187 Best Sights in Hungary

Located in a working-class neighborhood, this off-the-beaten-path bathhouse was long considered an everyman’s bathhouse until the government decided to give it a makeover to use it as a venue to host the 17th FINA Aquatics World Championships in 2017. While many were worried that it would lose its basic charms, the results of the makeover were a delightful surprise to bathers old and new. There are discounts for families, which means it is still very much a part of the community and hasn't lost its roots. Local families come for the green space and to make use of the new facilities, including a large swimming pool, lazy river, playground, basketball court, and sunbeds. Visitors in the know come for the healing waters and authentic bathhouse experience. Located just off the riverfront, it also has a picturesque setting and good view of the Danube from the lookout point.

Eger's picturesque main square is marked by the dominating statue of the eponymous Baron István Dobó, hero of the 1552 Siege of Eger. Created in the early 20th century by Alajos Stróbl, the statue depicts Dobó holding a sword aloft and flanked by other defenders of Eger Castle against the Ottoman invaders. Also on the square is the beautiful, pale-pink Minorita templom. With its twin spires and finely carved pulpit, pews, and beautiful ceiling frescoes, this Minorite Church is considered one of the finest baroque buildings in Central Europe.

A 30-minute drive east of Sopron (on the way from Győr) in the town of Fertőd, and near the southern shore of Neusiedl Lake, this magnificent yellow baroque and rococo palace is often referred to as the Hungarian Versailles. Built between 1720 and 1760 as a residence for the Hungarian noble family, it was badly damaged in World War II but has since been painstakingly restored. Step through the intricate wrought-iron gate entrance to discover the palace's 126 lavishly decorated rooms, including the Banqueting Hall with its ceiling fresco of Apollo in his chariot, the beautiful library with almost 22,000 volumes, and the enormous Sala Terrena with its heated marble floor. There's also a three-story-high concert hall, where classical concerts are held throughout the summer as part of the International Haydn Festival; Joseph Haydn was the court conductor to the Eszterházy family here for 30 years. Before you leave, take a walk around the ornamental French-style gardens.

Not to be confused with Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt, a 30-minute drive north into Austria.

This historic palace, with its decorative entranceway just off the northwest corner of Széchenyi tér, was once owned by the famous Esterházy family. Today it's part of the Rómer Flóris Művészeti és Történeti Múzeum (Rómer Flóris Museum of Art and History) and home to its Radnai Collection. This includes everything from József Rippl-Rónai’s resplendent Still Life with Mask to József Egry’s light-pervaded Lake Balaton landscapes, alongside many other outstanding examples of 20th-century Hungarian painting, sculpture, and graphic art.

Buy a single entry ticket (1,500 HUF) rather than a combined ticket (3,500 HUF) as even if you visit every exhibit, the savings are negligible.

Noted for its spectacular hilltop views of the city, this green and tranquil cemetery is home to some flamboyant memorials and statues—check out the giant griffin, or Griffmadár, designed by Kálmán Veres as a tribute to those who are far away, and the final resting place of numerous Hungarian notables. Look for the tombs of several scientists, academics, and athletes, and note composer Béla Bartók near the main entrance. The stunning mortuary, designed by architect Imre Makovecz to look like a human chest, is worth a look if it is open.

This pedestrianized street in the heart of downtown Pécs is a particularly pleasant place for a stroll. Walking west to east (toward Széchenyi tér), you'll see the beautiful baroque Szent Ferenc-templom (St. Francis Church), which dates back to 1760; Memi Pasa Fürdője (Memi Pasha's Baths), the ruins of a 16th-century Turkish bathhouse; and Jókai tér, a pleasant Mediterranean-style public square with an eponymous cukrászda (cake shop)—one of the city's best.

The museum honors the work of Impressionist Károly Ferenczy (1862–1917), an important leader in the Nagybánya Artist Colony and a Szentendre native. There are a number of his artworks on display, though many of his most famous are in Budapest's Hungarian National Gallery. The exhibition also features the work of his three children, all of whom were popular artists of the early modern era: the expressionist painter Valér, the pioneering tapestry artist Noemi, and the sculptor and graphic artist Beni.

Your ticket also includes entry into a handful of other town museums and galleries, including the Kmetty Múzeum and the Kovács Margit Ceramic Museum.

