Entry to the Basilica requires a ticket, sold either for the church alone or as an all-in-one with the Panorama Terrace and the Treasury. Guided tours and organ concerts are sold separately, and the concerts take place inside the basilica itself.
Unlike many European churches, St. Stephen’s charges for sightseeing, and the ticket is checked at the door. Nothing here is timed. Entry is first come, first served on the date you book. The reasons to buy online are practical ones.
You use the prepaid lane at the ticket office instead of the sales queue, you can cancel free up to 24 hours ahead, and for the concerts you choose your seat category in advance.
Tickets
St. Stephen’s Basilica Skip the Line Entry Ticket
Best for: Seeing the church at your own pace, with the terrace and Treasury as an option
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- Skip-the-line entry to St Stephen's Basilica
- The Treasury and the dome terrace, if you pick that option
- Collect
- Show the voucher at the ticket office, Szent István tér 2, in the Prepaid Online Tickets lane
- Not included
- A live guide or audio guide
- Changes
- You can move the date up to 24 hours before
St Stephen’s Basilica Guided Tour
Best for: The church explained by a guide, with the dome terrace as an option
- 1 hour
- Live guide in English
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- Skip-the-line entry to the Basilica
- A guided tour of the church
- The terrace and Treasury on the extended option
- Choose
- The public tour of the church, the extended tour with the terrace and Treasury, or a private tour of either
- Dress code
- No sleeveless tops, short skirts or shorts, and men uncover their heads
- Access
- Some options suit limited mobility and wheelchairs: check the option description
- Also
- Reserve now and pay later
Organ Concert in St. Stephen’s Basilica
Best for: Hearing the Basilica's great organ in a full concert
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Free cancellation up to 3 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- Entry to the concert
- Programme
- Mozart, Albinoni, Liszt, Verdi and Bach, ending with the Toccata and Fugue in D minor
- Not included
- The concert CD and booklet
- Changes
- You can move the date up to 3 hours before
Entry Ticket + Grand Organ Concert
Best for: Meeting the organist and hearing a short concert, with time in the Basilica after
- A 20-minute concert, then the Basilica at your own pace
- Live guide, and the organist explains the instrument
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- A 20-minute Grand Organ concert
- Entry ticket to St Stephen's Basilica
- Starts
- 10:00
- Group size
- Up to 15
- Collect
- Show the voucher at the ticket office, Szent István tér 2
Ticket types
St. Stephen’s has several ticket types, and most visitors only need the first. The summaries below cover what each one includes and when it makes sense.
Church entry
The church-only option of the entry ticket. Admission covers the church interior: Károly Lotz’s gilded dome mosaics, the main altar with its marble statue of King Stephen, the side altars, and the Holy Right, which has been displayed in the church itself since 2018.
- Sold by Tiqets as the “Church Ticket” option
- Self-guided. No live guide or audio guide is included
- Valid on the date you choose, at any time the church is open
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, and the date can be changed up to the same point
All-in-one: church, Panorama Terrace and Treasury
The other option on the same entry ticket, and the one to pick if you want the view. The Panorama Terrace wraps around the base of the dome at 65 metres. You reach it by lift or 364 steps, and even the lift route ends with stairs, so skip this option if stairs are a problem.
The Treasury comes with it. It holds the Basilica’s chalices, monstrances and embroidered vestments, along with models from the construction and the belongings of Cardinal Mindszenty.
- Sold by Tiqets as the “Church, Dome, and Treasury ticket” option
- The terrace and the Treasury stay open until 19:00, more than an hour after the church
- The terrace and the Treasury are not sold separately from each other
Guided tour
A one-hour tour of the church with a live guide, in English, run by a local operator through GetYourGuide. Entry to the church is included, and you meet the guide in front of the ticket office.
- The standard option covers the church
- The extended option adds tickets for the Panorama Terrace and the Treasury, which you visit on your own after the guided hour
- A private option has the guide take you round the terrace and the Treasury too
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, and you can reserve now and pay later
- Listed as not suitable for wheelchair users
All the guided options are compared in our Tours Guide.
Thursday evening organ concert
The Basilica’s great organ has 7,544 pipes. This is a full evening concert of 70 minutes, with the organ joined by a singer and soloists. The programme blends Mozart, Albinoni, Liszt and Verdi, and finishes with Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
- Thursdays at 20:00. Arrive 30 minutes before the start
- Three seat categories
- Reduced rates for under-16s and for students up to 26 with ID; children aged 5 and under are free on a lap
- Free cancellation, with the deadline shown when you book
- The seats are church seats, and 70 minutes is a long sit on one
Wednesday organ programme with entry
Sold as “Entry Ticket + Grand Organ Concert”, this is the Basilica’s own Wednesday morning programme. A guide takes a group of up to 15 up to the organ gallery, where the organist explains what each part of the instrument does and then plays a 20-minute concert. A Basilica entry ticket is included, so you look round the church afterwards at your own pace.
- Wednesdays at 10:00. Arrive 20 minutes before the start
- The organist speaks English and Hungarian only
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What you choose between when you book
- Entry ticket: church only, or church, dome and Treasury. That choice is the whole price difference. There is one rate for all ages
- Guided tour: church only, extended with terrace and Treasury tickets, or private
- Thursday concert: seat category 1, 2 or 3, each with an adult rate and a reduced rate for under-16s and students
- Wednesday organ programme: a single ticket type
Where to buy
Online (recommended): book in advance online. You receive a mobile voucher by email and swap it for your ticket at the prepaid lane of the ticket office.
On-site (walk-up): walk-up tickets are sold at the ticket office at Szent István tér 2, on the square beside the church, every day from 09:00. Sales for the church stop at 17:15 and for the terrace and Treasury at 18:30. You queue with everyone else buying on the day.
How to book
Pick your experience
Church only, the all-in-one with the terrace and Treasury, a guided tour, or a concert. The all-in-one is the easiest first-time choice.
Choose a date
The entry ticket needs a date, not a time. Concerts and the Wednesday programme have set start times.
Receive your confirmation
You get a mobile voucher by email straight after booking. Save it offline for the day.
Go to the ticket office first
Swap the voucher at Szent István tér 2, then walk across to the church entrance. For evening concerts, arrive 30 minutes early so you have time to find your seat.
Before you go
- Dress code: covered shoulders and knees are required for all visits inside the church, concerts included.
- Your ticket is for one entry on the day you booked.
- The church can be restricted at short notice for weddings, feast days and services, which always come first. Changes are posted at the ticket office and the entrance.
- The terrace can close in bad weather, such as high wind or ice.
- Check our opening hours guide for the best times to avoid crowds.
- See our how to get there guide for the nearest metro stations and walking routes.