary’s national military from the Magyar conquest through to the 20th century. With both permanent and temporary exhibitions, you’ll see a large collection of military items including weaponry from before the Turkish conquest and uniforms and guns from WWI. There are enough interactive displays to keep the kids busy and enough English descriptions so that you can get a good understanding of Hungarian history.
Address: Budapest, Kapisztrán tér 2-4, 1014
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Ludwig Múzeum – A museum of modern and contemporary art that houses Hungary’s most important collection of international contemporary art from the 1960’s until today with pop art, concept art, and more. A variety of temporary exhibitions take place over the year along with some very unique and fascinating modern art installations plus contemporary music performances.
Address: Budapest Komor Marcell utca 1 (Laczkovich utca) 1095
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Museum of Fine Arts – Containing the most significant European art collection of the region with collections including Egyptian art, classical antiquities, sculptures, prints, and drawings plus paintings from the Old Masters including Rubens, Rembrandt, El Greco, Goya, and Constable, this vast and beautiful renovated museum requires a good few hours to see it all.
Address: Budapest, Dózsa György út 41, 1146
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Millennium Underground Railway Museum – See the first underground metro system of mainland Europe which dates back to 1896. Located in one of the original tunnel sections, you’ll be able to visit 3 vintage train carriages and see photos, objects, and documents pertaining to Budapest’s metro at this small yet interesting museum – A must for train buffs and anyone fascinated with how the oldest underground on the continent was built and how it operated.
Address: Budapest, Deák Ferenc tér, Metróállomás Deák Ferenc tér, 1052
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Museum of Hungarian Agriculture – Located within the beautiful Vajdahunyad Castle, learn all about Hungary’s agriculture, forestry, flora, hunting, fishing, and horse breeding with over 2,000 tools and artifacts along with stag, deer, and boar trophies. Learn about Hungary’s grape and wine production, the development of domestic animals, and more.
Address: Budapest, Vajdahunyad stny., 1146
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Franz Liszt Memorial Museum and Research Center – See inside the last residence of Master musician Franz Liszt, the first president of the Academy of Music. In his first floor apartment, located above the academy, you’ll get an intimate look at his furniture, his books and manuscripts, and his musical instruments as you learn more about this man through the multilingual audio guide and see where he lived from 1881 to his death in 1886.
Address: Budapest, Vörösmarty u. 35, 1064
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The House of Houdini – Located within the walls of Buda Castle, this fascinating museum of magic is devoted to the greatest magician of all time, housing the largest exhibition of original Houdini memorabilia including props and personal effects as well as items from the Oscar winning film HOUDINI. Kids and adults will both be mesmerized at the live magic show and are sure to enjoy the interactive displays at this small museum.
Address: Budapest, Dísz tér 11, 1014
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Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives – Learn about Jewish history and culture on a tour of this museum plus beautiful synagogue which is the oldest in Europe. Interesting artifacts including religious art objects, an ancient Jewish tombstone from the year 200AD, and historic documents can be seen.
Address: Budapest, Dohány u. 2, 1077
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Imre Varga Collection – A gem of a national treasure that most tourists bypass, this museum with both inside and outside areas is dedicated to the contemporary sculptures and statues of Imre Varga, one of Hungary’s most famous modern artists.
Address: Budapest, Laktanya u. 7, 1033
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Author
Tal Gur is a world traveler and personal development enthusiast. An adventurer at heart, after trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, Tal spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey continues as a location-independent blogger, lifestyle entrepreneur, and coach. Tal’s published two books: One Year to Freedom, a 1-Year Roadmap to Living Life on Your Own Terms; and, his most recent book and bestseller, The Art of Fully Living – 1 Man, 10 Years, 100 Life Goals Around the World.
