Buda Castle Buda Castle, Budapest
The exhibitions in the Budapest History Museum focus on the turbulent history of the 2000 years of the city now known as Budapest: what the once separate towns of Buda, Pest and Obuda were like.
Opening Times
Mondays: 10 am- 6pm (St Stephen’s Hall is open)
Tuesdays: 10 am- 6pm
Wednesdays: 10 am- 6pm
Thursday: 10 am- 6pm
Friday: 10 am- 6pm
Saturday: 10 am- 6pm
Sunday: 10 am- 6pm
The Castle Museum will be closed from March 24th to 26th, 2025.
Please be advised that St. Stephen’s Hall, the recently refurbished wing of the Castle Museum, will undergo routine upkeep from March 16 to March 31, 2025, in preparation for its reopening on April 1. During this period, the rest of the Castle Museum, with its diverse halls and extensive exhibitions, will remain open as usual, welcoming visitors daily from 10 am to 6 pm.
Historical Budapest
Step back in time to discover life before 1873, when Buda and Pest stood as separate cities, and experience the changing tides of history—from the rule of Austrian noblemen during the Habsburg Monarchy to the newfound balance of power brought by the Austro-Hungarian Compromise. Though many exhibits were lost in World War II, the remaining treasures still offer a glimpse into the grandeur and opulence of the Castle’s past, allowing you to immerse yourself in its fascinating legacy.
The exhibits range from photographs, furniture, everyday tools, clothing, books, and artwork, each offering a unique window into the evolving life and styles of Buda and Pest—now Budapest—through the ages.
If you’re a history enthusiast or simply love Budapest, the Budapest History Museum (Budapest Történeti Múzeum) is a must-visit in Buda Castle on Castle Hill, where the past comes to life in an unforgettable setting.
The museum is now open every day, including Mondays, though some older sources may still mention a previous Monday closure. On festival days—such as the Hungarian Crafts Festival or Budapest Wine Festival—a special festival ticket is required for entry. This ticket may or may not include access to the museum, with prices typically aligning with standard museum admission. Please check the festival admission and museum entry policy for the given festival.
A tablet-based audio guide is available in multiple languages for the Royal Hall of St. Stephen’s Hall, located within the recently restored, interactive museum wings of the Buda Castle Museum, but requiring its own special entry. Unlike the regular Castle History Museum wing, the older exhibitions, the Royal St Stephen’s Hall requires pre-registration for a timed entry slot, with a maximum of 20 guests per session—so advance booking is highly recommended to secure your spot in the newer wing.
Opening Hours
Mon – Sun: 10 am – 6 pm
(all year round)
Christmas Opening Hours
Recommended from 6+
Free admission on national holidays
(15 March, 20 Aug, 23 Oct)
and for ICOM card holders
While the museum allows flexible
entry during opening hours with
a valid ticket, access to
St. Stephen’s Hall is strictly
by pre-scheduled admission.
Weekends and holidays are fully booked up normally.
Tickets Museum only
Adults: HUF 3,800 HUF
Students 6-26: HUF 1900
Seniors 65-70: HUF 1900
Tickets Museum 2 in 1
Incl. St Stephen’s Hall Royal Palace
Adults: HUF 4,500
Students 6-26: HUF 2,250
Seniors 65-70: HUF 2,250
Please note that admission prices may be adjusted throughout the year due to inflation. Entry fees, by default, do not cover access to St. Stephen’s Hall or the National Gallery, which is housed in another wing of the Buda Castle.
Address: 2 Szent Gyorgy Square Budapest 1014
Phone: +36-1-487-8854
Medieval Buda Castle Exhibition
Some of the fine displays from the Middle Ages are the coats of arms of medieval ruling and aristocratic families on carved stones and stove tiles. Detailed information of each period of the Buda Castle is provided on touch-screen displays. You can learn about the various ruling families of the Buda Palace, including portraits, seals, coins, coasts of arms in pictures and through interesting anecdotes and legends.
Visitors can see the fine books of the royal libraries, like Matthias Corvinus’ library from the Renaissance period, the medieval latrine, the accommodation of the castle guards or a stone carving workshop, and artistically painted constellations (King Matthias loved astrology).
