The Hungarian Parliament Building on the Pest bank of the Danube, its central dome and spires lit by low sun

Hungary

Budapest: what to book before you go, and how far ahead

UK visitors pay the non-EEA price of 14,000 HUF at the Hungarian Parliament, children under 14 are not admitted to Széchenyi, Rudas, Lukács or Dandár, the Gellért Baths are closed until a planned reopening in 2028, and the House of Terror sells tickets at its own desk only. What to book, the Budapest Card sums, the tourist tax and the way in from the airport.

Photo: Dirk Beyer · CC BY-SA 3.0
In this guide

💡 The Short Version: Book the Hungarian Parliament ahead: UK visitors pay 14,000 HUF, the non-EEA price, and advance tickets are sold only on jegymester.hu. Széchenyi is the bath to pick while the Gellért Baths are closed, and Széchenyi, Rudas, Lukács and Dandár admit no children under 14. The House of Terror sells tickets at its own desk only and is closed on Mondays. The Dohány Street Synagogue is closed on Saturdays. The Budapest Card pays back only for a bath, museum and cruise plan. Prices are in forint (HUF), and about 434 HUF make a pound. Or book a tour: the Parliament entry ticket with audio guidead (from £37) and the 3-hour orientation walking tour of Buda and Pestad (from £30) put the guide in one booking (GetYourGuide).

What to book before you go

The Hungarian Parliament Building on the Pest bank of the Danube, its central dome and spires lit by low sun

The Hungarian Parliament Building from the Buda side of the Danube. Photo: Dirk Beyer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Prices are the adult rate in forint, from the operators. Buy from the operator: look-alike ticket sites turn up in search results.

SightBook how far aheadAdult priceBook atWhat to know
Hungarian ParliamentYes: advance tickets are online only14,000 HUF, non-EEA; 7,000 HUF for EEA citizensjegymester.huA late arrival may be refused with no refund. Visits can be cancelled for state events.
Széchenyi BathsNot required; tickets go on sale 180 days ahead13,200 HUF on weekdays, 14,800 HUF from Friday to Sundayszechenyibath.huNo children under 14. Open to 22:00 on Fridays.
Other thermal bathsNot requiredRudas 12,000 HUF, Lukács 7,000 HUF, Dandár 3,500 HUF on weekdaysBudapest SpasRudas has night bathing on Fridays and Saturdays, sold online only.
Hungarian National Gallery and Buda CastleNot required5,800 HUF for the Gallery; the hill is freemng.huThe Gallery is closed on Mondays. The funicular is closed from 5 to 16 October.
Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias ChurchTower slots are timed; book online1,700 HUF terrace, 3,400 HUF church, 4,000 HUF towerticket.budavar.hu and matyas-templom.huThe terrace is free on 23 October and from 24 to 31 December.
St Stephen’s BasilicaNot required2,600 HUF church, 5,000 HUF terrace and treasury, 6,800 HUF bothbazilikabudapest.huThe nave opens at 13:00 on Sundays.
Dohány Street SynagogueNot required9,000 HUFdohanyutcai.huClosed every Saturday and on Jewish holidays.
House of TerrorNo: tickets are sold at the desk only4,000 HUF for UK visitorsterrorhaza.huClosed on Mondays. Its exhibition is under review.
Hospital in the RockYes: guided departures only, limited capacity30 EUR, English programmesziklakorhaz.euNo photos, no children under 6, cards only.
Opera House tourTickets are released one week ahead12,000 HUFopera.huEnglish tours at 13:30, 15:00 and 16:30, with a short concert.
Budapest CardBuy online, swap the voucher for the card17,990 HUF for 24 hours, up to 38,990 HUF for 96bkk.huDoes not cover the Parliament, the House of Terror or the Opera.
Danube cruiseCheck the date: low water has disrupted some boats20 EUR day cruise and 25 EUR evening cruise on Legendalegenda.huCruises run when the water allows.
  • The Parliament’s price for UK visitors. The 14,000 HUF ticket is double the EEA price, and UK passports do not qualify for the EEA ticket. Hungarian Parliament tickets has the tour and the rules.
  • Gellért. The operator says the Gellért Baths closed on 1 October 2025 and plans to reopen in 2028. Széchenyi is the bath it recommends meanwhile.
  • Children and the baths. Széchenyi, Rudas, Lukács and Dandár admit no one under 14, outdoor pools included. Palatinus admits children aged 3 to 14.
  • The House of Terror’s discounts are for EEA citizens only, so a UK visitor pays 4,000 HUF.
  • Look-alike sites. Several sites that sell tickets for the Parliament, Széchenyi, the Hospital in the Rock and the Budapest Card are not the operators. The links above go to the operators.

