Hunglish.orgExplore a variety of museums in Budapest from Fine Art to Contemporary Art or from historical societies to famous landmarks in Hungary and everything in between. Scout out all the local art and relics in Budapest with enough places to go to suffice every kind of culture seeker interested in past history to the far-reaching future of space exploration.
MUSEUMS IN BUDAPEST
ALOMAUTO MUSEUM
(Dream Cars Collection)
Leányka utca 1/b
Phone: 203-1746
Open Mon-Fri., 10am-5pm & Sat-Sun., 10am-6pm
See classic cars dated from the 40's from until the early 70's. Come see three centuries of Cadillac’s, Chevrolets, Buicks, Pontiacs, Dodges, Desoto’s, Plymouths, Chryslers, Mercedes, Jaguars, Rolls Royce’s and more.
AQUINCUM
Szentendrei út 139.
Closed Mondays, Check Website for Details
This museum has archaeological artifacts of Roman ruins of houses, temples and baths. There are other Roman ruins of interest (mostly within walking distance) and a nearby Roman amphitheater.
ARANY SAS PHARMACY MUSEUM
1014 Tárnok utca 18
Phone: 375 9772
Open: Tue-Sun., 10:30am–5:30pm
Re-opened after a long-needed restoration project started in the year 1974, this pharmacy museum is in a prestigious building in the Buda Castle District. The building was a pharmacy between the mid-1800’s and during WWI.
AVIATION MUSEUM
Zichy Mihály út (Petõfi Csarnok)
Phone: 36 56 505 100
Email: info@repulomuzeum.hu
Open: 1 Apr-31 Oct., Tues- Thurs., 9am-3pm; Fri., 9am-1pm; Sat., 10am-4pm; Sun., 10am-4pm
BANKNOTE AND COIN EXHIBITION
Szabadság tér 8 (National Bank)
Open Daily: 9am-2pm
An exhibition that details the history of Hungarian coins and banknotes from as far back to the denarius minted by the first king St. Stephen. The monetary history of Transylvania (formerly part of Hungary, now belonging to Romania) is also presented in a special section.
BIBLE MUSEUM
Ráday utca 28
Open Daily: 10am-6pm (Closed Mondays)
There is a permanent exhibition here that is divided into 3 main sections, 'Archaeology and the Bible', the 'History of the Bible in Hungarian' and the 'Bible Around the World'. Guided tours for groups are available on request.
THE BUDAPEST HISTORY MUSEUM has 3 parts:
THE KISCELLI MUSEUM or City Gallery, THE CASTLE MUSEUM, and the AQUINCUM MUSEUM
Buda Castle, Royal Palace, Building “E”
Szent György tér 2
Phone: 36 1 487 8854/8800
Open, 10am-6pm, except for Nov-Feb., 10am-4pm
Budapest History Museum sheds light on the castle as far back as before the reconstruction of the structure by the Habsburg's. There is a tiny prison, a chapel, a medieval exhibit with weapons and seals and other artifacts as well as displays showing the evolution of the town over the centuries. Enjoy gardens, gothic statues and watch how Budapest has transformed over the ages up until modern day times.
BUDAPEST HISTORY MUSEUM-HERCULES VILLA
Meggyfa utca 19
Phone: 430 1081
Open: 1 May- Sept 30, Tue-Sun., 10am-6pm; 15 Apr-May 1(apply in advance) and 1 Oct-31Oct., Tue-Sun., 10am-5pm, 1 Nov-Apr 14, closed.
The Hercules Villa is located to the south of the civilian town of Aquincum, in Óbuda. Dating from Roman times, a number of archaeological excavations conducted in the 1950’s have overturned many artifacts. It has obtained its name from the floor mosaics depicting the myths of Hercules.
CRIME MUSEUM
Mosonyi utca
Open: 10am-5pm, Tue-Sun.
The Museum of Criminology caught the headlines when first opened in 1999 with a large collection of police uniforms, badges, and other items from a long history of Hungarian law enforcement. On display are photos and other forms of evidence from past famous Hungarian crimes.
CSONTYARY MUSEUM
Janus Pannonius utca 11
Phone: 06 72 514 040; 72 310 544
Open Daily, 10am-6pm, except Mon.
