Museums & Art Galleries in Budapest

Venture through time, learn what inspired artists of days gone by and be sure to visit the many specialist collections around the city. Below, you will find some of Budapest's most popular museums and galleries. Please don't hesitate to speak with our concierge team at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus for more information upon your arrival, they will be delighted to offer directions and offer more insight into what you can see and do at each location. 

What to visit in Budapest?
 

Hungarian National Museum 
The Hungarian National Museum (Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum) has been part of Budapest since 1802. While the building itself is beautiful, it's what's inside that will truly delight visitors. Seven permanent exhibitions are waiting to be explored, with Hungary's full history, from the 11th century to the modern day, covered in the museum's two main exhibitions. Guests will also discover a ceremonial robe worn by Hungarian kings of the past inside (one of the most valuable items in the museum) and various temporary exhibitions which change frequently. The museum is closed on Mondays.
If you are walking to the museum, use the following address for directions: 
Hungarian National Museum, 1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 14–16., Hungary. 
From Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, the Hungarian National Museum is a pleasant 15-minute walk away. The journey in a taxi will take 10 minutes, or take Budapest's Metro Line 3. 

Budapest History Museum 
Budapesti Történeti Múzeum, known in English as Budapest History Museum, is actually split across three different locations in Budapest. The first is called the Aquincum Museum, where the ruins of an ancient amphitheatre, tombstones, a reconstructed water-organ among others can be found. Once part of the Roman Empire, the ruins date back to the first century B.C. and were once part of Hungary's major settlement Aquincum. If you visit during the end of May, you might be lucky enough to catch Floralia - a traditional festival with gladiator shows and theatre performances. The second location is the Castle Museum, based in Building E of Buda Castle. Known as Vármúzeum, collections from Budapest's medieval era can be discovered here. Finally, Kiscelli Museum which is the perfect site for those interested in fine art and modern Budapest. All three locations are closed on Mondays. Opening hours vary throughout the year. 

The address are as follows: 

• Aquincum Museum - Address: Budapest, Szentendrei út 135, 1031 Hungary 
• Castle Museum - Address: 2 Szent Gyorgy Square Budapest, 1014 Hungary 
• Kiscelli Museum - Address: Budapest, 108, Kiscelli u., 1037 Hungary 

Holocaust Memorial Center 
A truly unique space, the Holocaust Memorial Center (Holokauszt Emlékközpont) is partly based in the renovated Pava Synagogue. An additional building houses a museum, while an inner courtyard is home to a large glass wall which has the names of over 500,000 victims from the Hungarian Holocaust inscribed on it. Paying tribute to those lost during this sombre period, there are many different exhibitions here. The majority are permanent, and the stories of individuals are often told through personal items, original documents and cultural performances. The Holocaust Memorial Center is closed on Mondays. 
It's located at Páva utca 39, Budapest 1094 District 9, a 30-minute walk from Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest. If you plan on taking public transport, the easiest way to visit is to use Metro Line 3 which will take you there in 13 minutes.

Memento Park 
Szoborpark, Memento Park or Memorial Park is an open-air museum in Budapest. Here, 42 statues and monuments can be observed, all of which were constructed during Hungary's Communist period and removed from around the city after 1989. A unique experience in the city, a replica of the monument Stalin's Boots can be found in Witness Square, the area of the park with free admission. Other statues, such as Liberation and the six-metre tall Liberation Army Solider are based in Statue Park, officially named A Sentence About Tyranny Park. Statues of communist leaders, such as Lenin, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels can also be found here, and visitors can even dial specialised telephones to listen to speeches from famous party leaders. 
Memento Park is 10km southwest of the city centre, located at Balatoni út - Szabadkai utca sarok, 1223 Hungary. Open every day from 10am until dusk, the fastest way for guests of Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest to reach the park is to go to Deák Square to catch the direct bus transfer at 11am. 
 

