Visitors can see St. Stephen’s Basilica seven days a week, with the church closing earlier than the Panorama Terrace and Treasury. This page has the hours for each part of the building, the Mass times, and the quietest times to go.
The Basilica is a working parish church as well as a major visitor attraction, so its opening hours are shaped around Mass. Most of the building is open daily, but the church has a later start on Sundays and closes more than an hour earlier than the Panorama Terrace and Treasury all week.
Opening hours
The hours are the same all year. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing, which is also when ticket sales stop: 17:15 for the church and 18:30 for the terrace and Treasury. The ticket office on the square is open every day from 09:00 to 18:30.
Church
| Monday | 09:00-17:45 |
| Tuesday | 09:00-17:45 |
| Wednesday | 09:00-17:45 |
| Thursday | 09:00-17:45 |
| Friday | 09:00-17:45 |
| Saturday | 09:00-17:45 |
| Sunday | 13:00-17:45 |
Last tickets are sold at 17:15. Services come first, so the church can be restricted for weddings and feast days.
Panorama Terrace and Treasury
| Monday | 09:00-19:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00-19:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00-19:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00-19:00 |
| Friday | 09:00-19:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00-19:00 |
| Sunday | 09:00-19:00 |
Last tickets are sold at 18:30. The terrace can close in high wind or ice.
Mass times
The Basilica holds Mass every day, and visitors are welcome at all of them.
Best times to visit
Time of day
The quietest period is the first hour after opening, from 09:00 to 10:00. Numbers climb through the late morning, when the tour groups arrive. The last hour before the church closes thins out again, and the Panorama Terrace carries on until 19:00, so a late-afternoon visit can finish with the view.
Day of the week
Weekdays are the calmest, particularly outside school holidays. Sundays are the busiest, partly because the church only opens at 13:00, so the whole day’s traffic funnels into under five hours. Weekends draw a steady mix of visitors and wedding parties, and a wedding can close part of the church.
Season
Late autumn, January and February are the quietest months. From mid-November to New Year’s Day the Christmas market on Szent István tér draws foot traffic past the Basilica steps all day. The darker months have one advantage. The terrace closes at 19:00 all year, so from about October to mid-March you can be up there for sunset.
How long to spend
We would allow 60 to 90 minutes for the Basilica. Your timing depends on whether you add the Treasury, the Panorama Terrace, or an organ concert.
Church only, 30 to 45 minutes
Enough to take in the main altar, the dome mosaics, and the Holy Right.
Church, terrace and Treasury, 60 to 90 minutes
The Treasury adds about 20 minutes. Allow extra time for the lifts up to the terrace during busy hours.
Guided tour with the terrace, about 2 hours
One hour with the guide in the church, then the terrace and Treasury on your own.
Thursday evening concert, 70 minutes
Arrive 30 minutes before the 20:00 start to find your seat.
Insider tips
Plan around Mass, not despite it
If you are in Budapest on a Sunday, consider attending the 10:00 High Mass. It is the main service of the week, and visitors are welcome. Time your sightseeing for 13:00 onwards instead of turning up in the morning and finding the church closed to visitors.
Mind the two last-admission times
The church stops admitting at 17:15 and the terrace at 18:30. Arrive at 17:30 with an all-in-one ticket and you will get the view and the Treasury but not the church.
Check for notices before a weekend visit
Weddings take place at weekends, and restrictions on the church are announced on the Basilica’s website and at the ticket office. If part of the church is closed off when you arrive, do the terrace and the Treasury first and come back down afterwards.