Budapest Parliament

 

The Budapest Parliament is one of the Budapest attractions you shouldn’t really miss. The Parliament stretches impressively along the Pest embankment , looking out onto the Danube

If you like the exterior of the Budapest Parliament, you will love its interior . Inside, the Parliament is astonishing and opulently decorated with marble and gold, as well as Zsolnay statues and ceiling frescoes.

The main facade of the Hungarian Parliament faces the Danube and Buda, but the official entrance is other side in Kossuth Lajos ter (Square).

Guided tours

Daily guided tours are available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Hebrew and Russian language when Parliament is not in session. Tours in English are held at 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm every day.

You can get the tickets at Gate 10 ( to the right of the main entrance in Kossuth Lajos ter ). There you will meet a guard from whom you need to ask permission to go to the ticket desk. Booking in advance is possible but only for groups.

If you don’t like crowds and want to avoid queuing, I recommend you to go and pick up your tickets early in the morning, and then come back at the time of your tour.

There is a limited number of tickets available every day and they get sold out quickly. This tour is free of charge for EU citizens but don’t forget to take your passport or ID with you.

For non-EU citizens the tour costs 3,200 Ft for adults and 1,600 Ft for students , which some visitors find pricey for the short tour. However the interior is such an amazing place that you shouldn’t miss it.

The tour starts at Gate XII and lasts about 45 minutes. It takes you through the Main staircase, the Dome Hall, a Vaulted Hall and the former Session Room of the Upper House, as well as allowing you to see St Stephen’s “Holy Crown”. Along the way your guide will entertain you with interesting historical anecdotes .

Best Views

My favourite views of the Budapest Parliament are from Batthany ter , right across the river in Buda. Go only one stop from Kossuth Lajos ter metro station to Batthany ter station and voila! there you are. If you take a boat tour or a ferry, get your camera ready, as you will be amazed by the astonishing sights you will encounter close up.

How to get there

How to get there You can reach the Budapest Parliament using the red metro Line 2 . There is a station at Kossuth Lajos ter – as you leave the station the Parliament is practically right in front of you.

Alternatively and depending on which direction you are coming from, you can also take Tram 2 coming from Jaszai Mari ter further North on the Pest embankment, at the foot of Margaret Bridge or from Boraross ter in the South, by Petofi bridge, and get off at the stop in Kossuth Lajos ter – you can’t miss it ! Bus 15 and trolleybuses 70 and 78 also pass by the Parliament building.

A little bit of History….

The Hungarian Parliament building is a neo-classical master piece inspired in part by London’s Houses of Parliament. It was designed by Imre Steindl and built between 1884 and 1904.

The building took 17 years to construct, with some 40 million bricks and 40 kg of gold gilding. It is said that the cost of the project would have been enough to build a town for 60,000 people. It is 268 m long, contains a 96 m high central dome, 691 rooms and 10 courtyards , immense halls and sumptuously decorated corridors.

In 1846, the Hungarian poet complained that “the homeland does not have a house.” Not only does it now have a house, but it is also one of the most spectacular and remarkable parliament buildings you’ll see anywhere .

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