HeritageClosed Selected national holidays and days of official state events

Hungarian Parliament Building

#1of 9 places to visit in BudapestBudapest, Central Hungary, Hungary

Also known as Országház · Parliament of Hungary · Budapest Parliament

Quick answer

Opening hours: 08:00–18:00. Entry: HUF 7,000. Allow 1.5 hrs. Best time: 08:00-09:30.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

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Photo: Kilyann Le Hen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Opening hours: 08:00–18:00; May-October daily 08:00-18:00; last tour departs 17:00. Tours run in fixed language slots and take about 45 minutes plus security.
Entry fee: HUF 7,000; Ticket from
Time needed: 1.5 hrs
Best time of day: 08:00-09:30
Best months: Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct
Address: Kossuth Lajos tér 1-3, 1055 Budapest, Hungary (Visitor Centre entrance on Kossuth Lajos tér)

About Hungarian Parliament Building

The Hungarian Parliament Building measures 268 metres long and 96 metres high, making it the largest building in Hungary, as of 2026. The Danube-front facade is white limestone worked into 242 statues of rulers, soldiers and saints, with pointed arches, flying buttresses and a sixteen-sided central dome that lifts the skyline on the Pest bank. Imre Steindl designed it in the neo-Gothic style, drawing on the Palace of Westminster, and the interior is covered in gilded ornament, stained glass and carved stone stairways. Hungarian Parliament Building visits are guided tours only, with fixed language slots, and there is no walk-in wander. The Holy Crown of Hungary, the medieval royal regalia, sits under guard in the Dome Hall, and the tour route passes through it in single file.

Best time of day: 08:00-09:30. The first tours of the day, when the Grand Staircase and Dome Hall are least crowded and security queues are short.

Hungarian Parliament Building timings

Hungarian Parliament Building opens at 08:00 and closes at 18:00. The weekend is no different: Saturday and Sunday follow the same times.

Opening hours: 08:00–18:00; Mon–Sun 08:00–18:00; May-October daily 08:00-18:00; last tour departs 17:00. Tours run in fixed language slots and take about 45 minutes plus security.
Closed on: Selected national holidays and days of official state events

Mon–Sun	08:00–18:00

Good to know: January-March and November-December daily 08:00-16:00; April Monday-Thursday 08:00-16:00 and Friday-Sunday 08:00-18:00. Tours are cancelled without notice for state events and parliamentary business; verify at the official site.

Opening hours compiled from parlament.hu and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Hungarian Parliament Building ticket price

Entry fees for Hungarian Parliament Building
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	HUF 7,000
Concession (student / senior)	HUF 3,500
Children	Free

As of 2026, guided-tour tickets cost HUF 7,000 for EU/EEA adults and HUF 3,500 for EU/EEA students aged 6-24; non-EU/EEA adults pay HUF 14,000 and students HUF 7,000, and children under 6 enter free. Family tickets (2 adults plus up to 3 children aged 6-14) are listed at HUF 4,900 per adult and HUF 2,450 per child for EU/EEA visitors. Passport or ID is checked against the citizenship category. The official Parliament page was blocked by a CAPTCHA during research and these prices come from consistent third-party listings dated 1 January 2026, so verify at the official site or Jegymester before paying. Free entry on 15 March, 20 August and 23 October is reported by guides; verify.

Prices compiled from parlament.hu and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Hungarian Parliament Building

Quiet
Moderate
Very busy

08:00 - 10:00
First ToursBest time to go
First slots have the smallest groups and the shortest security line; good light in the Dome Hall glass.
Quiet
10:00 - 14:00
Midday Peak
Tour groups fill most slots; the queue at the Visitor Centre and the staircase bottleneck are longest.
Very busy
14:00 - 16:30
Afternoon
Slots thin out after lunch on weekdays but remain busy on Fridays and weekends in season.
Moderate
16:30 - 18:00
Late Tours
Only the last slot around 17:00 departs in May-October; the square outside empties and the facade catches low sun.
Quiet

History of Hungarian Parliament Building

The Hungarian Parliament Building was commissioned after the 1873 union of Buda, Pest and Óbuda created a single Hungarian capital, and Imre Steindl won the design competition in the 1880s. Construction ran from 1885 to 1904, with the building inaugurated in 1902; Steindl died the same year, before the interiors were finished. The 96-metre dome height is a deliberate reference to 896, the traditional date of the Magyar settlement, and the building contains 691 rooms, according to the most widely quoted figure. Published totals of 40 million bricks and 40 kilograms of gold leaf are repeated in most guides but are not independently audited.

