Matthias Church sits at the top of Buda Castle Hill on Szentháromság (Holy Trinity) Square, immediately in front of Fisherman’s Bastion. Three realistic routes up: the Castle bus (line 16, with the 16A, 116 and 216), the Buda Castle Funicular from Clark Ádám tér at the Buda end of the Chain Bridge, or walking up from the river by the Schulek staircase.
The bus is the fastest and drops you on the level. The funicular is the scenic one, and leaves you a walk through the Castle District. Driving is possible and rarely worth it, because the district sits behind traffic barriers.
Location and address
By public transport
Budapest’s BKK public transport network covers Castle Hill from both sides of the river. The Castle bus is the most useful single route; the funicular is the more scenic option from the Pest-facing Buda riverside.
By Castle bus (16, 16A, 116 and 216), the easiest way
Line 16 runs right through the Castle District, between Deák Ferenc tér in central Pest and Széll Kálmán tér in Buda. Get off at Szentháromság tér, which is about 80 m from the church and on the same level.
- From Pest: 16 from Deák Ferenc tér to Szentháromság tér, or 216 from Deák Ferenc tér to its last stop at Dísz tér, about 320 m south of the church. The two lines are timetabled together and run every few minutes at peak times
- From Buda: 16 or 16A from Széll Kálmán tér (metro M2), or 116 from Fény utcai piac
- The stop to avoid: Halászbástya. Buses coming up from Pest call there, but it is at the foot of the Schulek staircase on Hunyadi János út, below the walls. Stay on for Dísz tér or Szentháromság tér unless you want the climb
Ordinary BKK tickets and passes are valid. A single ticket has to be validated on board.
By Buda Castle Funicular (Sikló)
The historic funicular runs from Clark Ádám tér at the Buda end of the Chain Bridge up to Szent György tér at the south end of Castle Hill, near the Royal Palace.
- Hours: 08:00 to 22:00 every day, with the ticket office closing at 21:50. It leaves every 5 to 10 minutes
- Maintenance: it does not run on Mondays of odd-numbered weeks
- Tickets: it has its own ticket. BKK tickets and passes are not valid
From the top station the church is about 550 m north through the Castle District, on the level, past Dísz tér and along Tárnok utca to Szentháromság tér.
The classic Pest-side approach: cross the Chain Bridge on foot, ride the funicular up, then walk north to the church and the Bastion behind it.
By tram or metro to the riverbank
Trams 19 and 41 run along the river bank below Castle Hill, and the Halász utca stop is about 430 m east of the church. Metro M2 stops at Batthyány tér, about 600 m to the north-east. Both are at river level, so the walk from either is a steep climb up paths and staircases.
Useful if you are already riding the river trams and want the walk; otherwise the Castle bus is the better choice.
On foot
From the funicular’s top station (about 550 m)
From Szent György tér, walk north past Dísz tér and along Tárnok utca to Szentháromság tér. It is level all the way, and cobbled in places. The church’s spire is ahead of you for the last stretch.
From the Chain Bridge, up the Schulek staircase
Cross the Chain Bridge from Pest to Buda. From Clark Ádám tér, follow Hunyadi János út as it climbs the side of the hill to the foot of Fisherman’s Bastion, then take the Schulek staircase straight up into the Bastion’s tower courtyards, which open onto the square behind the church.
It is all uphill and ends in a long flight of stone steps, so leave it for a dry day. The view of the Bastion and the church’s roof from below is the reward.
From the Vienna Gate (about 450 m)
From Bécsi kapu tér at the north end of the Castle District, walk south along the quiet residential streets to Szentháromság tér. Level, and the calmest way to arrive.
By car and taxi
For everyone else the Castle bus is quicker and simpler. If you take a taxi, Clark Ádám tér, at the foot of the funicular, is the easy place to be dropped.
Accessibility
Step-free arrival is straightforward by bus, and the church itself can be visited in a wheelchair. The museum upstairs and the tower cannot.
- Castle buses: most of Budapest’s buses are low-floor
- Szentháromság tér to the church: about 80 m on the level. The square and the main streets round it have been resurfaced, though the rest of the district is cobbled
- The way in: the south gate, which has a ramp on the Fisherman’s Bastion side. If it is closed, ask staff at the entrance to open it. Entry is free for a wheelchair user and one companion
- Inside: the nave and the chapels are on one level. The museum route goes down into the crypt and up to the galleries by stairs
- The tower: 197 steps and no lift
- Metro: Batthyány tér station has no step-free access, and it is at the bottom of the hill
- The funicular: the gap between the platform and the car needed help from a companion when a wheelchair user tried it
- Toilets: we know of no wheelchair-accessible toilet on Castle Hill
The same journey, from the Bastion’s side, is in our Fisherman’s Bastion guide.