Budapest Great Synagogue
The Most Beautiful in the World

Jewish Heritage Tour
General information
History and Architecture of the Budapest Great Synagogue
Restaurants near the Great Synagogue

Visiting Budapest Central Synagogue and the Jewish Museum

The Tree of Life

Address: Dohány utca 2-8. in VII. district, at an angle to Károly körút, between Deák tér and Astoria
Tel: +36 1 317 2754

Public transport

• M2 metro line Astoria station, from there the Dohány utca synagogue is just a short walk
• bus: No. 7, 7A,
• tram: No. 47, 49

Opening hours:

Winter 2nd Nov 2005-21st March 2006:

• Sunday-Thursday: 10.00-18.00
• Friday: 10.00-14.00

Summer

• Sunday-Thursday: 10.00-18.00
• Friday: 10.00-15.00

Admission to the synagogue: 1200 HUF/4.8 €, for students: 700 HUF/2.8 €

Admission to the Jewish Museum: free with Budapest Card ( 20% off from the admission of temporary exhibitions)

Guided tours are available in English and Hebrew. Request in advance if you want guided tours in German, French, Spanish and Italian languages.
The guided tour costs 1900 HUF/7.6 € 1600HUF/6.4 € for students

Time of guided tours: Mon-Thu in every hour from 10.30, last tour starts at 15.30 in summer and at 13.30 in winter

Friday and Sunday: 10.30, 11.30, 12.30

Inside the synagogue you have to wear a small skullcap called kipah or yarmulke. You'll receive one at the entrance.

History and Architecture of the Budapest Great Synagogue

Jews were banned from the city in the 18th century so they established a Jewish quarter just outside the old city boundary. Remains of the old Pest city walls run on the opposite side of the road.

The Jews built their main synagouge in a residential area. Theodore Herzl, founder of modern Zionism was born in one of the buildings. This stunning temple was constructed between 1844-59 according to Ludwig Förster's plans. The second largest synagogue (the largest stands in New York) in the world can take in 3,000 people. Its Byzantine-Moorish style will fascinate you and remind you of monuments in the Middle-East. Two onion-shaped domes sit on the twin towers at 43 m height. The towers symbolize the two columns of Solomon's Temple.

The spacious interior has equally rich decorations. A single-span cast iron supports the 12-m wide nave. The seats on the ground-floor are for men, while the upper gallery has seats for women. Surprisingly the synagouge has an organ, though this instrument is used in Christian churches. The temple's acoustic make it a popular venue for concerts.

Budapest great synagogue has witnessed tragic events in WW II. The Germans established a ghetto for the Jews in 1944 that served as a gathering place for deportation. Many people found refugee in the Dohány utca synagogue but thousands died during the bleak winter of 1944/45. Their bodies are buried in the courtyard.

In the cobbled Raoul Wallenberg (Swedish diplomat who saved many Jews during WW II) park stands the Holocaust Memorial by Imre Varga. It was erected in 1989 above the mass graves in the honour and memory of Hungarian Jewish martyrs. On each leave of the metal weeping willow tree you can read a name of a martyr. You can also see a piece of brick from the original ghetto wall in the garden.
Behind the main building stands the Heroes' Temple, that was built in 1929-31 to commmemorate the Jews who died in the First World War.

A restoration of the Budapest Great Synagogue was finished not long ago, funded partly by a foundation set up by Tony Curtis who has Hungarian roots.

The adjacent Jewish Museum (on the left of the synagogue) has a Holocaust memorial room and and displays about the Jewish culture. The museum has the same opening hours than the synagogue.

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Read more about Jewish Budapest.

Where to Eat near Budapest Great Synagogue

You'll find some great restaurants nearby.

Fausto's - first-class Italian restaurant

Address: Dohany utca 5., VII. district
Tel: +36 1 322 7806

Spinoza Café and Restaurant - cozy restaurant with elegant turn-of- the-20th century decor and good food
Address: Dob utca 15., VII. district
Tel: +36 1 413 7488

Fröchlich Café- a family run kosher restaurant

Address: Dob utca 22., VII. district
Tel: +36 1 267-2851

Carmel Pince - a non-kosher restaurant offering Hungarian, international and Jewish specialities

Address: Dob utca 31., VII. district
Tel: +36 1 322 1834

See also our page about Best Restaurants in Budapest or our recommendation of Hungarian Restaurants in Budapest.

Visit the Jewish Summer Festival at the beginning of every September to learn more about Jewish culture.

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