Does the Budapest Card pay back?

BKK’s card costs 17,990 HUF for 24 hours, 23,990 for 48, 29,990 for 72 and 38,990 for 96, since 1 May 2026, and includes public transport and free entry to the National Gallery, the Castle Museum, Lukács bath once, one cruise and Memento Park. Is the Budapest Card worth it? has the sums.

  • It does not pay for the usual list. The Parliament, the House of Terror and the Opera tour are not on it, and with the Széchenyi, Basilica and Dohány discounts a 72-hour card still costs about 12,000 HUF more than paying at the door.
  • It pays for a museum, bath and cruise plan. Lukács, the National Gallery and a cruise cost 22,950 HUF with a day of transport, against 17,990 HUF for the 24-hour card.
  • Buy it from BKK. Resellers and look-alike sites turn up in search results.

Opening times that change

  • Mondays: the Hungarian National Gallery and the House of Terror are closed. Széchenyi, the Hospital in the Rock, the Parliament and the Opera tours are open. The funicular does not run on Mondays of odd-numbered weeks.
  • Saturdays: the Dohány Street Synagogue is closed all day, and closes at 16:00 on Fridays. Rudas has night bathing on Friday and Saturday from 22:00 to 3:00.
  • Sundays: the nave of St Stephen’s Basilica opens at 13:00, and its terrace and treasury at 9:00.
  • Fridays: Széchenyi is open until 22:00.
  • Funicular: closed from 5 to 16 October 2026 for maintenance. Walk up from Clark Ádám tér, or take bus 16, 16A or 116 on an ordinary ticket.
  • Széchenyi’s lap pool is closed from 12 to 23 October 2026 for maintenance, and Lukács’s Finnish sauna is closed from 5 October 2026.
  • 23 October: the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution. The Fisherman’s Bastion terrace is free, the House of Terror is open, and Széchenyi opens at 8:00 on its peak days of 23 to 25 October.
  • House of Terror: it closed from 15 to 21 September 2026, reopened on 22 September and charged admission again from 29 September. Hungary’s culture minister has ordered an expert review of the exhibition.

Budapest tourist tax

Hotels and other accommodation add a tourist tax, which in most central districts is 4% of the room rate, and children under 18 are exempt. The hotel collects it on top of the room price, so check whether the price you booked includes it. The rate varies by district, and some places charge a fixed amount per night instead.

Powered by GetYourGuide

Getting in from the airport

Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport’s arrivals are in Terminals 2A and 2B. Budapest airport to the city centre compares the options.

  • Bus 100E Airport Express: it needs its own 2,500 HUF ticket, and ordinary tickets and travelcards are not valid on it. It takes about 40 minutes to Deák Ferenc tér and runs round the clock, every 10 minutes or so by day. You can pay on board with a bank card or phone.
  • Bus 200E and metro M3: bus 200E runs to Kőbánya-Kispest, where metro M3 starts. It needs a 90-minute ticket (850 HUF) or a travelcard, because a single ticket does not cover the change from bus to metro.
  • Taxi: fares are a regulated meter: from August 2026 an airport base fare of 2,100 HUF, plus 520 HUF a kilometre. The airport’s official taxi is Főtaxi, and Uber and Bolt are licensed too. Get into a yellow taxi that shows its fare table.

Getting around

The BudapestGO app is the way to buy tickets, and BKK ticket machines also sell them (BKK fares).