Here you can see the main works by the painter Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka (1853-1919), a contemporary of Van Gogh and an artist Picasso admired. Starting out as an assistant pharmacist, Kosztka went on to produce great works including 'The Solitary Cedar' and 'Baalbek', which are among the eight paintings on display.
ENDRE NEMES MUSEUM
Káptalan utca 5
Phone: 36 72 310 172
Open daily, closed Mon.
The museum offers a fine collection of works by Endre Nemes who was born in Pécsvárad in 1909 and left for Prague, France, and then Sweden. He died in 1985 leaving his work behind as an example of the influences of Surrealism.
ERNST MUSEUM
1065 Nagymezõ utca 8
Phone: 341 4355
Open: Tue-Sun., 11am–7pm
This exhibition hall is only a museum in name as it has no permanent collection; its main profile is to introduce 20th-century Hungarian art and architecture through a series of temporary exhibitions, especially those neglected by mainstream exhibitors. The same building holds the Budapest Chamber Theatre, which is the successor of the Déryné Theatre since 1991, Budapest's most popular theatre society with all their shows fully booked for each performance.
EVANGELICAL NATIONAL MUSEUM
1052 Deák Ferenc tér 4
Phone: 317 4173
Open: Tue-Sun., 10am-6pm
FERENC LISZT MUSEUM
Võrõsmarty utca 35
Open: 10am-6pm, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, Sat.
The former home of Hungary's most famous composer Ferenc Liszt, who lived here for 5 years from 1881 until his death in 1886, go and see the three room apartment he once lived in and find displays of original furniture and other personal possessions. Recitals take place most Saturday mornings.
FERIHEGY AIRCRAFT PARK
Ferihegy International Airport, Terminal 2
Phone: 06 30 914 5531
1 March-30 Sept., 9am-6pm
1 Oct-30 Nov., 9am-4pm
This museum offers an open aircraft exhibition at Ferihegy where visitors can go to see a nationwide unique collection of aircrafts.
FIRE BRIGADE MUSEUM
Martinovics tér 12
Phone: 261 3586
Explore the history of the fire-brigade in Székesfehérvár from 1873 to 1945. Prominent sights: carriage hoses from the end of the 1800s, firemen's full dress uniforms and authentic copies of old fire-brigade flags.
FLAG MUSEUM
József körút 68
Open Daily, except Mon., 9am-6pm
Take a short survey of all the flags and arms of the nations of the world from past to present.
FOUNDRY MUSEUM OF HUNGARIAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Bem József utca 20
Phone: 36 1 201 4370
Open 9am-5pm, 1 Jan-31 Dec.
Email: ontodei.budapest@museum.hu
The history of smelting and casting set in an industrial historical workshop with original foundry equipment.
GAS MUSEUM OF BUDAPEST
Köztársaság tér 20
Phone: 06 1 477 1347
Call for appointments; the museum can be visited on Mondays from 9am-2pm.
An active provider of continuous gas services that also has a 150-year-old exhibit of the history of gas supply in Budapest.
GEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF HUNGARY
Stefánia út 14
Phone: 36 1 251 0999
Open Thurs., Sat. & Sun., 10am-4pm
This library and its collections are the largest in its field of science in Hungary. The collection of minerals and fossils relates the geological history of Hungary. The building is an outstanding example of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture.
GIZI BAJOR THEATRE MUSEUM
Stromfeld Aurél út 16
Phone: 06 30 362 5854; 06 1 375 1184 117
Open: Tue., 12pm-4pm; Thurs., 2pm-6pm; Sat. & Sun., 10am-6pm; 25 Aug-14 July
Check out over 300 artifacts, mostly dating from this century of the greatest Hungarian actors and actresses, displayed in the former villa of Gizi Bajor (1893-1951), life-member of the National Theatre.
GOLDEN EAGLE PHARMACY MUSEUM
Tárnok utca 18
Phone: 375 3533
Open: 10:30am-5:30pm, Tue-Sun.
Discover how the modern day pharmacy developed from a studio of alchemy to a modern day facility. Displays offer artifacts from as long ago as a century past.
GOLDEN UNICORN PHARMACY MUSEUM
9730 Kõszeg, Jurisics tér 11
Phone: 06 94 360 337
Email: muzeumkoszeg@axelero.hu
There is a Gothic, middle ages look about this ancient Hungarian pharmacy with its oak and chestnut shelving and drying area, this example in Kõszeg is a must see.
