8 Best Performing Arts Venues in Budapest, Hungary

World-renowned conductor Iván Fischer, who is still music director, formed the group with famed Hungarian conductor Zoltán Kocsis in 1983. The orchestra has won international accolades and is hands-down your best bet for classical music in Budapest. International soloists and conductors are often invited to perform with the orchestra. Its home base was previously the Liszt Ferenc Music Academy, but since 2005 the orchestra has also performed regularly at the new Béla Bartók National Concert Hall in the Művészetek Palotája (Palace of the Arts), and they have monthly Sunday Chamber Music concerts in their rehearsal hall on this side of the river, in Buda. Tickets can be purchased online or at several locations around Budapest, including Ticket Express and the Liszt Ferenc Academy.

This magnificent art nouveau music academy presides over the cafés and gardens of Liszt Ferenc tér. Along with the Vigadó, it's one of the city's main concert halls, hosting orchestra and chamber music concerts in its splendid main hall. On summer days the sound of daytime rehearsals from inside adds to the sweetness in the air along the pedestrian oasis of café society, just off buzzing Andrássy út.

The academy itself has two auditoriums: a green-and-gold 1,200-seat main hall and a smaller hall for chamber music and solo recitals. Farther along the square is a dramatic statue of Liszt Ferenc (Franz Liszt) himself, hair blown back from his brow, seemingly in a flight of inspiration. Pianist Ernő (Ernst) Dohnányi and composers Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály were teachers here.

You can purchase tickets to all performances and classical music concerts held at the academy through the ticket office. It's sometimes even possible to grab a standing-room ticket just before a performance.

The tiny recital room in this museum, the former home of the famous Hungarian composer, hosts intimate chamber music recitals by well-known ensembles from mid-March to June and September to mid-December. For fans, the home itself is worth a visit, and the historic atmosphere brings the music to life for everyone.

Dedicated to showcasing Hungarian music in all its diversity, the Budapest Music Center is an excellent venue to both learn and experience live music. Catch classical and opera performances, join lectures or workshops exploring music’s influence and therapeutic qualities, or just browse the information center and library. The real highlight here, though, is the Opus Jazz Club—an impressive 120-seat venue located within the center, regularly attracting some of Europe's finest jazz musicians. Tickets for the most popular jazz shows can sell out quickly, so be sure to check the website for details.

Although it's a bit of a trek from the city center to Fonó, on the outskirts of Buda, it is a great place to see live folk acts. The music house has its own bar, several performance stages, and even its own folk-music CD shop. Concerts and dance houses are held on a near-nightly basis, and tickets are bought when you enter the music house.

Set deep underground, in the middle of Budapest's financial district, Hunnia raises two fingers to the establishment. It's an old-school joint, like a timewarp to the late 1980s: a place where the gray-haired acts from the tail-end of Hungary's communist days still rock out nightly. The decor is rundown, the drinks are cheap, the bartenders are surly, and the music often raises eyebrows---but there's no doubting that Hunnia is a live music spot like no other.

The old auditorium on the second floor of the Hadik Palota now serves as the stage for a host of local tribute acts and other contemporary alternative bands almost nightly. Though the villa was once truly elegant, it’s a bit worn and there’s no need to dress up here. There's a restaurant downstairs and a bar just outside the dance floor. Note: Unless it’s a concert event, you won't find seats here so don’t expect too much comfort. Children are welcome.

This romantic riverside concert hall, designed by Frigyes Feszl in the mid-19th century but extensively rebuilt after World War II, is the place to come for classical concerts by leading international orchestras, including the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra. The beautiful 700-seat Main Hall also hosts regular folk dance shows and drama performances, while the rest of the building is given over to temporary art exhibitions and other events. Take the elevator to the sixth floor for stunning Danube views from the panoramic terrace.