In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Gödöllő is a MÁV train from Keleti, 25 to 39 minutes, 745 HUF each way, and the palace is 5,000 HUF on a weekday (5,400 HUF at a weekend). On your own the half day is about £15. The palace is closed on 1 November and 23 to 26 December. Or book a tour: Cityrama’s Royal Palace tourad (£42.49, 4.4 stars from 199 reviews, 3 hours) includes transport, a guide and the palace entry, and the bestselling Royal Sissi guided tourad (£50.99, 4.3 stars from 1,155 reviews, 3½ hours) saves the train and the timetable; the ticket alonead is £11.53 (GetYourGuide).
Going on your own
Gödöllő is about 30 minutes from the city centre, so a visit fits in half a day. Fares are full adult second-class fares from menetrendek.hu.
The entrance front of the Grassalkovich palace at Gödöllő. Photo: Andres rus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
- By train: MÁV from Budapest-Keleti, 25 minutes on the InterRégió (“Agria” or “Mátra”) or 39 minutes on a regional train, 745 HUF each way. There are 76 trains a day, the last around 22:55 out and 23:31 back. Budapest public transport has Keleti and the metro link.
- The day: take a morning train, because the palace opens at 10:00 and the park stays open until 20:30 in summer.
- The audioguide: rent one at the ticket desk for 1,000 HUF; the permanent exhibition is self-guided.
| The day on your own | HUF | Pounds |
|---|---|---|
| Train, return | 1,490 | £3.50 |
| Palace, adult, weekday | 5,000 | £11.50 |
| Palace, adult, weekend | 5,400 | £12.50 |
| Total, weekday | 6,490 | £15 |
| Audioguide, optional | 1,000 | £2.50 |
The palace’s own prices are on kiralyikastely.hu. Students and concessions pay 2,500 HUF on a weekday and 2,700 HUF at a weekend; a family pays 4,800 HUF a weekday adult and 2,200 HUF a child; under 6s are free.
Tours from Budapest
A guided visit costs £42.49 to £50.99 against about £15 on your own. The tour buys a guide and the transfer, and with it you do not need to read the timetable. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price for one adult.
Royal Sissi guided tour
From £50.99 · 4.3 stars from 1,155 reviews · 3½ hours
The Royal Sissi guided tourad drives for 45 minutes each way and gives 2 hours at the palace with a guided tour and free time. It is a GetYourGuide bestseller. Guides work in English, German, Spanish, French and Italian and may run bilingual. Meet 30 minutes early at the Eurama office; hotel pickup is optional. The price includes the coach and a guided tour of the palace.
Cityrama’s palace tour
From £42.49 · 4.4 stars from 199 reviews · 3 hours
The Gödöllő Royal Palace tourad includes transport, a guide and the palace entrance fee, and takes in the museum and the park, with a coffee break on the grounds. It meets at Báthory utca 19 and runs in English and Spanish, sometimes bilingual. It is the lowest-priced guided tour here.
Queen Elizabeth’s palace tour
From £50.99 · 4.3 stars from 203 reviews · 3½ to 4 hours
The Palace of Queen Elizabeth tourad lists entrance fees among its inclusions and meets at the Eurama office 30 minutes before departure. It covers the same palace as the Sissi tour at the same price.
The ticket alone
From £11.53 · 4.4 stars from 618 reviews
The Royal Palace of Gödöllő ticketad is the palace’s own admission at £11.53, which is the 5,000 HUF weekday price. It lists the permanent exhibition, the park, the “Secret Life of the Palace” exhibition for 1950 to 1991 and an audioguide, which the palace’s desk charges 1,000 HUF for. You get there by train.
Which to choose
- On your own with the ticket if you want the palace for about £15 to £17.
- Cityrama’s tour for a guide and the transfer at the lowest price.
- The Sissi tour if you want the bestseller with the most reviews.
What to see
Allow 2 hours in the palace, the time the tours give it, and more if you walk the park.
- The permanent exhibition. 5,000 HUF weekdays, 5,400 HUF weekends · daily 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:00 (1 April to 31 October). Count Antal Grassalkovich began the palace after 1735, and the palace describes it as Hungary’s largest Baroque palace by floor area. The exhibition covers the Grassalkovich era, the royal apartments of Franz Joseph I and Queen Elisabeth, who stayed here mainly in autumn and spring in the late 19th century, and a memorial exhibition to Queen Elisabeth.
- The park. Included · 05:30 to 20:30 (1 April to 31 October). A 26-hectare park behind the palace, open until 18:00 from 2 February to 31 March. It is the free half of the visit if the weather is good.
- The Secret Life of the Palace. Included in the ticket · covers 1950 to 1991. A second exhibition inside the palace, listed on the palace’s own GetYourGuide ticket.
- Skip: the extra tickets unless you have time: the Baroque Theatre, the Horthy bunker, the palm house and guided tours are sold separately at the palace and are listed on its site (kiralyikastely.hu).
The park of the Royal Palace at Gödöllő. Photo: Christo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Practical information
- Closed: 1 November and 23 to 26 December 2026. On 31 December the palace is open 09:00 to 15:00 and on 1 January 2027 12:00 to 17:00.
- Bags: the ticket listing says luggage and large bags, food and drink and strollers are not allowed inside.
- Works: the palace’s owner announced a rehabilitation programme on 13 October 2025 that is expected to last nine years, and says the palace stays open as a museum meanwhile (kiralyikastely.hu).
Gödöllő is one of the day trips from Budapest. Szentendre is the other half-day trip by suburban train, and the Danube Bend and the Puszta horse show are the full days out. What to book before you go to Budapest has the city tickets, Budapest public transport has the fares to Keleti, and 3 days in Budapest shows where half a day out fits.
Common questions
How do you get from Budapest to Gödöllő?
Take a MÁV train from Keleti: 25 minutes on the InterRégió, 39 minutes on a regional train, 745 HUF each way, with 76 trains a day and the last around 22:55 out and 23:31 back.
How much is Gödöllő Royal Palace?
5,000 HUF on a weekday and 5,400 HUF at a weekend for an adult, for the permanent exhibition and the park. Students and concessions pay 2,500 HUF on a weekday and 2,700 HUF at a weekend, children under 6 are free and an audioguide is 1,000 HUF.
When is Gödöllő Royal Palace open?
Every day from 10:00 to 18:00 between 1 April and 31 October 2026, with the ticket office and last entry at 17:00. It is closed on 1 November and from 23 to 26 December.
Is a Gödöllő tour from Budapest worth it?
It costs £42.49 to £50.99 against about £15 on your own with the train, so it buys a guide and the transfer. The palace is otherwise self-guided with an audioguide at 1,000 HUF. The ticket alone is sold on GetYourGuide from £11.53.