GYORGY RATH MUSEUM
Városligeti fasor 12
Phone: 342 3916; 321 1640
Email: bodnar.zita@imm.hu
Part of the Ferenc Hopp Museum, the Rath Museum has been a part of the protective zone of Adrassy Street in the World Heritage List since 2002. Current exhibitions at the museum are: 'The Collecting of Oriental Art in Hungary'; 'György Ráth Memorial Room Peach Blossom and Mohammedan Blue' and 'The Art of Chinese Ceramics'.
HAJDUSAG MUSEUM
Kossuth Lajos utca 1
Phone: 06 52 229 038
Email: hajdusagimuzeum@freemail.hu
This museum has had permanent exhibitions of folk art, history and archaeology since 1924 and also has an academic library and the City Court works in one of its wings.
HOPP FERENC KELET-ASIAN MUSEUM
Andrássy út 103
Phone: 322 8476; 321 1798
Email: bodnar.zita@imm.hu
This museum for the Asiatic arts has been open since 1883. The villa on Andrassy Boulevard was purchased by Ferenc Hopp as a holiday house to store his Oriental collection of art. His Oriental-style garden is unmatched in Hungary.
HOUSE OF TERROR
Andrássy út 60
Open: 10am-6pm, Tue-Fri. (Closed Mon.), Sat-Sun., 10am-7:30pm
The House of Terror's interior makes both communism and fascism look interesting. With a fair degree of controversy when it opened, the House of Terror was once the headquarters of Arrow Cross Party, the Hungarian Nazis, between 1944 and 1945. The establishment was taken over by the Communist secret police. The facility opened in 2002 by the right-wing, Fidesz Party. Highlights of the museum include: "The Changing Room" where a rotating mannequin illustrates the ease in which some Hungarians switched sides to appease their new masters, and a photo wall detailing who aided both Nazis and communists during the country's darkest years.
HUNGARIAN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING MUSEUM
Kazinczy utca 21
Phone: 342 5750
Open: Wed., 12am-4pm
Email: info@emuzeum.hu
A museum since 1982 with a national collection of artifacts related to electro technology and a center for research on the industry's history in Hungary.
HUNGARIAN JEWISH MUSEUM
Dohány utca 2
Phone: 342 8949
Open: Mon-Thurs., 10am-5pm; Fri and Sun., 10am-2pm
Part of the Dohany Synagogue complex in Budapest, located next to the birthplace of Zionism founder Theodor Herzl, the museum is made up of four rooms that covers the long history of the Jews in Hungary. One room contains artifacts for the Sabbath and other holiday items once preserved at the National Museum are available for viewing and one room has an exhibit on the Holocaust in Hungary.
HUNGARIAN MUSEUM OF AGRICULTURE
Városliget, Vajdahunyad Castle
Phone: 422 0765
1 Nov-28 Feb., Weekdays (except Mon.), 10am-4pm; Sat-Sun., 10am-5pm
1 Mar-31 Oct., Weekdays (except Mon.), 10am-5pm; Sat-Sun., 10am-6pm
Learn about the domestication of animals in the 9th and 10th centuries in Hungary from breeding to agricultural machines, the history of grain growing, horticulture, modern agriculture and nature conservation, fishery, hunting and viticulture.
HUNGARIAN MUSEUM OF ELECTROTECHNICS
Address: 1075 Kazinczy utca 21
Phone: 342 5750
Open: Tue-Fri., 10am-5pm, Sun., 9am-4pm
HUNGARIAN MUSEUM OF TRADE AND TOURISM
Szent István tér 15
Phone: 212 12 45
A one of a kind museum of the catering industry that meets the requirements of a specialized-museology and is stocked high with trade and catering relics; some examples include: signboards, store furniture, equipment, merchandise samples, bottles, invoices, price lists, posters, serving dishes, utensils, and a large group of documentation of menus and menu cards.
HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM
Ludovika tér 2-6.
Phone: 36 1 210 1075 (ext. 3032)
Email: mtminfo_at_mttm.hu
Open: 10am-6pm; Closed on Tues.
