Museums (Part 1)
Budapest is packed with museums and galleries, and there are plenty of temporary exhibitions in the most unlikely of settings, particularly in summer - so keep your eyes peeled. Also note that most museums are closed on Mondays. Budapest Card holders can visit museums at a discounted rate. For a detailed list of museums included please visit: Budapest Card - list of services.
Hungarian National Museum
Founded on the personal collection of philanthropist Count Ferenc Széchenyi, the National Museum has been home to a stunning array of Hungarian art since 1802. The artwork and artefacts on the inside are equally impressive and include St Stephen's coronation cloak and huge frescoes and wall friezes.
Hungarian National Gallery
Occupying three wings of the Buda Royal Palace, the National Gallery contains around 100,000 works of art from the 11th century onwards, including architectural remains, carvings, reliefs and paintings.
Museum of Fine Arts
One of Europe's most important art museums gives a home to the memories of universal art from antiquity till the present day. Visitors are welcomed with changing and permanent exhibitions with both Hungarian and foreign guides as well as activities for children.
House of Terror
For the much of the last century, 60 Andrássy Street was an address that struck fear into the hearts of Hungarians. First, it became the headquarters of the Hungarian ultra-right party, the Arrow Cross regime in 1944, before being taken over by the Communist secret police until the short-lived 1956 revolution. The building has now been converted into a museum, incorporating the cellars - and even the instruments - used to torture prisoners. It is designed as much to remind visitors of the horrors of the totalitarianism as it is to educate.
Memento Park
After the fall of the Communist regime in 1989, many of the Communist statues and monuments were immediately removed in Hungary. These items formed the basis for the current collection of the Statue Park. Marx, Engels and Lenin are just a few of the socialist heroes whose alter egos are found here. This is the world's unique such collection from the period of communist cultural politics and it's the most exciting outdoor museum in Central Europe. The Memento Park is accessible via public transport (direct bus) from Deák Square.
The Museum of Military History
The museum exhibits military objects and documents either of Hungarian origin or relating to the military history of Hungary. The exhibition "Thirteen Days about the 1956 Revolution" is well worth viewing.
Mansion Museum
The permanent collection of this attractive Baroque mansion includes over 300 items of furniture and suites in 28 rooms, plus tile stoves, chandeliers, carpets, tapestries, ceramics, glassware and gold and silversmith works.