Established in 1957, the Hungarian National Gallery moved to Buda Castle in 1975 with the goal of displaying its massive collection of Hungarian artwork. This collection features thousands of paintings, sculptures, medals, and drawings from the settlement of the Magyars in the 10th century through the Medieval Ages.
In December of 2018, a collection featuring international art after 1800, which includes paintings from Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, and Camille Pissarro, was added to the Hungarian National Gallery. The collection not only features paintings but also Medieval and Renaissance stone carvings, Baroque ecclesiastical art, and much more.
Today, the Hungarian National Gallery spans 4 buildings within Buda Castle and dedicates a room to displaying the works of the renowned Hungarian artist Mihály Munkácsy.
Visiting the Hungarian National Gallery
My visit to the Hungarian National Gallery was one of the biggest highlights of my 10-day European trip. This museum was not part of the Rick Steve’s Europe Best of Prague & Budapest tour, so I visited on the morning of my extra day. Sadly, due to other commitments that day, I did not have sufficient time to visit all the exhibits or the dome.
My recommendation, especially if you have limited time, is to review the museum map before your visit to get a sense of which exhibits are a must-see for you. I spent a little over an hour at the Hungarian National Gallery and was able to view all exhibits on floors 0 and 1. But I should note that I was power walking through the museum as I was in a bit of a rush!
Getting to the Hungarian National Gallery is a bit of an adventure as one first needs to take public transportation, especially if lodging in the Pest side of the city, and then one needs to make it up the hill to the museum.
For me, the public transportation aspect of the journey took about 25 minutes. Now, getting to the top of the hill took another 25 minutes because I got lost! There was a construction project in the area and the main entrance to the ramps leading to the museum was blocked off. Fortunately, I was able to locate an information booth where I was directed to an alternative entrance across the street (it was marked by a set of stairs).
The Hungarian National Gallery provides extensive directions on its website along with a useful map. If you do get lost, there is an information booth in the area and staff is very helpful.
If you see this mosaic (picture to the right), then you are in the correct place! It marks the entrance to the main ramps and the location of the funicular.
The ramps and stairs leading to the museum can be steep in places but the climb is manageable. Along the way, you will be greeted with beautiful views of the city and the Danube River.
An alternative to walking is riding the funicular to the top of the hill. Note that the funicular is not included in the Budapest transportation pass; it is an additional fee.
The Hungarian National Gallery, under the “For disabled visitors” section, provides information on how to access the elevators for those who are unable to walk or ride the funicular to the museum. Note that the museum also has a limited number of wheelchairs available to visitors at no charge.
A bonus to visiting the Hungarian National Gallery is the views from the ramps leading to the museum and the views from its balconies.
The website for the Hungarian National Gallery states that the tickets are 5200 Ft but I was only charged 4800 Ft. I have searched several websites and I cannot figure out the reason for the price difference.
The museum does offer discounted rates for certain age groups, families with 2 or more children, and groups of 15 or more people.
The Hungarian National Gallery has two other places within the museum that tourists can visit.
- The Dome: Visitors can climb to the dome to enjoy magnificent views of the city at no additional cost.
- Habsburg Palatine Crypt: The Habsburg Palatine Crypt can only be visited via a guided tour for an additional fee of 20,000 HF. Tour arrangements must be made at least once a week before your visit.
I was interested in visiting the Habsburg Palatine Crypt so I reached out to the museum via email to get more information. Museum staff was responsive and it was an easy process to schedule a tour. Based on the emails, I understood the 20,000 HF fee to be per group and not per person. Unfortunately, due to the museum changing the start time for the tour, I had to cancel my reservation and was not able to visit the crypt.
Travel Tip
The Hungarian National Gallery sits on top of Castle Hill about a mile away from Matthias Church. And next to Matthias Church, one finds the Fisherman’s Bastion. Given the proximity of these sites, I recommend visiting them on the same day. This will help you cut down on travel time especially if your hotel is on the other side of the river. There are several other nearby sites including the Hospital in the Rock and the Budapest History Museum.
Resource
You can find additional information by visiting the Hungarian National Gallery’s website.
Leave a Comment