Museum of Fine Arts 
After over three years of reconstruction, the Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum) is set to reopen on 31st October 2018. The renovated Romanesque wing can be explored upon reopening. An international museum, art from all over the world is featured here. The Romanesque wing displays both ancient and modern art, and is separated into six departments: Egyptian Art, Classical Antiquities, Old Master Paintings, Sculpture, Prints and Drawings and Department of Art after 1800. Visitors to Budapest can find the Museum of Arts at the following address: Dózsa György út 41, 1146 Hungary. Closed on Mondays. Guests of Kempinski can reach the museum quickly using the Metro, Line 1 from Deák Ferenc tér. 
 

Ludwig Museum 
For lovers of contemporary art, the Ludwig Museum is a must. Strikingly different from many of the other museums and galleries around Budapest, artists from all over the world can be discovered here. Explore work from artists in Hungary, Russia, America, Germany, France and Europe - the Pop Art collection in particular tends to be very popular. Ludwig Museum also offers many exclusive guided tours, which change frequently. One day you could find yourself exploring the Permanent Revolution exhibition with a musician, the next you could be listening to world-renowned historians reveal the secrets behind brand-new sculptures. The Ludwig Museum's calendar can be viewed online. The Ludwig Museum is under 20 minutes away by car, or reachable by the number 19 bus. You will find it here: H-1095 Budapest, Komor Marcell utca 1 and, like many museums in Budapest, the museum is closed on Mondays. 

Top Museum Tip: House of Terror 
The House of Terror, or Terror Háza Múzeum, was created to serve as a memorial for those who suffered during two terror regimes in Hungary. The building itself was used by the Arrow Cross Party and the AVH, and in 2002 opened to the public. Here, visitors can remember those who were tortured and captured during Nazi Germany and the rule of the Soviet Union, and gain an insight into what life was like in Hungary during both periods. Both permanent and temporary exhibitions are based at the museum, with written information provided in both English and Hungarian, and English and German audio guides available. The House of Terror Museum is open every day except Mondays. 
It is located at Andrássy út 60, and visitors can walk from the hotel in around 20 minutes, or take Metro Line 1 from Deák Ferenc tér to Vörösmarty utca. 

Hungarian National Gallery 
The Hungarian National Gallery, known as Magyar Nemzeti Galéria in Hungarian, was established in 1957. Based inside the grand Buda Castle, it holds many permanent art collections that span from late gothic winged altar pieces and stone carvings from the renaissance to Hungarian art post-1945. Work from sculptors such as Maurice Ascalon and Miklós Izsó can be found inside the gallery too, and between one and two temporary exhibitions are open here at all times. The museum is closed on Mondays. 
You will find the Hungarian National Gallery at 1014 Budapest, Szent György tér 2., Hungary. 
From Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, the gallery is just across the Danube River. Walking takes around 25 minutes, but if you would like to use public transport take the number 16 bus. A bus stop sits just one minute from Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, and the journey will take 15 minutes. 

Please contact our esteemed multilingual Clef d’Or Member Concierge Team for assistance or other information you might require during your stay at +36 1 429 3391 or [email protected]

CORVINUS ART COLLECTION AND GALLERY 
 

Explore contemporary Hungarian art at Kempinski Corvinus’ own Kempinski Gallery, and discover cutting-edge local talent in regular temporary exhibitions. You can appreciate the collection’s permanent pieces at the gallery, in your suite or in the public areas... Enhancing the artistic ambiance are masterwork paintings, engravings and sculptures, which transform the hotel's various interior sections into an experience. These works of art are from the Corvinus Collection, a body of work we have collected over the course of 30 years for the Kempinski Corvinus's own art collection. 

A true passion and genuine interest have driven us to embrace contemporary Hungarian art: to discover, to show and to promote its best on our premises, in our own Gallery, as a mission. Visitors and hotel guests alike catch a glimpse of treasures of Hungarian art as they walk by and stop to appreciate the works. They are drawn in, captivated and would like to find out about the artist, see more of their work or even buy their art. The exposure is two-way: new audiences and artists meet here. 

Be sure to head back to our Destination page to discover more of what to see and do in Budapest. Of course, our friendly staff at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus will be more than happy to assist in any way they can during your stay too.