Last updated: May 11, 2023
Author: Adam Dimitrov — Budapester, Hungarian & City Expert/Guide
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With its towering spires, grand architecture, and intricate details, the Parliament is a true masterpiece of design and engineering.
Being the 5th most visited tourist attraction in Europe and 10th in the world - the Hungarian Parliament is a must-visit!
So how do you get started with visiting my beloved country's number #1 attraction?
I personally visited the Parliament and created this guide to provide you with everything you need to know.
Let's jump in!
Budapest became Hungary's capital city in 1873 when Pest, Buda, and Óbuda (Old Buda) were unified.
As a budding superpower, we naturally wanted our own building of power and prestige.
So we had a competition, and the best design was created by a talented chap called Imre Steindl.
He built the Parliament in a neo-gothic style, with a baroque floor plan and mass composition. It's the third-largest Parliament in the world.
Construction began in 1885 and lasted until 1904. The building was inaugurated in 1894. Our government had its first parliamentary session in 1896 - in celebration of the 1000th year of existence of the Hungarian state.
🕒 Parliament opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 8AM–4PM.
The following days are national holidays in Hungary (2023):
The Parliament may be fully or partially closed off to visitors on these dates.
Conversely, they may hold an open day with free entry, which causes endless queues and crowds. I recommend planning ahead and avoiding booking on these dates.
📍 Hungarian Parliament Location: Budapest, Kossuth Lajos tér 1-3, 1055 (map).
The Parliament is located in the dead center of Budapest, so getting there is a breeze.
The top 3 ways of getting there are:
💡 Tip: Public transportation in Budapest is efficient and affordable. Download BudapestGo (public transport app) to buy tickets or passes. Or consider purchasing the Budapest card (free pass included).
I've created a snapshot of the various ways of getting to the Hungarian Parliament:
Ticket prices and discounts depend on two things:
💡 EEA = European Economic Area. It includes every EU country, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, except Switzerland.
For EEA Citizens:
For Non-EEA Citizens:
Family tickets can be purchased for at least one child (aged 0-14) and one – but at most two – adults accompanying the child.
💡 Visiting the Parliament is free for children aged 0-6. You can claim family tickets by writing to tourist.office@parlament.hu.
You can either buy them online or in person at the Visitor Center. However, I don't recommend buying the tickets in person because tickets do sell out.
So unless you like living dangerously, I recommend buying the guided tour tickets in advance at jegymester.hu.
💡 Jegymester.hu is the official distributor of Parliament guided tour tickets. DO NOT BUY tickets from any other website, as they're resellers who overcharge you by 200-400%.
You will receive your ticket(s) via email, and it will look like this:
Remember to print out your ticket. If you forget or lose your ticket, you can ask a cashier to print out a new one.
💡 You can only enter the Parliament as part of a guided tour group.
The visitor center has the following points of interest:
The guided tours last 45 minutes and are available in 7 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Hungarian.
Audio guides are also available in Polish, Serbian, Croatian, Romanian, Ukrainian, and Slovenian.
The guided tours start at fixed slots between 9:30 and 15:15. Arriving 5-10 minutes early to get into the queue is fine.
Good to know before entering:
Once the tour starts, you're going to pass through the following areas in the Parliament:
💡 Tip: Check out the Parlament's gallery page for some stunning images.
Yes, you can purchase it 3-6 months in advance.
It lasts 45 minutes, including the security check.
Yes, but they need to be accompanied. There are special assistance employees available upon request.
No, with the exception of guide animals.
Yes, with the exception of the Great Hall of the Cupola. This is where the Holy Crown is located. A huge pity, since this is the prettiest area in the entire Parliament.