Located on a quiet hilltop, a little farther back from the river, this peaceful, tucked-away, and little-visited modern monument is designed to show the similarities in thought between what the sculptor saw as the world's leading religions. Around a little pool, there are statues of Abraham, Jesus, Buddha, Laozi, and Akhenaten, with others (the most recognizable of which is probably Gandhi) looking on. Conceived by Hungarian sculptor Nándor Wagner, it has a double in Japan, and also offers panoramic views of the Danube and the city.

Part museum space, part gaming center, the carefully curated and maintained Flipper Múzeum was started by avid pinball enthusiasts to inspire pinball enthusiasm in kids of all ages. Admission allows you to play almost all of the 130 machines featured here for free and for as long as you like (some machines are ornamental as they are not working anymore). Look for Terminator, Star Wars, and Mario Brothers pinball games or simple amusement park shooter games dating back to the late 19th century. Officially registered as a museum, it adopts an arcade vibe in the evening as players flip away until midnight most nights.

The center of today's Óbuda is Flórián tér, where Roman ruins were first discovered when the foundations of a house were dug in 1778. While it does not necessarily merit a visit in its own right, if you're in the neighborhood, it's fairly interesting to contrast the ancient ruins in the center of the square, carefully excavated two centuries after they were first found, with the racing traffic and cement-block housing projects on the exterior.

The square is now a large, grassy park, which the local authorities regularly promise to spruce up. In the middle, stretching from the square toward Kiscelli utca, is an eerie, black metal angel-like sculpture pointing one hand skyward and holding a wreath in the other. This is the Memorial to the Victims of Road Accidents. In case the title isn't enough, a wrecked car at the foot of the main statue and a list of annual highway death tolls from 1984 to the present further ensures that the point gets across, compliments of the National Police Headquarters' Accident Prevention Committee.

Óbuda's old main square is its most picturesque site. There are several good restaurants and interesting museums in and around the baroque Zichy Mansion, which has become a neighborhood cultural center. Among the most popular offerings are the summer concerts in the courtyard (see 'Kobuci Kert', further on in the chapter) and the evening jazz concerts. Toward the southern end of the square (on the way out to Árpád út and the HÉV) is the elaborate Óbudai Szentháromság Szobor (Óbuda Trinity Statue), built originally in 1740, razed in 1950, and rebuilt in 2000.

Fő tér is Szentendre's colorful main square, the centerpiece of which is an ornate Memorial Cross erected by Serbs grateful that their town was spared from a plague. The cross displays a painted crucifixion and stands atop a triangular pillar adorned with a dozen icon paintings. Every single house on Fő tér is a designated landmark. The Szentendrei Képtár serves as an information center and also has its own excellent collection of local contemporary artists and revolving exhibits of international art. Cross the square and check out the Kmetty Múzeum, featuring the work of János Kmetty (1889–1975), a pioneer of Hungarian avant-garde painting. Kmetty tried his hand at everything from Impressionism to Cubism, and his absorbing self-portraits utilize a fascinating mix of styles. Gracing the corner of Görög utca is the Serbian Orthodox church Blagoveštenska templom, with its elegant 18th-century edifice built on the site of a wooden church dating from the Great Serbian Migration (around AD 690). Its greatest glory—a symmetrical floor-to-ceiling panoply of stunning icons—was painted between 1802 and 1804. Behind the church lies the Szerb Egyházi Múzeum, with its exquisite assemblage of ecclesiastical art and artifacts relating to the history of the church in Hungary.

The city's attractive main square is dominated by the early Gothic Soproni Nagyboldogasszony templom (Blessed Mary Benedictine Church), better known as the Goat Church for reasons both fantastical (it's said the church was financed with treasure found by a billy goat) and practical (goats feature on the coat of arms of the actual church financiers). It's a real mishmash of styles, with a Gothic choir, a rococo main altar, and a baroque red-marble pulpit, along with recently discovered medieval tombs. Outside stands the 18th-century Szentháromság-szobor (Holy Trinity Column), Hungary's finest plague memorial and among the first anywhere to feature a twisted column.

Facing the square are three very different but equally fascinating museums. Fabricius Ház (Fabricius House) is a beautiful baroque mansion with exhibits on ancient city history: highlights include the remains of a Roman bathhouse and the 1,200-year-old Cunpald Goblet. The Storno Ház (Storno House) is Sopron's finest Renaissance-era building with a collection of furniture, porcelain, sculptures, and paintings belonging to the Stornos, a rags-to-riches dynasty of chimney sweeps-turned-art restorers. And the Fehér Angyal Patikamúzeum (Angel Pharmacy Museum) is a real-life 17th-century apothecary that now houses a collection of period pharmaceutical tools, books, potions, and lotions.