The Hungarian Parliament Building took damage during the 1944-45 siege of Budapest and again during the 1956 uprising, when Kossuth Square in front of it was the scene of a massacre of protesters. During the Communist period a red star topped the spire, removed in 1990. The Holy Crown moved into the Dome Hall from the National Museum in January 2000. The chamber of the former upper house, now used for tours, is the only debating hall visitors normally see, since the working National Assembly meets in the north wing.

Rules & etiquette at Hungarian Parliament Building

Hungarian Parliament Building security follows airport rules: bags pass through a scanner, large luggage and sharp objects are refused, and coats can be left free at the cloakroom while bags cannot be stored. Bring a passport or ID card, because the EU/EEA rate applies only to EU/EEA citizens and ID may be checked.

Visitors to the Hungarian Parliament Building should dress smart-casual with shoulders and knees covered; the building enforces this loosely but does turn away very revealing outfits. Eating, drinking and shouting are forbidden inside, and totalitarian symbols are prohibited by Hungarian law. Photography is allowed on the stairs and in the chamber but not in the Dome Hall around the Holy Crown, where guards enforce it and the tour keeps moving in a line.

Tips for visiting Hungarian Parliament Building

1
Hungarian Parliament Building tickets sell out one to three weeks ahead from May to October, so book online through Jegymester or the Parliament ticket page rather than relying on the Visitor Centre on Kossuth Lajos tér. Third-party resellers list the same tours at higher prices, so compare against the official rate above.
2
Hungarian Parliament Building security screening takes about 15 minutes, so arrive before the slot, since tours can be cancelled at short notice for official events. Cross the road to look at the Kossuth Memorial and the Ethnographic Museum on the square, then walk south along the embankment to the Shoes on the Danube Bank. For the best exterior photograph of the facade, cross the Danube by Chain Bridge to Fisherman's Bastion or the Buda embankment at dusk, when the building is floodlit.

How to reach Hungarian Parliament Building

The red star is Hungarian Parliament Building; the numbered pins are the 8 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

Kossuth Lajos tér 1-3, 1055 Budapest, Hungary (Visitor Centre entrance on Kossuth Lajos tér)Directions in Google Maps

From Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport (BUD)
20 km · 50-60 min
HUF 2,500 for the 100E plus a HUF 500-ish metro ticket (as of 2026, third-party listing; verify at BKK)
From Deák Ferenc tér
1 km · 3 min
HUF 500 single ticket (as of 2026, third-party listing; verify at BKK)
From Széchenyi Chain Bridge
1.2 km · 15 min walk
Free on foot; HUF 500 by tram

Nearest airport

From Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD), about 20 km; the 100E airport bus runs to Deák Ferenc tér, then one stop on metro M2.

Nearest station

From Kossuth Lajos tér (metro M2), roughly a 2-minute walk; tram 2 also stops on the Danube embankment beside the building.

Hungarian Parliament Building FAQs

How much does a Hungarian Parliament tour cost?

HUF 7,000 for EU/EEA adults and HUF 14,000 for non-EU/EEA adults, as of 2026. Students aged 6-24 pay half, and children under 6 are free; the official ticket page was blocked during research, so verify the figures before booking.

Do you need to book Hungarian Parliament tickets in advance?

Yes, in season. Tours from May to October frequently sell out one to three weeks ahead, and only guided or audio-guided slots are sold, with no general walk-in admission.

How long is the Hungarian Parliament tour?

The guided tour lasts about 45 minutes, and visitors should allow roughly 75 minutes including 15 minutes for security screening and the walk to the entrance.

Can you photograph the Holy Crown of Hungary?

No. Photography is banned in the Dome Hall where the Holy Crown is displayed, though it is normally permitted on the staircase and in the debating chamber.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places