3 Best Sights in Hungary

One of the city’s most prominent and iconic landmarks, Budapest's main venue for opera and classical ballet is located in a magnificent neo-Renaissance building dating from 1884. The work of famed architect Miklós Ybl, the exterior features two unique buxom marble sphinxes guarding the driveway that curves upward from the street to the main entrance, a reminder that special guests used to arrive here by horse and carriage. Proceeding inside, the main lobby is flanked by Alajos Strobl's "romantic-realist" limestone statues of Franz Liszt and 19th-century Hungarian composer, Ferenc Erkel, the father of Hungarian opera. The marble staircases and wood-paneled corridors usher guests into gilt lime-green salons, ornate private theater boxes, or the glittering jewel box that is the main auditorium. Helmeted sphinxes bow their heads beneath a dazzling frescoed ceiling by Károly Lotz. Lower down there are frescoes everywhere, with intertwined motifs of Apollo and Dionysus. In its early years the Budapest Opera was conducted by Gustav Mahler (1888–91), and after World War II by Otto Klemperer (1947–50). Badly damaged during the siege of 1944–45, it was restored for its 1984 centenary. Recently reopened after years of renovation, the opera house has completely refreshed its exterior, modernized the orchestra pit and dressing rooms, created more handicap accessibility, and touched up the ceiling seccos and interior facades. This has been the biggest overhaul the building has seen in over thirty years, delivering an even more spectacular experience. It's free to walk into the entrance hall, but if you want to have a proper look inside, daily tours in English with a mini-performance at the end, are best booked online or in-person at the box office. Of course, the finest way to experience the opera house is to see a full opera or ballet, an experience that cannot be recommended highly enough. While the most coveted of tickets could cost you a couple hundred euros, don’t think you are going to have to break the bank to partake; one can regularly find weekday tickets in the back rows for as little as a few euros. The most frequent productions are popular classical operas from Italy and around Europe, but you'll also find guest performances by international troupes as well as occasional Hungarian productions, like Erkel’s patriotic opera Bánk Bán and Béla Bartók’s Blue Beard’s Castle. Most feature subtitles in Hungarian and English, but make sure to double check before purchase.

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.

Founded by renowned Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt, students have been training at this world-famous music conservatory with the likes of Erno Dohnanyi, Zoltán Kodály, and Béla Bartók among its teachers since 1907. The extravagantly decorated Art Nouveau concert halls at the Academy were built to enhance musical performance, both acoustically and visually. The interiors are richly decorated, featuring elaborate frescoes, stained glass, mosaics, grand marble stairs, rich woods, and tiled centerpieces featuring Zsolnay tiles. Audiences can even hear the grand hall’s beautiful organ, dating back to 1907. The academy is still a working college of music, attracting talent from around the world. Opera fans should look out for tickets to the fantastic baroque opera here, tucked away in a tiny but spectacularly designed baroque theater. It's easy to forget not just where you are but when you are once the lights dim for the opening act. Guided tours are also available.