This site pays tribute to the Jewish population herded into the ghetto during WWII, where thousands died of famine. The ghetto's walls ran along today's Rumbach, Király, Kertész, and Dohány streets. The memorial is easily accessed on the street, detailing the Jewish struggle with a map, historical summaries, and religious verses. The small section of the wall itself is located inside the apartment building's courtyard; you can try and peek at it through the gate or wait until a resident opens the door to view it.

A picturesque spot that is also one of the farthest north sites of Islamic pilgrimage in the world, this octagonal tomb houses Gül Baba, an Ottoman-era poet and dervish who took part in, and died shortly after, the Turkish conquest of Buda. He's known as 'Father of the Roses' in Hungary, hence the beautiful rose garden recently renovated using partial funding from the Turkish government.

The 12-km (7-mile) Children's Railway—so called because it's operated primarily by children—runs from Széchenyi-hegy to Hűvösvölgy. The sweeping views make the trip well worthwhile for children and adults alike. Departures are from Széchenyi-hegy. To get to Széchenyi-hegy, take Tram 56 or 61 from Széll Kálmán tér, and change to the cog railway (public transport tickets valid) at the Városmajor stop. Take the cog railway uphill to the last stop and then walk a few hundred yards down a short, partly forested road to the left, in the direction most others will be going. The railway terminates at Hűvösvölgy, where you can walk downhill for a few minutes and catch Tram 56 or 61 back to Széll Kálmán tér.

The center of town is this small square, where the bubbling waters from five volcanic springs rise beneath a slim, colonnaded pavilion. The square’s centerpiece is the neoclassical Well House of the Kossuth Spring; from here you can sample the water, which has a pleasant, surprisingly refreshing taste, despite the sulfurous aroma. Note that there's a strict, 30-liters-per-person limit (good luck trying to break that rule). All the buildings on the square are pillared like Greek temples. At No. 3 is Horváth Ház, a former sanatorium that hosted the first of what was to become the Anna Ball in 1825. The ball now takes place every July in another colonnaded building on the square, and also a former sanatorium, the Anna Grand Hotel. On the north side of the square is the Füredi Panteon with aesthetically interesting tablets and reliefs honoring Hungarian and foreign notables who took the waters here. From Gyógy tér, you can stroll east along Blaha Lujza utca to see several landmarks, such as the Blaha Lujza Ház, a neoclassical villa built in 1867 (and, later, the summer home of the eponymous actress), and the sweet little 19th-century Kerek templom (Round Church).

Near the main Aquincum ruins—but functioning separately—a fine third-century Roman dwelling, Hercules Villa, takes its name from the myth depicted on its beautiful mosaic floor. The ruin was unearthed between 1958 and 1967 and now stands, rather incongruously, among a large housing estate. Worth popping your head in after the Aquincum visit if you feel the need for more ruins; admission is free.

Hungary’s reputation for creating fine pieces of porcelain was sparked by the purchase of a dinner set by Britain’s Queen Victoria in 1851 (the chosen pattern of colorful and detailed butterflies and flowers was later coined the “Victoria” collection). Some 600 mold-makers, potters, and painters are still trained here to craft Herend’s high quality dinnerware, decorative items, and figurines, while the porcelain-prone public are welcomed to share the experience in the Porcelanium Visitor Center. You can see how products are made in the Minimanufactory and check out a treasure trove of precious pieces in the Museum of Porcelain Art. In the adjoining Apicius Restaurant and Café you can even experience dining off their collection of dinnerware. The town of Herend lies 16 km (10 miles) northwest of Veszprém on Route 8, and regular buses ply the route all day (20 minutes each way).

Built in 2002 as part of a government initiative focusing on Holocaust research and education, the stark, impressive modern design of the Holocaust Memorial Center, with its high white walls, is somehow evocative of both a fortress and the gates to a city. The interior of the entrance wall is lined from top to bottom with the names of a fraction of the Hungarian Holocaust victims, and the permanent exhibition focuses on the experiences of Jewish Hungarians, with a special section dedicated to Roma Hungarians. The Páva Street Synagogue houses the memorial and it was once one of the city’s largest Jewish congregations; it now displays its significant historical artifacts, and can also be visited when not in service.

