Matthias Church sells two tickets of its own, one for the church and one for the tower, and our partners add an entry ticket, a concert and guided tours. The church ticket covers the nave, the side chapels and the ecclesiastical museum upstairs; the tower is a separate timed climb of 197 steps with a short guided introduction, and the church is the only place that sells it.
The rule that matters most is that every ticket here is non-refundable and good for a single entry, and that the church closes to sightseers for services and weddings, sometimes with a few hours’ notice. Book the tower slot first if you want it, and check the day’s hours on the church’s website before you set off.
Tickets
Matthias Church Entry Ticket
Just the church: an entry ticket for the church and the museum, valid on the date you choose. The tower is not included. Your admission ticket is emailed the day before your visit, and if the church closes for an event that day it is good for the following day.
Matthias Church: Fools and Kings Tour
With a live guide: two and a half hours round the Castle District in English, including Fisherman’s Bastion, the Royal Palace and Holy Trinity Square, with admission to Matthias Church and a stop for coffee and a traditional cake. Starts at 10:00 or 14:00 from the Holy Trinity statue. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Classical Music Concerts in Matthias Church
Evening option: a 70-minute concert in the church by the Duna String Orchestra and a violin soloist, with Pachelbel’s Canon and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons on the programme. Three seat categories, free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Matthias Church: Colorful Tiles & Coronations Tour
The church in depth: 90 minutes with a local guide in English, built around the church itself, with entry, the royal oratory and the art collection, and the view from the windows of Fisherman’s Bastion. Skip-the-line entry, free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Tower tickets are sold only by the church, on its own website and at the ticket desk at the entrance. The church ticket and the audioguide are sold there too.
Why book ahead
- The tower is timed and capped. Slots run every half hour, a limited number of people go up at a time, and when we checked in mid-September the church’s calendar showed the tower shut for whole days and weeks at a time, so pick your slot before you plan the rest of the day
- The church closes for weddings and services at short notice, sometimes for the rest of the day. A partner entry ticket carries over to the next day if that happens; a walk-up visit does not
- A partner ticket skips the desk. You still queue at the door with everyone else, but the ticket is on your phone before you arrive
- Guided walks run at set times. The Tiqets walk starts at 10:00 or 14:00, and when we checked it was on sale at weekends only
Ticket types
Church entry
Admission to the church interior, the side chapels and the ecclesiastical art collection in the crypt and the upper galleries. Our partner sells it as the Matthias Church Entry Ticket.
- Valid on the date you choose, for one entry
- Adults are 7 and over; children 6 and under are free but must be added to the booking
- The admission ticket is emailed the day before your visit; the booking confirmation alone is not valid at the door
- If the church is closed for an event on your date, the ticket is valid the following day
- The tower is not included, and visits during Mass and other events are limited
Tower ticket
Sold only by the church, for a fixed half-hour slot on a fixed date. The visit begins with a short, 10-minute guided introduction, then 197 steps up a narrow spiral staircase to the lookout level, past the bells, and back down with the same group.
- Slots ran every half hour from 09:30 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 16:30 when we checked, so the last climb is before the church closes
- Be at the entrance five minutes before the time on your ticket. Latecomers are not given a new slot, and the ticket is not refunded
- No lift and no toilet in the tower. The church asks you to judge your own fitness for the steps
- Closed in strong wind, storms or lightning
- Under-6s go up free; students and pensioners pay less with ID
Bear in mind that the tower and the church are two tickets even on the church’s own site, so a tower ticket alone does not get you round the church.
Audioguide
The church’s own audioguide runs on your own charged smartphone, activated on the spot with a QR code and an access code, over the church’s free Wi-Fi. It is in English and several other languages, and the first three stations can be tried free on the church’s audioguide website before you go.
Best for independent visitors who want the stories behind the chapels without a fixed-time tour.
Guided walks with entry
Two of our partners’ tours go inside the church. The Tiqets walk gives you two and a half hours round the Castle District with church admission and cake; the 90-minute Colorful Tiles & Coronations tour stays with the church and goes into the royal oratory. The tours, including two more Castle District walks and a private option, are compared on our tours guide.
Concerts
A 70-minute concert in the church by the Duna String Orchestra with a violin soloist, sold in three seat categories. The programme includes Pachelbel’s Canon, the Winter movement of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and a Bach violin concerto. Dates are on the booking calendar.
What you choose between when you book
- Entry ticket: adult or child (6 and under), and the date
- Tower: the date and the half-hour slot, on the church’s website only; adult, student or pensioner
- Tiqets walk: one ticket type, and a 10:00 or 14:00 start
- Concert: seat category 1, 2 or 3
- Church tickets sold by the church: adult, student, pensioner or family, with or without the audioguide
Where to buy
Online (recommended): book the entry ticket, the concert or a guided walk in advance online. Tower tickets, the church’s own reduced and family tickets and the audioguide are sold on the church’s website.
On-site: the ticket desk at the church entrance sells church and tower tickets and the audioguide on the day, subject to the day’s hours and to the tower’s slots.
How to book
Decide on the tower
If you want the climb, go to the church’s website first and pick a slot. The rest of the visit fits around it.
Choose your church ticket
The entry ticket for a self-guided visit, or one of the guided walks if you want the Castle District explained as well.
Check the day’s hours
The church’s website shows the hours for the date you picked. Saturdays are often shortened for weddings and Sundays open in the afternoon.
Arrive with the right ticket on your phone
For the entry ticket, the emailed admission ticket, not the booking confirmation. For the tower, five minutes early at the entrance. Dressed for a church.
Before you go
- One entry per ticket, on the day, and no refunds once bought.
- Dress code: shoulders and knees covered, a shawl over a sleeveless top is accepted, hats off for men. Costumes and wedding clothes are not allowed.
- Photos are allowed in the church, with flash; not with flash in the museum rooms upstairs.
- The church can close for a service, a wedding or a state visit with little notice. Changes are posted at the entrance.
- Check our opening hours guide for Mass times, the closed days and the best times to avoid crowds.
- See our how to get there guide for the Castle bus, the funicular and the stairs.