Budapest History Museum – Castle Museum

About the museum

The Castle Museum is the flagship site of the Budapest History Museum, which also runs the Aquincum Museum, the Kiscelli Museum and the Budapest Gallery. It sits in the southern wing of the Buda Castle palace, reached from the Lion Courtyard at the top or from the Várkert Bazár on the Danube bank below.

The medieval level is the reason many visitors come: rooms, vaulted cellars and the Gothic palace chapel of the royal residence destroyed in the 1686 siege were excavated and rebuilt into the modern palace, and you move through them directly rather than viewing them from behind glass.

The upper floors hold the museum's narrative exhibitions — a long-view survey of settlement in the Carpathian Basin, a thousand-year history of the capital, and the story of the palace itself — alongside rotating temporary shows and a monthly single-object display drawn from the archaeological collection.

St Stephen's Hall, the reconstructed Neo-Renaissance ceremonial room in the palace, is run on a separate timed-reservation system. It is not included in the standard museum ticket; combined tickets exist, but the visit must be booked in advance at szentistvanterem.hu.

Opening hours

Tickets & prices

Adult

3,800 HUF

Student & youth

1,900 HUF

Senior

1,900 HUF

Children under 6 and visitors over 70

Free

Family discount

50% off for one or two accompanying adults.

Visitor with a disability + one companion

Free

BTM+ ticket

5,500 HUF

Adult group, EEA (15+ people)

3,000 HUF

Adult group, non-EEA (15+ people)

3,400 HUF

Student group, EEA (10+ people)

1,500 HUF

Student group, non-EEA (10+ people)

1,700 HUF

Annual pass

12,000 HUF

Annual pass for schools

4,000 HUF

St Stephen's Hall + Castle Museum, adult

5,900 HUF

St Stephen's Hall + Castle Museum, student/senior

2,950 HUF

St Stephen's Hall + palace history, adult

4,900 HUF

St Stephen's Hall + palace history, student/senior

2,450 HUF

Free entry passes

Free

Check official prices (opens in a new tab)

What to see

Current exhibitions

• Chronicles of Lost Buildings

  Upcoming · 15 September 2026 – 25 October 2026

  Medieval sacred architecture from Buda, Pest and Óbuda, reassembled from stone carvings, wall-painting fragments and excavated remains. The accompanying temporary show runs 15 September – 25 October 2026; the permanent exhibition opens 15 September 2026.

• Budapest – Light and Shadow

  Permanent exhibition

  A thousand years of the capital's history, from the medieval towns to the modern metropolis.

• The Royal Palace – The Castle of Culture

  Permanent exhibition

  The history of the Buda Castle palace and its many rebuildings, up to its present role.

• In Pursuit of Lost Times

  Permanent exhibition

  From hunter-gatherers to the Hungarian conquest, told through finds from the Budapest region.

• Silk Hanging with the Hungarian-Angevin Armorials

  Permanent exhibition

  A single outstanding textile recovered from excavations in the former royal palace.

• Gothic Sculptures from the Royal Palace of Buda

  Permanent exhibition — temporarily closed · Gothic Hall (temporarily closed)

  Currently not viewable: the Gothic Hall housing this display is temporarily closed.

• A Medieval Falcon Find from Buda Castle

  1 Month – 1 Artifact, 2026

  The museum's monthly single-object display: the remains of a 14th-century lanner falcon excavated at the Teleki Palace, almost certainly an imported bird kept for falconry.

• Buda: "The Seat and Throne of Royalty"

  Permanent exhibition · Medieval palace level, basement

  The medieval royal palace itself — surviving halls, cellars and the palace chapel, entered on the basement level.

• A City on the Front Lines

  Expected to open autumn 2026 · Upcoming exhibition

  Buda and Pest under Ottoman rule, 1526–1686. Announced by the museum for autumn 2026; no exact opening date has been published.

How long should I spend here?