TicketPrice
Single ticket500 HUF; 700 HUF if bought on the spot
30 minutes600 HUF
90 minutes850 HUF
24-hour travelcard2,750 HUF
72-hour travelcard5,750 HUF

Since 22 April 2026 you can tap a bank card or phone at the entrance of all four metro lines to buy and validate one single ticket. It works on the 100E airport bus for its own ticket, but not on trams or any other bus, and it does not sell travelcards. A ride without a valid ticket carries a penalty fare of 12,000 HUF on the spot. The funicular and the airport bus take none of these tickets. Budapest public transport has the rest.

Before you travel: the EU border

The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 (EU). The EU says British nationals will need an ETIAS travel authorisation from the last quarter of 2026 (UK nationals and ETIAS), and that it will cost €20 (ETIAS fee).

Day trips

Most Budapest day trips are train or bus rides, and a tour pays where the transport is awkward. Day trips from Budapest compares them on fare and on what a tour costs. The ones with something to know:

  • Szentendre: the HÉV suburban train from Batthyány tér takes about 39 minutes, every 20 minutes.
  • The Danube Bend: Mahart’s notice lists its Danube Bend boats as not running from 13 July to 11 October 2026 because of low water, so check it before booking any trip that returns by boat.
  • Gödöllő: a MÁV train from Keleti station takes 25 to 39 minutes, to the royal palace.
  • Eger: a direct train from Keleti takes just under two hours, and there is no group tour from Budapest on GetYourGuide.
  • Lake Balaton and Hévíz: both are long days. The central bath building at Hévíz is closed, and bathing is outdoors only.
  • Vienna and Bratislava: a train for Vienna, and a tour if you want both cities in a day.
  • The Puszta horse show: sold as a tour, from about £96 on GetYourGuide.

Food, drink and when to go

Where to eat in Budapest ranks the restaurants, coffee houses and lángos stands by how many sources name them, and Budapest food tours compared sets the guided walks, wine tastings and classes side by side. For the evening, Budapest ruin bars covers the bars and the crawls, and Danube river cruises compared says which boat to book. Széchenyi opens until 22:00 on Fridays, and Rudas bathes at night on Fridays and Saturdays (thermal baths compared). Best time to visit Budapest gives the weather and the festivals by month, and Budapest Christmas markets the dates and hours of the two big markets, which open on 13 November 2026.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

  • 1 August 2025: Széchenyi and Rudas stopped admitting children under 14, and Lukács and Dandár are listed with the same rule.
  • 1 October 2025: the Gellért Baths closed for rebuilding.
  • 1 December 2025: St Stephen’s Basilica raised its prices to 2,600, 5,000 and 6,800 HUF.
  • 1 January 2026: the Parliament’s tickets rose to 14,000 HUF for non-EEA visitors and 7,000 HUF for EEA citizens.
  • 10 April 2026: the EU Entry/Exit System became fully operational.
  • 22 April 2026: contactless payment began on the four metro lines.
  • 1 May 2026: BKK repriced the Budapest Card and added the FLEXI card.
  • 13 July to 11 October 2026: Mahart’s Danube Bend boats are listed as not running, because of low water.
  • August 2026: the airport taxi base fare of 2,100 HUF began.
  • 15 to 21 September 2026: the House of Terror was closed, and it reopened on 22 September.
  • 5 to 16 October 2026: the Buda Castle funicular is closed for maintenance.
  • Last quarter of 2026: ETIAS is due for British travellers.
  • 23 October 2026: the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution.
Powered by GetYourGuide

Plan the trip

Itineraries

Day-by-day plans for a first visit.

The Hungarian Parliament on the Pest bank in evening light, with two sightseeing boats on the Danube

Itinerary

3 Days in Budapest: Itinerary with What to Book

Three days in Budapest: the Parliament, St Stephen's Basilica and a river cruise in Pest on day one, the Castle District and Széchenyi Baths on day two, and Andrássy út, the Opera, the Dohány Street Synagogue and the ruin bars on day three. What to book, the Monday and Saturday closures, and why the Budapest Card does not pay back.

