Budapest's must-sees span close to seven centuries, and the dates are the best way in. Matthias Church dates from 1255, the Church of Saint Anne from 1740, the Dohány Street Synagogue from 1854, the Hungarian State Opera House from 1884, and St. Stephen's Basilica from 1905. The National Theatre, from 2000, is the youngest of them. At the top of the list is Buda Castle, the castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We've put this together for a first-time visitor with three or four days who wants the big landmarks and a few quieter stops: a church inside a cave and a cemetery dating from 1849. Opening hours vary a lot, and Sunday mornings and Friday afternoons catch people out, so each entry gives the hours where we have them. Plan your days around those hours, not around the map.
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1 Buda Castle
2 Szent György utca, Budapest, 1014The castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Buda Castle stands at 2 Szent György utca in the 1014 postal area, the castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Skip the guided shuffle that treats the place as a backdrop for one photograph and moves on. Give it a slow half day. This is a complex, not a single building, and it rewards you if you wander off the main route. Read the UNESCO listing at whc.unesco.org before you go: ten minutes of context turns a pile of handsome walls into a story about who ruled from here and why it mattered.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
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2 St. Stephen's Basilica
1 Szent István tér, Budapest, 1051A Roman Catholic basilica dating from 1905, open every day of the week on a split schedule
St. Stephen's Basilica, at 1 Szent István tér in the 1051 postal area, is a Roman Catholic basilica dating from 1905 and young by this city's standards, though its scale gives no sign of that. On weekdays it opens at 09:00 and runs to 17:00, and a weekday morning gives you the most time and the thinnest crowds. Skip the Saturday afternoon plan: the doors close at 13:00 on Saturdays, and on Sundays the basilica opens only at 13:00 and closes at 17:00. Check bazilika.biz before you go, because services and events can change what you are allowed to see.
Dates from 1905
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 09:00-13:00; Su 13:00-17:00
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3 Matthias Church
Szentháromság tér, Budapest, 1014A Roman Catholic church dating from 1255
Matthias Church has stood on Szentháromság tér in the 1014 postal area since 1255, and this Roman Catholic church carries seven centuries of continuous use in its walls, a weight you feel the moment you step inside. Skip Sunday morning entirely: on Sundays the doors open at 13:00 and close at 17:00, which makes for a compressed and crowded window. Monday to Saturday the hours run from 09:00 to 17:00, and an early weekday visit is the quieter choice. Check matyas-templom.hu for closures before you make the climb, then allow yourself enough time to look properly rather than moving through on the way to the next photograph.
Dates from 1255
Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-17:00; Su 13:00-17:00
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4 Hungarian State Opera House
Андрешева авенија бр. 22A Neo-Renaissance opera house dating from 1884
The Hungarian State Opera House, which dates from 1884, sits at number 22 on its avenue behind a Neo-Renaissance front that tells you what you're in for before you walk through the door. Don't waste it on a quick lobby scan between other sights: an opera house is designed around an evening in a seat, and this one reveals almost nothing in five minutes. Check the programme at opera.hu, book a performance, even a short one, and you'll see the room do what it was built to do. Dress a little better than you would for a museum. The audience will, and the space seems to expect it.
Dates from 1884
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5 Fisherman's Bastion
Szentháromság tér, Budapest, 1014Long daily opening hours, from 09:00 to 23:00, seven days a week
Fisherman's Bastion sits on Szentháromság tér in the 1014 postal area and stays open until 23:00 every night, which should shape the way you plan your visit. Avoid the middle of the day, when the terraces fill with tour groups each waiting for the same shot from the same railing. The evening is a different place entirely: the crowd thins, and the city below begins to come alive with light. If mornings suit you better, the gates open at 09:00 daily, so that works too. Before you go, look at the history page at fishermansbastion.com, because the structure reads differently once you understand what it was built to express.
