Budapest attractions
First time here? See the top 10 first, then choose by mood: a hot bath, a museum, a view from a hill or something for the kids.
Top 10 attractions in Budapest
In the order we rank them in the best things to do in Budapest. Most trips are built around these.
1Széchenyi Thermal Bath
Soak up to your neck in steaming outdoor pools, with snow on the dome.
2Hungarian Parliament
Climb the Grand Staircase and see the Holy Crown under the Parliament's 96-metre dome.
3Fisherman's Bastion
Look across the Danube to Parliament from white-stone arcades, free day and night.
4Gellért Hill
Climb to the Liberty Statue and walk the reopened Citadella's walls above the Danube.
5Buda Castle
Wander the royal palace courtyards and terraces over the Danube, free at any hour.
6Matthias Church
Climb 197 steps up the tower of the coronation church with the Zsolnay roof.
7St. Stephen's Basilica
See the mummified hand of St Stephen, then ride up to Pest's highest terrace.
8Dohány Street Synagogue
Stand inside Europe's largest synagogue and read the names on the Tree of Life.
9Széchenyi Chain Bridge
Walk between the stone lions across the Danube from Pest to Buda.
10Heroes' Square
Stand under the Millennium Monument, free at any hour, with fourteen kings looking on.
Thermal baths
Széchenyi is the big one with the steaming outdoor pools, Rudas has the rooftop pool over the Danube, and Lukács is where the locals soak. Gellért has been closed since October 2025.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
Soak up to your neck in steaming outdoor pools, with snow on the dome.
Rudas Thermal Bath
Soak in the octagonal Turkish pool, then in the rooftop pool over the Danube.
Lukács Thermal Bath
Soak with the locals in indoor and outdoor thermal pools, then rest in the courtyard.
ClosedGellért Thermal Bath
Swim under a roof that opens, between the carved columns of Budapest's Art Nouveau bath.
Castle Hill
Give it half a day. The palace courtyards and the Bastion are free to walk round at any hour, and Matthias Church, listed with the churches, is next to the Bastion.
Free to visitFisherman's Bastion
Look across the Danube to Parliament from white-stone arcades, free day and night.
Free to visitBuda Castle
Wander the royal palace courtyards and terraces over the Danube, free at any hour.
Buda Castle Caves
Walk the wine cellars and wartime shelters cut under the Castle District.
Budapest History Museum
Walk through the medieval rooms and cellars of the royal palace on Castle Hill.
Churches and synagogues
All three ask for covered shoulders and knees. The Dohány Street Synagogue closes every Saturday and on Jewish holidays.
Museums
The National Museum and Aquincum, like the History Museum on Castle Hill, are free with the Budapest Card. The House of Terror sells tickets at the door only.
House of Terror Museum
Take the slow lift down to the cellar cells where the political police held prisoners.
Memento Park
Stand under Stalin's boots in the park where Budapest put its communist statues.
Hungarian National Museum
Walk through a thousand years of Hungary, from Scythian gold to Stalin's hand.
Aquincum Museum
Walk the streets of the Roman city that stood here before Budapest.
Landmarks and bridges
The Parliament is the one to book, because every visit is a timed tour and slots sell out. The square, the avenue, the bridge and the market hall cost nothing.
Hungarian Parliament
Climb the Grand Staircase and see the Holy Crown under the Parliament's 96-metre dome.
Free to visitSzéchenyi Chain Bridge
Walk between the stone lions across the Danube from Pest to Buda.
Free to visitHeroes' Square
Stand under the Millennium Monument, free at any hour, with fourteen kings looking on.
Free to visitAndrássy Avenue
Walk Budapest's grandest street from the Opera to Heroes' Square.
Free to visitGreat Market Hall
Buy paprika where Budapest buys it, then eat lángos up on the gallery.
Hungarian State Opera House
Tour Ybl's gilded opera house and stay for singers on the grand staircase.
Parks and viewpoints
Only the Zoo charges entry. Climb Gellért Hill for the view over both halves of the city, or give Margaret Island a slow afternoon.
Free to visitGellért Hill
Climb to the Liberty Statue and walk the reopened Citadella's walls above the Danube.
Free to visitCity Park (Városliget)
Row past Vajdahunyad Castle in summer, or skate on the same lake in winter.
Free to visitMargaret Island
Hire a pedal car and ride the length of a green island in the middle of the Danube.
Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden
Walk among life-sized dinosaurs in the new tropical hall, then into the tiled Elephant House.
Fun and family
For when the children have had enough of churches, or the weather turns. The Cat Museum, Cinema Mystica and Madame Tussauds run on timed slots, so book ahead.
Cat Museum Budapest
Sit with ten resident cats over a free drink, then find them in the paintings.
Aquaworld
Ride giant slides from a temple tower under a see-through dome.
Budapest Eye
Ride the big wheel on Erzsébet tér for views over the Basilica and the Danube.
Cinema Mystica
Walk through ten dark rooms of projected art that answer back.
Lumina Park
Walk an Alice in Wonderland trail of light through the Palatinus grounds after dark.
Madame Tussauds Budapest
Pose with Puskás, Liszt and world stars on sets built around Budapest.
Puskás Aréna
Walk out onto the stands and down to the players' exit of Hungary's national stadium.
Map of Budapest attractions
Tap a pin for the name and a link to its guide. Zoom out to find Memento Park and Aquaworld, on the edges of the city.
More ways to plan your Budapest sightseeing
Round-ups that compare the options side by side, and the city cards that cut the cost.