Read article →
The Hungarian Parliament on the Pest bank, with its red dome and spires, seen across the Danube

Itinerary

Budapest in One Day: Itinerary and Bookings

With one day in Budapest, start at the Hungarian Parliament, see St Stephen's Basilica and cross the Chain Bridge on foot, climb Castle Hill for Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion, and finish with a Danube cruise. The bookings for each stop, the funicular closed from 5 to 16 October 2026, a Sunday version, and how to do it from an airport layover.

Read article →

Which ticket to buy

The official ticket, the tours that include entry, and which sells out first.

The Hungarian Parliament Building on the Pest bank of the Danube, seen from the water, with a wooded hill and a bridge beyond on the right

Tickets

Hungarian Parliament Tickets: Price for UK Visitors

A Hungarian Parliament ticket costs 14,000 HUF for visitors from outside the EEA, including UK passport holders, and 7,000 HUF for EEA citizens. Advance tickets are sold only on jegymester.hu. The 45-minute tour, the Holy Crown, hours, bag rules and what late arrival costs.

Read article →
The domed Neo-baroque street front of the Széchenyi Baths in the City Park, with parked cars along the road

Tickets

Budapest Thermal Baths: Which One to Choose

Széchenyi, Rudas, Lukács and Dandár compared on 2026 prices, hours and rules, with Palatinus for families. The Gellért Baths are closed until a planned reopening in 2028, and Széchenyi, Rudas, Lukács and Dandár admit no children under 14.

Read article →
The domed main entrance building of the Széchenyi Baths seen across formal flower beds in the City Park

Tickets

Széchenyi Baths Tickets: Prices, Hours, Rules

A Széchenyi Baths day ticket with a locker costs 13,200 HUF on weekdays, 14,800 HUF from Friday to Sunday and 15,800 HUF on peak days, up about 20% since June 2025. No children under 14. Fast Track, hours, entrances, the Saturday party and what to bring.

Read article →
The Royal Palace on Buda Castle Hill, its green dome and pink-walled wings rising above the castle walls in low sun

Tickets

Buda Castle Tickets: What Is Free and What Costs

Walking Castle Hill costs nothing. The Hungarian National Gallery is 5,800 HUF and closed on Mondays, the Castle Museum 3,800 HUF, and the funicular 4,500 HUF one way. The funicular is closed from 5 to 16 October 2026. Prices, hours, the order to go round and the tours worth paying for.

Read article →
The white stone cone-roofed towers and arcades of Fisherman's Bastion against a blue sky

Tickets

Fisherman's Bastion Tickets: Price and Free Days

Fisherman's Bastion's upper terrace costs 1,700 HUF and is free on 1 January, 15 March, 20 August, 23 October and 24 to 31 December. Matthias Church is 3,400 HUF and its tower 4,000 HUF in timed 30-minute slots. Prices, hours, where to buy and the order to go round.

Read article →
The twin-towered front of St Stephen's Basilica with its dome behind, seen across the square

Tickets

St Stephen's Basilica Tickets: Church and Terrace

St Stephen's Basilica charges 2,600 HUF for the church space, 5,000 HUF for the Panorama Terrace and Treasury and 6,800 HUF for both, since 1 December 2025. The nave opens at 13:00 on Sundays. Prices, hours, dress rules, the Holy Right and the tours worth paying for.

Read article →
The brick-striped Moorish front of the Dohány Street Synagogue, with its two onion-domed towers and a rose window

Tickets

Dohány Street Synagogue Tickets, Hours, Dress Code

A Dohány Street Synagogue ticket costs 9,000 HUF for an adult. It is closed every Saturday and on Jewish holidays, including 3 and 4 October 2026, and the box office shuts an hour before closing. Prices, summer hours, the dress code, Rumbach Street and the tours worth paying for.

Read article →
A white Danube sightseeing boat passing below the Hungarian Parliament Building in low evening sun

Tickets

Danube River Cruises in Budapest Compared

Legenda's own cruises are 20 euros by day and 25 euros in the evening, GetYourGuide's one-hour cruises run from £9.31 and the unlimited-drinks cruise is £21.08. Low water has suspended BKV's riverboats and stopped Mahart's Danube Bend lines, and cruises run when water levels allow. Boats, piers, timetable and what you pass.