In 1923 patron of the arts Ferenc Hopp bequeathed his home and a 4,000-piece private collection to the creation of a public exhibition space, and to this day it remains the country’s only Asian art museum. Visitors can enjoy a turn-of-the-century aristocrat’s home while perusing the collection's 30,000 items, spanning from Japan to the near East. Visiting exhibitions are always paired thematically with objects existing in the local collection, adding an interesting perspective. The small eastern-Asian-style garden space surrounding the museum is free and open to the public throughout the day.

Named for the renowned Budapest-born illusionist and escapologist, this entertaining, family-friendly museum is home to an enormous collection of Harry Houdini artifacts, from personal letters to stage magic props. Fun, English-language guided tours are topped by a live magic show performed by talented local conjurers.

The rather dull-sounding name belies a real gem of a museum, stuffed with interesting exhibits including old advertisements, shop signs, and restaurant items from the communist era. There are also fascinating details on the lives of different tradespeople, and recreated entire shops, cafés, and restaurants from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Andrássy út ends in grandeur at Heroes' Square, with Budapest's answer to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. Cleaned and refurbished in 1996 for the millecentenary (1100th anniversary), the Millenniumi emlékmű (Millennial Monument) is a semicircular twin colonnade with statues of Hungary's kings and leaders between its pillars. Set back in its open center, a 118-foot stone column is crowned by a dynamic statue of the archangel Gabriel, his outstretched arms bearing the ancient emblems of Hungary. At its base ride seven bronze horsemen: the Magyar chieftains, led by Árpád, whose tribes conquered the land in 896.

Before the column lies a simple marble slab, the Nemzeti Háborús Emléktábla (National War Memorial), the nation's altar, at which every visiting foreign dignitary lays a ceremonial wreath.

In 1991 Pope John Paul II conducted a mass here. Just a few months earlier, half a million Hungarians had convened to recall the memory of Imre Nagy, the reform-minded communist prime minister who partially inspired the 1956 revolution. Little would anyone have guessed then that in 1995, palm trees—and Madonna—would spring up on this very square in a scene from the film Evita (set in Argentina, not Hungary), or that Michael Jackson would do his part to consecrate the square with a music video.

Hungary's Prime Minister at the time of the 1956 Revolution, Imre Nagy was executed by the Russians for his lenience towards the revolutionaries and buried as a traitor. On June 16, 1989, the anniversary of his execution, Nagy was rehabilitated and reburied with full honors, one of the events marking the change in regime. The removal of his statue from Vértanúk tere (Matryrs' Square) in 2018 to make way for the reconstructed Monument of National Martyrs was the talk of the town for months (opposition parties accused Viktor Orbán's right-wing government of historical revisionism). District 13 volunteered to adopt it, placing it here in Jászai Mari tér overlooking the Danube.

Just like Vajdahunyad Castle, the portal of this church is a replica. The original, located in the village of Ják, is Hungary’s best example of a Romanesque Church from the 12th century. Featuring a gorgeous facade filled with medieval gothic biblical motifs, statues, and stonework, the chapel is a working Catholic church with regular services, concerts, and the occasional lavish wedding.

Just beyond the ancient city wall to the west and unceremoniously sandwiched by two larger and more modern buildings, this beautiful 16th-century Turkish mosque is the only Ottoman-era religious building in Hungary with its original minaret and architecture intact. The interior hosts a museum with a few artifacts from the Turkish period and some Iznik ceramics; for an extra 500 HUF, you can enjoy tea with your visit.

A libegő (chairlift) will take you to János Hill—at 1,729 feet the highest point in Budapest—where you can climb a lookout tower for the best view of the city. To get there, take Bus 158 from Széll Kálmán tér to the last stop, Zugligeti út. The chairlift is sometimes closed due to bad weather, so you may want to call ahead to confirm.

This small but eye-catching drinking fountain, created by local glass artist László Hefter in 2012, depicts a turquoise soda bottle spurting water into a small tiled pool. A glance at any drinks menu in Hungary reveals an obsession with soda water, and this fountain commemorates its inventor (or, at least, the man who first mass produced it), Ányos Jedlik. The bottle itself weighs a toe-crushing 365 kilograms (804 pounds), one for each day of the year.