We finally made it to take the free(1) tour of the Hungarian Parliament .

Before planning this, I already knew one thing : we needed to go early in the day to get tickets then come for the tour. So, on Sunday we were in the city walking by the Danube and decided to go and ask. The result? Monday morning at 8 a.m. we needed to be at the Parliament to get tickets.

And so we did, waking up before 8 a.m. on Dec 31 in Budapest. Gonna be a long day! By 9 a.m. we were at the Parliament and waited probably half an hour to grab our tickets. Then had 2 hours to kill because the tour was at 12 p.m. (the tour in English). We went to the Christmas Market, ate, walked to the tower of St. Stephens Basilica and made it back to the Parliament.

Shortly after 12 p.m. someone greeted us in a very weird English…with a Hungarian accent, of course. I was bummed because I figured I wouldn’t understand everything she said…and I was right.

Then we were told we’d go through airport-like security – wasn’t that bad, I assure you. And minutes later the tour started. As it turns out, the Parliament is symmetrical so we only visited one of the wings.

The building is 96 m tall (just like St. Stephens Basilica) but the inside doesn’t look so imposing , except in the area where the Royal Crown is (and above is the high dome). And speaking of the Royal Crown, it was never worn by any royalty, but it’s the symbol of the country. It’s guarded by two guardians who, every 5 minutes, make an interesting move with their sward regardless of who stands close to them!

I was bummed that some of the others in the group didn’t care there were shorter people (like me! at 5’2″ / 158 cm I am short) and I couldn’t see or take any decent photo…plus the groups are too large (sure, they are free for some nationals, but the experience is not as good as it should be).

We saw different chambers where the politicians meet with the press, as well as where they meet to debate the laws. Plus, there’s also an interesting room which has holders for cigars (you must go and hear about it!).

We were also told that the cooling of the build at first (1900s) was done with huge chunks of ice which were put in the cooling system and the cold air was blown in the entire Parliament.

How to get to

You can easily get to the Parliament by metro line 2 (red) and get off at Kossuth Lajos ter. Cross the street and continue to make your way to gate X where the ticket office is.

It’s possible to visit the Parliament during these hours:

October 1 – April 30.
M-S 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sun 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

May 1 – September 30.
M-F 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sat 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sun 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

English tours take place Daily at 10.00, 12.00, 14.00. Tours are also given in Hungarian, German, French, Hebrew, Russian , Spanish and Italian.

They say the tour is about 50 min but in reality it’s only about 30 min in the building. The rest is waiting time to pass through the security control and waiting for the entire group to get out of the building together.

For tours the adult fee is 2520 HUF/ US$11.35, the student fee is 1260 HUF/US$5,68 unless you are a Hungarian citizen or a European Union Citizen.

Trivia:

Did you know that the Palace of Westminster inspired, in part, the construction of the Hungarian Parliament? The Parliament has 691 rooms but the tour only visits probably a dozen.

Note: (1) free for Hungarian citizens and citizens of the European Union who can prove their status (ID card, passport).

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