Read article →
The grey corner building at Andrássy út 60 that houses the House of Terror, with the word TERROR cut into the black blade of its overhanging roof

Tickets

House of Terror Budapest: Tickets and Hours

The House of Terror museum on Andrássy út costs 4,000 HUF for UK visitors, because the reduced and free tickets are for EEA citizens only. Tickets are sold at the museum desk and not online, and it is closed on Mondays. It closed from 15 to 21 September 2026 and reopened on 22 September, with the exhibition under an expert review.

Read article →
The crumbling stone front of the Szimpla Kert building on Kazinczy utca, with an open archway into the courtyard

Tickets

Budapest Ruin Bars and Ruin Bar Tours

Budapest's ruin bars are drinking venues in old courtyards in District VII. Instant-Fogas is open daily 18:00 to 06:00 with free entry, Füge Udvar daily 16:00 to 05:00. Ruin bar crawls cost from £4.25, usually about £8.50, with free shots but no drinks package. Which bars, where, and the street rules.

Read article →
The stone entrance of the Hospital in the Rock museum on Lovas út, under the red-brick wall of the Castle District

Tickets

Hospital in the Rock Tickets: English Tours, Price

The Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum under Buda Castle costs 30 EUR for the 60-minute guided tour in English, charged in forint, and it can be visited only on a tour. No photos, no children under 6, cards only. Prices, hours, how to find the entrance and what the tour covers.

Read article →
The stone Neo-Renaissance front of the Hungarian State Opera House, with statues along its roofline and loggias above the entrance

Tickets

Hungarian State Opera Tours: Times, Price, Booking

The Hungarian State Opera's English-language OperaTour costs 12,000 HUF and runs daily at 13:30, 15:00 and 16:30. It lasts 60 minutes and ends with a short concert by Opera soloists on the grand staircase. Tickets are released a week ahead. Price, route, rules and the performance alternative.

Read article →
The tram stop at Vigadó tér on the Pest embankment at sunset, with Buda Castle across the Danube

Tickets

Is the Budapest Card Worth It? Prices and Sums

BKK repriced the Budapest Card on 1 May 2026: 17,990 HUF for 24 hours, 23,990 for 48, 29,990 for 72 and 38,990 for 96, plus FLEXI and PLUS cards. It does not cover the Parliament, the House of Terror or the Opera. It pays back for a bath, museum and cruise plan, and not for the usual first-timer list.

Read article →

Day trips from Budapest

Out and back in a day, with the tours compared against going on your own.

The Danube beside Esztergom, with red-roofed town houses and a green copper dome of the Basilica in the foreground

Day trip

Day Trips from Budapest: Train, Bus or Tour, Costed

Eger is a direct 1 hour 52 minute train, Szentendre is 39 minutes by HÉV, Gödöllő is half a day, and Vienna and Bratislava need a tour. The day trips from Budapest compared on fare, time and what a tour costs.

Read article →
The Danube curving between wooded hills at the Danube Bend, with the roofs of Visegrád below

Day trip

Danube Bend Day Trip from Budapest: Tour or Train

The Danube Bend loop on your own is a train to Esztergom, two buses and the HÉV, about 12,000 HUF (£27) with entries. Tours cost £72 to £93 with lunch and return by coach while the boats are suspended for low water.

Read article →
Fő tér in Szentendre, with café tables, painted houses and the Serbian cross beside the square

Day trip

Szentendre Day Trip from Budapest: HÉV, Skanzen, Tour

Szentendre is the H5 HÉV from Batthyány tér, 39 minutes every 20 minutes, about £2 to £3 each way. Skanzen is 4,000 HUF and closes for winter on 1 November. Half-day tours from £59.49; self-guided bike packages from £24.65.

Read article →
The pink and white Baroque front of the Grassalkovich palace at Gödöllő, with its central dome and a balcony above the entrance

Day trip

Gödöllő Palace Day Trip from Budapest: Train or Tour

Gödöllő is a MÁV train from Keleti, 25 to 39 minutes and 745 HUF each way, and the palace is 5,000 HUF on a weekday. Tours from £42.49; the ticket alone from £11.53. Closed 1 November and 23 to 26 December.

