Culture · 50 of the best in Budapest
City Park and the new museum quarter
The back story
About City Park and the new museum quarter
City Park, Budapest’s oldest public park, has been transformed into a museum quarter, with striking new buildings among the trees: the Museum of Ethnography with its green roof and the House of Music under its perforated golden canopy.
An old park
City Park has been a place of leisure for centuries: a boating lake and ice rink, Vajdahunyad Castle, built for the Millennium celebrations of 1896, the zoo and the Széchenyi Baths.
The House of Music
The House of Music Hungary, designed by the Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, opened in 2022, its glass walls sheltering under a canopy pierced by holes that let light through like leaves.
In City Park, a 19th-century castle stands a short walk from a museum with a walkable roof.
The Museum of Ethnography
The Museum of Ethnography moved in 2022 into its new building at the edge of the park, two curving wings with a green roof you can walk on for views over the city.
Our advice: combine the museums with a soak at the Széchenyi Baths and a walk around the lake; in winter, skate on the ice rink in front of Vajdahunyad Castle.
Why it's on our list
- An old park
- The House of Music
- The Museum of Ethnography
- A day in the park
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with City Park and the new museum quarter before you go.