Royal castles & aristocratic palaces

Festetics Palace
Keszthely
Balaton

Visit Hungary’s amazing castles and palaces. There are 103 castles in Hungary alone, most of which are still open to tourists and visitors. Our castles were built in different styles and at different times, but the view from all of them is unrivalled and is paired with the exciting history that lies within their walls. They are calling to us to take a journey back in time.

Buda Castle has been home to the kings of Hungary since the 13th century. The ‘Hungarian Versailles’ in Fertőd is the largest Baroque-style castle in the country. Queen Sissi’s favourite castle was the Royal Palace in Gödöllő, while Festetics Palace remained in the hands of the family it was named after for 200 years. Eger Castle is where one of the most ominous events in Hungarian history took place, while the medieval citadel of Visegrád served as the seat of the king. Füzér Castle was built by royal command following the invasion of the Tatars.

Part of the Castle District and a medieval royal residence, Buda Castle also served as an important cultural and scientific hub. Today it houses the Hungarian National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum and the National Széchényi Library.

Are you interested in exploring not only Budapest but the beauties of rural Hungary as well? Purchase a ticket for the nostalgia train, get in your car or use the local public transportation to travel to Gödöllő. Why? Because this rural town is home to the famous Grassalkovich Baroque Palace.

Hungary’s largest and most splendid baroque building, the Esterházy Castle in Fertőd, is located near the Austrian border. Its halls still host summer concerts and its music hall houses an exhibit evoking the castle’s musical life of yore.

All of us have imagined what it would be like to live as a member of the aristocracy – to wander among the labyrinthine, lavishly decorated rooms of castle, to stroll around the garden with its giant palmery between grand soirées, to select transportation from dozens of horse-drawn carriages.

Visit the citadel in one of the most beautiful places in Hungary. In terms of surroundings, this is just as spectacular as the rightly famous Gothic Revival Neuschwanstein Castle, but was built on a volcanic cone 650 years before its Bavarian counterpart.

The symbol of Visegrád, located just over 40 kilometres north of Budapest and one of the most prominent and most photographed sights of the Danube Bend, is the Citadel dominating the top of a steep hill above the town.

More things to explore

The MODEM Centre for Modern and Contemporary Art in Debrecen, 230 km from Budapest, showcases 20th century and contemporary works of art by Hungarian and international artists.

MODEM Centre for Modern and Contemporary Art

The south-western part of the country has everything you need for a great trip. The castle of Siklós, the wines of Villány, the spa in Harkány and Pécs await you with a myriad things to see and experience.

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From churches to cathedrals, synagogues and abbeys – Hungary is home to hundreds of beautiful religious locations and sights. These buildings take visitors back to different ages in history, and carry the marks of events such as the foundation of the Hungarian state, coronations, the Reformation and the era of the Ottoman rule.

Places to go

Hungarian Folk Tradition

Hungary has a very rich repository of folk traditions, whose heritage is well worth exploring. We’ll show you all that makes up the country’s fabulous folklore legacy.

Places to go

Museums

There are many art galleries, museums and world-class works of art to visit, both in Budapest and all over the country. The National Gallery, for example, is home to the largest public collection of fine arts in Hungary. Helikon Castle Museum, the museum of Festetics Palace in Keszthely, has a carriage exhibition where you can see contemporary coaches and sleighs, while the hunting exhibition displays trophies of wild animals collected from five continents. Victor Vasarely was a key figure in op art, kinetic and international geometric abstract art, whose works are displayed in the inspiring exhibition of 20th century artists in the Vasarely Museum. There is also a world-class art centre in historical central Debrecen: the MODEM Modern and Contemporary Arts Centre. The Ludwig Museum, located within the walls of MüPa, is the only contemporary art museum in the country that exhibits international works as well.

Things to do

Thermal & Spas

Did you know that there are approximately 1,500 mineral springs being used in Hungary today? Although the standards are stricter here than elsewhere in the world, the country has over two hundred sources of water with a proven medicinal effect, allowing visitors to benefit from hydrotherapy and various other treatments.

Royal castles & aristocratic palaces

Buda Castle

Grassalkovich Palace - Gödöllő

The imposing Esterházy Castle

Helikon Palace Museum

Füzér Castle: The Middle Ages reloaded.

Visegrád Citadel

More things to explore

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