Read article →
The twin-towered Minorite Church and the Dobó memorial on Dobó István Square in Eger

Day trip

Eger Day Trip from Budapest: Train, Castle and Wine

Eger is a direct MÁV train from Keleti, 1 hour 52 minutes and 2,830 HUF each way. The castle is 4,800 HUF, the thermal bath 4,600 HUF, and the last train back leaves at 20:08. GetYourGuide has no group tour; private tours from £216.72.

Read article →
The white twin towers and red roof of Tihany Abbey church above a vine-planted slope

Day trip

Lake Balaton Day Trip from Budapest: Train, Tihany

Balatonfüred is a direct MÁV train from Déli, 1 hour 50 minutes and 2,520 HUF each way, then a 12-minute bus to Tihany. Tihany Abbey is 3,400 HUF. The small-group tour with Esztergom is £118.13; rail works replace weekend trains.

Read article →
The Hévíz thermal lake seen across grass from the south shore, with pine woods behind

Day trip

Hévíz Day Trip from Budapest: Lake and Festetics Palace

Keszthely is a direct MÁV train from Déli, 2 hours 36 minutes and 3,410 HUF each way, with a 10 to 20 minute bus to Hévíz. About £47 with the lake and Festetics Palace. Hévíz is outdoor bathing only; the tour is £131.73 to £155.

Read article →
Schönbrunn Palace and its formal gardens, seen from the hill above

Day trip

Vienna and Bratislava Day Trip from Budapest, Costed

Vienna is a RegioJet train from Kelenföld, 2 hours 24 minutes to 2 hours 34 minutes, about 7 hours on the ground. Bratislava has no same-day return on the direct bus. The small-group tour covering both is £150.43.

Read article →
Brown horses and foals grazing on flat grassland on the Hungarian puszta

Day trip

Puszta Horse Show Day Trip from Budapest: Tours

The Puszta horse show is a tour: a coach to Kecskemét and a ranch at Lajosmizse, with a carriage ride and lunch. Full-day tours are £96.04 for 8 hours; the half day is £94.58 for 5. Trains go as far as Kecskemét, 1 hour 26 minutes.

Read article →

Where to stay

Areas and hotels, chosen for a visitor rather than a resident.

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge across the Danube, with Buda Castle on the hill behind it

Where to stay

Where to Stay in Budapest: Areas Compared

For a first visit, Belváros-Lipótváros on the Pest riverside is the easy base: the airport bus ends at Deák Ferenc tér and the Parliament and the Basilica are on foot. The districts compared, the hotels in each, which Danube-view hotels sell the view in only one room category, and the tourist tax of 4% of the room rate.

Read article →
The Hungarian Parliament on the Pest bank of the Danube, with Margaret Bridge beyond and a river boat in front

Where to stay

Hotels Near the Hungarian Parliament, Budapest

Hotels from about 380 m to 1.2 km from the Hungarian Parliament, in straight lines, on the Pest side and across the river in Buda. Which hotel is nearest, which Danube-facing rooms look at the Parliament, the UK price of 14,000 HUF for the tour, and how to reach the hotels from the airport.

Read article →

Airport transfers

From the airport to the centre, every option priced and timed.

A blue 100E Airport Express bus signed for Deák Ferenc tér, waiting under the terminal canopy

Airport

Budapest Airport to City Centre: Bus, Taxi, Shuttle

From Budapest Airport, the 100E bus reaches Deák Ferenc tér in 40 minutes on its own HUF 2,500 ticket, and takes no other ticket or travelcard. The 200E and metro M3 use an ordinary ticket. Taxis run on a regulated meter with a HUF 2,100 airport base fare, so there is no fixed price. Which to take for which part of town.

Read article →

Getting around

Tickets, passes and the transport a visitor actually uses.

A yellow tram 2 on the Pest embankment, with the Danube and Buda Castle on the far bank

Getting around

Budapest Public Transport: Tickets and Passes

In Budapest a single ticket is HUF 500, a 90-minute ticket HUF 850, a 24-hour travelcard HUF 2,750 and a 72-hour travelcard HUF 5,750. Contactless Pay&GO works on the metro and the 100E only. The 100E airport bus and the Buda Castle Funicular take no BKK ticket or pass, and the funicular is closed from 5 to 16 October 2026.