Quick visit

90 min

Typical visit

90–120 min

Slow, comprehensive visit

3+ hours

Practical information

Step-free access

Partly accessible

The main entrance in the Lion Courtyard is barrier-free, and a lift reaches the first and second floors where all the upper exhibitions are. A lift also descends to the medieval palace level, but that level is not wheelchair-accessible because of the historic structure, and the Király Pince entrance is not accessible either. Visitors with a disability and one companion enter free; the museum asks to be contacted in advance.

How the visit works

Self-guided, in your own time

No timed entry for the museum's own exhibitions. Closing starts at 17:45 on the second floor and works down towards the entrance; the building must be left by 18:00.

Bags and cloakroom

Cloakroom compulsory and free

Backpacks of any size, luggage, umbrellas and shoulder or hand bags larger than 30×40×20 cm must be left in the cloakroom, as must wet coats and winter coats. Bottles, food, drink, toys and sharp objects may not be taken into the galleries. For medical reasons one bottle of water up to 0.5 l may be carried in a bag. Bicycles and scooters cannot be stored. Do not leave valuables in a deposited coat.

Photography

Allowed without flash or tripod

Personal photography and video are permitted; flash and tripods are prohibited, and images may not be used commercially. Commercial or press shoots need permission from the director general via btm@btm.hu. Keep at least 30 cm from every object.

Visiting with young children

Prams welcome, with conditions

Children under two may only enter the galleries in a pram or a front-worn carrier. Prams must be pushed, not carried folded, and carrying a child of any age on the shoulders or back is not permitted.

Food and drink

Not allowed in the galleries

Food and drink may not be taken into the exhibition spaces, apart from a single water bottle of up to 0.5 l carried in a bag for medical reasons.

Animals

Guide dogs only

No live animals may be brought into the exhibition spaces, with the exception of guide dogs.

Guided tours

By prior arrangement, from 13,000 HUF per group

Tours run only at a pre-arranged time during opening hours, with the first start at 10:00 and the last at 16:00. In Hungarian: 13,000 HUF for 1–20 people, 17,000 HUF for 20–35. In other languages: 21,000 HUF for 1–20 people, 25,000 HUF for 20–35. Groups over 35 are split and pay per group. Admission tickets are additional. Book on +36 1 487 8871 or info@btm.hu.

Buying tickets

Advance online or at the ticket offices

Individual tickets can be bought in advance at varmuzeum.jegy.hu. Ticket offices are at the main entrance in the Lion Courtyard, at the Király Pince entrance from the Eastern Castle Wall, and from the Várkert Bazár side.

Payment

Cash and bank card

Admission and tour fees can be paid at the ticket office in cash or by card. Bank transfer requires a purchase order sent in advance to info@btm.hu.

Groups

Reduced rates from 10–15 people

Group tickets apply from 15 adults or 10 students. The group leader, teacher, parent or guide is responsible for the whole group observing the museum rules.

Parking

No museum car park

Buda Castle has limited paid parking and restricted access. Arrive on foot from Dísz tér (bus 16A), by the lift from Palota út (bus 16), or from the Várkert Bazár below by escalator and lift.

Contact

+36 1 487 8800

General enquiries btm@btm.hu; visitor services info@btm.hu; school and family programmes muzeumpedagogia@btm.hu. Address: Szent György tér 2., Building E, Buda Castle, 1014 Budapest.

Getting there

Address

Szent György tér 2., Building E, Buda Castle, 1014 Budapest

Area

Castle District

Nearest transport

Dísz tér / Palota út – Gyorslift / Várkert Bazár / Clark Ádám tér

• Dísz tér — Bus 16A
• Palota út – Gyorslift — Bus 16
• Várkert Bazár — Tram 19, 41; Bus 105
• Clark Ádám tér — Buda Castle Funicular; Bus 16, 105

There is no museum car park. Buda Castle has restricted, paid parking and is best reached on foot, by bus 16/16A, or by the lift from Palota út.

Directions