Budapest History Museum – Exhibitions
This is a nice ad teaser for an exhibition which showed the life of citizens in Buda in the 19th century:
Special Festival Events – Opening Hours
Ticket holders of the Wine Festival can normally visit the permanent exhibitions of the History Museum free of charge.
Hello,
Does Budapest card affords a free entry? I can’t find any information about that.
Best regards, Sebastian
Hello Sebastian,
thank you for your email.
Entry to the Buda Castle District is free.
The 2 free Budapest Walking tours that comes with your Budapest Card proves that your card is really a 2 in 1 Budapest tourist card & travel pass.
Meeting time and location of Buda Walking tour: 2 pm at the Holy Trinity Statue near the Matthias Church in the Buda Castle District, Holy Trinity Square, 1014 Budapest
Have a great time in Budapest.
What is the entrance fee for visitors over 70 years? Also does the pensioner rate apply to visitors outside the EU? My parents are from New Zealand. My father had an Irish Grandmother and could apply for Irish citizenship if he wanted to. My mother has great-grandparents from Scotland and Ireland. I am not sure how pensioner discounts work in Hungary?
Dear Sarah,
the entry to the Budapest History Museum is free for over 70 EU citizens.
Non-EU citizens can purchase senior tickets for HUF 1,000 /HUF 1,200 (low/high season).
Good day,
we would like to visit Budapest History Museum with our pupils on 6. June 2018. Could you please tell me how much we will pay for tickets? We are a group of 33 pupils ( 15 years old) and two teachers.
How much time do we need to spend there? I need to know that, so I can organize our other activities.
It is possible to make reservation for certain hour?
Thank you.
Andrea
Hello Andrea,
thank you for your inquiry.
We will soon send you an email to your email address. Thank you for your patience.
Dear madam/sir,
Is there a ticket that we can buy so we can enter into different museums in buda castle please?
Thanks
Hello Diana,
thank you for your comment.
Tickets are needed to be bought separately when entering the museums in the Buda Castle area.
I hope I could be of help.
Hello,
I’ d like to ask you about the opening hours of the Budapest history museum on 15th of March.
Thanks in advance,
Danai
Dear Danai,
the Budapest History Museum will be open on Mar 15, and entry is free of charge on this national holiday.
Thank you for your immediate response, just to specify, from 10am to 6pm?
Dear Danai,
yes, this is correct, it will be open from 10 am to 6pm.
Dear staff of the Budapest History Museum,
My name is Ana and I am organizing a field trip to Budapest for an international high school from Skopje, Macedonia. The the topic of the trip are the Austro-Turkish wars, the Ottoman period, and its cultural legacy in Budapest. We are going to visit your museum on the 21 of March. Would you be able to organize a guided tour for us with focus on the above-mentioned periods and events? There are 33 students and three chaperones in the group. If this is possible, would you be able to tell us the cost of the tickets and whether we can purchase them online?
Thank you very much in advance,
Ana
Dear Ana,
thank you for your inquiry.
We will soon be in touch with you via email. Thank you for your patience.
Good morning, do you have reduced tickets for disabled people or free entrance for a companion
Dear Maria Alicia,
thank you for your inquiry.
Disabled people and their companions (1 companion per person) can visit the Budapest History Museum free of charge.
Hello,
My name is Filipa and I am planning a trip to Budapest in September.
I would like to know where and at what time can I purchase the tickets to the museum?
Thank you in advance,
Filipa
Hello Filipa
thank you for contacting us.
Tickets to the National Gallery can be purchased online and on the spot.
More info is on:
http://mng.hu/visit/tickets-122547
For individuals free guided tours are offered by our trained docents to the permanent collection once a day. For exact dates and time please check:
http://mng.hu/events
I hope I could be of help.
Hello,
I will be visiting the museum on July 14th, but I would like to know if it is possible to buy tickets on advance online.
Thank you for your help!
Best Regards,
Mr. Jorge B.
Dear Jorge,
unfortunately it is not possible to buy Museum tickets online in advance, only on the spot. Thank you for your understanding.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Do you have reduced ticket prices for school. We want to visit the museum on Octobre 3rd with a group of 30, 27 students and 3 teachers? Can we make reservations?
Thanks in advance.
Kind regards,
E. Aytekin
Dear E. Aytekin,
thank you for your inquiry.
We will soon be in touch with you regarding your group quote via email. Thank you for your patience.