Hours: Mo-Su 09:00-23:00
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6 Dohány Street Synagogue
2 Dohány utca, Budapest, 1074A synagogue dating from 1854, with seasonal visiting hours
Dating from 1854, the Dohány Street Synagogue stands at 2 Dohány utca in the 1074 postal area. It is a working synagogue, which means the hours shift with the seasons and a Friday afternoon visit is a gamble we wouldn't take. Fridays close at 16:00 from March to October and at 14:00 from November to February, so the window is shorter than you might expect. Sunday to Thursday the doors open at 10:00, and in the warmer months they stay open to 20:00. The published schedule is complicated enough that we'd check dohany-zsinagoga.hu for your exact date before leaving. Arrive with time to spare, and treat this as a place of worship first and a landmark second.
Dates from 1854
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7 Citadella
1 Citadella sétány, Budapest, 1118Opening hours that run from 06:00 to 24:00 between April and October
The Citadella sits at 1 Citadella sétány in the 1118 postal area, and it is a citadel with hours that very few sights in the city can match. From April to October it opens at 06:00 and stays open until 24:00, which means you can catch first light at the top or come back long after dinner. We'd skip the midday visit, when the light is flat and the crowds have the same idea. From November to March the window narrows to 08:00 to 22:00, still wide enough to catch a winter sunset. Check citadella.hu for any works or closures before you set out.
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8 Vajdahunyad Castle
Vajdahunyad sétány, Budapest, 1146A castle listed as a Historic monument of Hungary
Vajdahunyad Castle stands on Vajdahunyad sétány in the 1146 postal area, a castle listed as a Historic monument of Hungary and a good reason to spend part of a day away from the busiest central streets. On weekdays, arriving late is a mistake: Monday to Friday it opens at 10:00 and closes at 16:00, and that window goes faster than you expect. Weekends give you an extra hour, with closing at 17:00. Check vajdahunyadcastle.com before you go. The pleasure here is in walking around it at your own pace, not in a quick stop.
Historic monument of Hungary
Hours: Mo-Fr 10:00-16:00; Sa-Su 10:00-17:00
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9 National Theatre
1 Bajor Gizi park, Budapest, 1095A drama theatre dating from 2000
Among the old stone buildings on this list, the National Theatre at 1 Bajor Gizi park, in the 1095 postal area, is the youngest: it dates from 2000. A drama theatre, it earns its place by showing that the city still builds for culture, not purely for kings and saints. Skip the packaged evening shows aimed at tourists and book a real production through nemzetiszinhaz.hu to see what a Budapest audience chooses to watch. The building is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, so you can walk round it in daylight even if your evenings are already spoken for.
Dates from 2000
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-18:00
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10 Gellért Hill Cave
1 Szent Gellért rakpart, Budapest, 1114A church set inside a cave
Gellért Hill Cave, a church at 1 Szent Gellért rakpart in the 1114 postal area, is the kind of place that makes you lower your voice before you've thought about it. A place of worship built into a cave earns a slower visit than a photo stop allows, so stand still for a few minutes and let the space settle around you. It opens Monday to Saturday, 09:30 to 19:30, with no Sunday hours listed, so it won't fit neatly into a weekend morning. Check sziklatemplom.hu before you go, because an active church can close to visitors with little warning.
Hours: Mo-Sa 09:30-19:30
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11 Fiume Road Graveyard
16-18 Fiumei út, Budapest, 1086A cemetery dating from 1849
Set aside an unhurried afternoon for Fiume Road Graveyard at 16-18 Fiumei út in the 1086 postal area. The cemetery dates from 1849, which is more than a century and a half of the city's dead and a long, quiet record of who mattered here. On a day when you want an hour to think rather than queue, this beats the packed tourist squares. Walk slowly, read the names, and leave the camera in your bag for a stretch. We have no opening hours on file, so check the official site at fiumeiutisirkert.nori.gov.hu before you set out, and dress for a long walk.
Dates from 1849
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12 Church of Saint Anne
Batthyány tér, Budapest, 1011A Roman Catholic church at Batthyány Square, dating from 1740
The Church of Saint Anne stands across Batthyány tér in the 1011 postal area. This Roman Catholic church at Batthyány Square dates from 1740, which makes it older than most of the famous names on this list, yet it draws a fraction of their attention. We'd skip the habit of saving church visits for the celebrated few; this one rewards an unplanned stop on the way to somewhere else. It is a parish church first, so check felsovizivaros.plebania.hu for service times and visit quietly around them. Ten minutes inside will tell you more about everyday Budapest than an hour in a queue.
Dates from 1740
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