Read article →

What's on, month by month

Festivals, holidays and closures that change a visit.

A park lawn on Margaret Island in full leaf, with a cyclist on the path and the water tower rising behind the trees

Events

Best Time to Visit Budapest, Month by Month

Budapest month by month from HungaroMet's city-centre averages: highs of 26.6 to 28.6°C from June to August, 60.0 mm of rain in June and 8 hours of daylight in December. The Christmas markets from 13 November 2026, Sziget from 10 to 14 August 2027, and the holidays that close shops.

Read article →
Wooden Christmas market stalls trimmed with greenery on Vörösmarty tér, with visitors walking between them in daylight

Events

Budapest Christmas Markets 2026: Dates and Hours

The Budapest Christmas markets on Vörösmarty Square and at St Stephen's Basilica open on Friday 13 November 2026. The Basilica market runs to 1 January 2027, Vörösmarty Square to New Year's Eve, with the hours for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the last days of December.

Read article →

Food and drink

Where to eat, what to order and when to book.

The gilded hall of the New York Café, with brass lamps and ornate balustrades under a painted ceiling

Food and drink

Where to Eat in Budapest: What to Order and Where

Where to eat in Budapest, ranked by how many independent sources in English and Hungarian name each place: the Central Market Hall, Gerbeaud, Retro Lángos, Gettó Gulyás and Rosenstein, a canteen goulash from 3,599 HUF, coffee houses and the Michelin-starred tables, with hours, the booking rule and what to check before a visit.

Read article →
The iron-framed hall of the Central Market Hall, with stalls along the main aisle under a pitched roof

Food and drink

Budapest Food Tours Compared: Which Is Worth Booking

Budapest food tours from £58.64 for a 2½-hour walk in the Jewish Quarter to £124.60 for a 5-hour market and wine walk, wine tastings from £37.76, a chimney-cake workshop from £17.30 and a cooking class from £76.49, with the operators' own prices beside GetYourGuide's.

Read article →

Common questions

How much is the Hungarian Parliament tour for UK visitors?

14,000 HUF (about £32), the price for visitors from outside the European Economic Area. The EEA price is 7,000 HUF. Advance tickets are sold only online, through jegymester.hu, and the tour takes 45 minutes.

Can children go in the Budapest thermal baths?

Not under 14 at Széchenyi, Rudas, Lukács or Dandár: those baths have admitted no children under 14 since 1 August 2025. Palatinus on Margaret Island admits children aged 3 to 14 on its own ticket.

Are the Gellért Baths open?

No. The operator says the bath has been closed since 1 October 2025, with reopening planned in 2028, and recommends Széchenyi in the meantime.

Can I buy House of Terror tickets online?

No. Tickets are sold only at the museum's desk, for 4,000 HUF. The reduced price and the free first Sunday are for citizens of the European Economic Area, so UK visitors pay the full price. It is closed on Mondays.

Is the Budapest Card worth it?

Only for a plan built on its free entries: a bath at Lukács, the National Gallery or another museum, a cruise and public transport. It costs 17,990 HUF for 24 hours and 29,990 HUF for 72 hours, and it does not cover the Parliament, the House of Terror or the Opera tours.

Is the Buda Castle funicular running?

Not from 5 to 16 October 2026, when it is closed for maintenance. Otherwise it runs every day from 8:00 to 22:00, except on Mondays of odd-numbered weeks. A one-way ticket is 4,500 HUF.

How much is the tourist tax in Budapest?

The hotel adds the tourist tax, which is 4% of the room rate in most central districts, and under-18s are exempt. The rate varies by district, so check the hotel's bill.

How do I get from Budapest airport to the centre?

Bus 100E Airport Express takes about 40 minutes to Deák Ferenc tér and needs its own 2,500 HUF ticket. Bus 200E to Kőbánya-Kispest and metro M3 needs a 90-minute ticket (850 HUF) or a travelcard, because a single ticket does not cover the change from bus to metro. Taxis run on a regulated meter, with a 2,100 HUF airport base fare.