Budapest Parliament
The Third Largest In Europe

Budapest Parliament is splendid from the inside too. You can visit it with organised tours only.

Getting to Budapest Parliament
Organised Tours to Visit the Parliament
Concerts
Numerical Data
Best of Budapest Parliament
History and Architecture
Nearby Attractions and Restaurants

Getting to Budapest Parliament

Address: Kossuth Lajos tér, V. district

You have several options to get to the Parliament:

• M2 (red) metro line has a station at Kossuth Lajos tér,
  
  
• tram No. 2 also has a stop here,
  
  
• bus No 15,
  
  
• trollies No 70, 78

Organised Tours in Budapest Parliament:

In English: tours start at 10 am, 12 am, 13 pm, 14 pm every day

The tour lasts about 50 minutes.

Tickets: 2.520 HUF for adults, 1.260 for students. You can pay in cash (in Hungarian forint) on the premises or with credit card.

Citizens of the European Union can visit the parliament free of charge. You have to prove your citizenship with an official document (passport).
The entrance is at gate X., you can collect your ticket here 15 minutes before the tour starts.

To avoid queing book your visit on telephone: +36 1 441 4904, +36 1 441 4415

On fax: +36 1 441 4801

In email: tourist.office@parlament.hu

Concerts in Budapest Parliament

Dates in 2007:

• 9th February,
• 2nd March,
• 13rd April, 4th May,
• 1st June, 24th August,
• 14th September,
• 12nd October,
• 9th November,
• 14th December

The Hungarian Virtuoso Orchestra performs in the Dome Hall.

Tickets are available in major ticket offices for 5750 HUF that include a guided tour of the Parliament before the concerts.

Ticket Express: Budapest Jókai utca 40, 1061, Tel: +36 1 353 0692

Budapest Parliament in Numbers

The Parliament is 268 m long and 123 m wide accross the centre. It occupies 18.000 square metres on the surface and 473.000 cubic metres of space. About 50 five-story apartment blocks could fit into the Parliament, just to give you an idea about its vastness.

Budapest Parliament is the third largest parliament in the world. Today it seems too big for such a small country, but at the time of its construction Hungary formed part of the Habsburg Empire, that stretched from the Tatra Mountains to the Adriatic.

The Parliament has 691 rooms. The length of all the stairs together measures about 20 kilometres. The most impressive is the grand staircase. The building contains spacious halls. The central dome's height reaches 96 m.

The building has 27 entrance gates. 90 statues and the coats-of-arms of various cities adorn the exterior. There are 152 statues and pictures of national fauna. The decorations needed about 40 kg 22-23 karat gold.

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Best of Budapest Parliament

• The Hungarian Coronation Regalia is the most prized treasure, it includes the Holy Crown, the orb, the sceptre and a Renaissance sword.
  

• Other notable attractions are the numbered cigar-holders, that line the window sills outside the debate chambers. Smoking politicians left their cigars in the holders, when they went in to vote. When they returned they could easily find their cigars, if they remembered the number of the holder.
  
  

• the ceiling frescoes by Károly Lotz
  
  

• the impressive Grand Staircase sweeping from the main entrance to the Dome Hall
  
  

• the imposing Dome Hall and 16 statues of Hungarian leaders in it
  
  

• Hunters' Hall is one of the fascinating rooms surrounding the Dome Hall from the Danube side, stunning frescoes adorn its walls
  
  

• beautiful painted glass windows by Miksa Róth
  
  
  

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History of Budapest Parliament

Until the 19th century the Hungarian diet held its sessions in different parts of the county. In the Reform Era the idea of a "House of a Motherland" became more and more popular.

Constructions began in 1884 and lasted for two decades. It opened in 1902, altough it should have been finished by 1896 for the Milennium to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Hungary's foundation. Leaders of the country chose the Pest bank of the Danube as premise, to counterweight the Royal Palace rising high on the other side of the river. The architect, Imre Steindl got his inspirations for the design from London's Houses of Parliament.

After World War II the diet became single-chambered and the government uses only a small portion of the building today. In the communist regime a red star perched on the top of the dome, that was removed in 1990. Mátyás Szűrös declared the Hungarian Republic from the balcony facing Kossuth Lajos tér on 23d October in 1989. The Hungarian parliament has 386 memebers, that are elected every 4 year.

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Architecture of Budapest Parliament

Budapest Parliament represents one of the city's many architectural masterpieces. Its neo-Gothic main style and the river-side location makes it very similar to London's Houses of Parliament.

The architect, Imre Steindl mixed medieval features with national and his own style. The result is an eclectic classic.

A Renaissance dome crowns a neo-Gothic facade, that lies on a Baroque base ground. The main cupola is decorated with statues of Hungarian kings. Fierce turul birds guard the main entrance.
The interior decor is mainly neo-Gothic.

Other Attractions Nearby Budapest Parliament

Museum of Ethnograpy (Néprajzi Múzeum)

Address: Kossuth lajos tér 12., V. district, behind the Parliament building

Permanent and temporary exhibits on national and world cultures. This Renaissance palace is one of the most pleasant museums in Budapest. It often houses interesting and unusual exhibitions.

You'll find other Budapest Museums on this page.

MissionArt Gallery

Address: Falk Miksa u. 30, V. district

Szabadság tér is just a short walk south east of the Parliament building. Some great buildings of architectural value flank this pleasant green spot.

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Where to Eat in the Area

Café Biarritz offers Mediterranean-style grill food and fresh salads.

Address: Kossuth tér 18. 1055, V. district
Tel: +36 1 311 4413

Café Picard

Quiet café with warm atmosphere. Great variety of sandwiches and salads. You can choose what to put inside your sandwich.

Address: Falk Miksa u. 10., V. district
Tel: +36 473 0939

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

Return from Budapest Parliament to Budapest Sightseeing or
Homepage of Budapest Tourist Guide.