Hungarian Coronation symbols are on display as well as information on the history of the peoples of the Carpathian basin from the Stone Age to the settlement of the country. Delve into the history of Hungary from its settlement in 1849 until present.
HUNGARIAN PEDAGOGICAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Könyves Kálmán krt. 40.
Phone: 06 36 1 343 55 59/219
Open Daily: Tues-Fri., 9am-7pm, Closed Mon.
The National Educational Library and Museum (NELM) is an information centre for educational science, public education and the history of education in Hungary.
HUNGARIAN RAILWAY HISTORY PARK
Tatai út 95
Phone: 238 0558, 450 1497
Drive a steam engine, travel in a car converted for rails, operate a hand-cart, and ride on the turntable and on a horse tram or else try out the virtual experience of an engine simulator, the most powerful Hungarian electric railway engine of its kind. There is a model railway that visitors can admire and even operate in the postal wagon. The landscaped park is perfect for relaxation and refreshments available in the Buffet or on the terrace of the Nostalgia Café.
Those who would like to take the experiences and ambience of the museum home with them can chose from railway souvenirs, postcards and books from the Nostalgia Shop.
HUNGARIAN SPORTS MUSEUM
Dózsa György út 3
Phone: 469 5010
Open: Sat.-Thurs., 10am-4pm
This museum chronicles the history of sports in Hungary with an array of medals and other memorabilia from famous Hungarian athletes.
IMRE VARGA SCULPTURE MUSEUM
Open Daily: 10am-6pm
Imre Varga was an artist who was acclaimed for his work and is also a household name in Hungary.
As a favored sculptor under the 'goulash communism' of János Kádár, Varga's career then blossomed with democratization. The garden of the museum houses one of his most popular works – Derkovits.
INSTITUTE AND MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY
Kapisztrán tér 2-4
325 1600; 325 1601
One of the most frequently visited institution of the Hungarian cultural life is this museum, situated in the Castle District. The building itself is an artistic monument. It is used for banqueting and has many exhibition halls offering Hungarian military history to visitors. In the summertime the courtyard is a popular place for concerts and conferences.
KASSAK MUSEUM
Fõ tér 1 (Zichy Castle)
Phone: 368 7021
Open Daily, 10am-6m; 1 Jan-31 Dec., except Mon.
A museum presenting many literary and fine art works created between 1915-1967 by Lajos Kassák, exhibitions are of avant-garde art.
KISCELLI CASTLE MUSEUM
Kiscelli utca 108
Open Daily: 10am-6pm, 1 Apr-Oct.31, 10am-4pm, 1 Nov-Mar. 31, Closed Mon.
Decorative arts of Hungarian, 19th century works in this Baroque Trinitarian monastery can be observed here. Downstairs there's a history of Hungarian printing houses in the 18th and19th centuries and an antique printing press. Contemporary 20th century Hungarian art is also featured, from cubist János Kmetty, Károly Ferenczy, and the vibrant puppet-themed paintings of Margit Anna plus temporary exhibitions and concerts held during the summer makes this museum a great resource to explore.
KRESZ GEZA AMBULANCE MUSEUM
Markó utca 22
Phone: 312 3430/4179
Open: Mon–Sun., 9am–1pm
A station founded by Geza Kresz for the capital's Central Ambulance Station in 1892. The halls are named after prominent figures in Hungarian society who saved lives in Hungary with the motto: “Accidents may befall each of us, provide unconditional help!”
LUDWIG MUSEUM
Buda Castle Palace Building A.
Email:info@ludwigmuseum.hu
Phone: 36 1 555 3444
Open Daily, 10am-8pm; Closed on Mon.
A Museum of Contemporary Art that displays masterworks of modern and contemporary art from American pop art (Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, etc.) and Eastern and Central European art with a special emphasis on the Hungarian art of the 60's to recent days, in an international context.
MAFIA MUSEUM
On the corner of Alkotmány and Bihari János utcas
Phone: 06 70 653 4101
Stare into the face of crime with exhibits on drugs, casinos and gun crime. Ildikó Kincses of the Hungarian Policewomen's Committee said the museum revealed how even casual drug consumers indirectly support the mafia. The nation's largest organized crime racket has its headquarters just down the street from the museum and can be found by visiting the museums’s sister site, politics.hu.
MATTHIAS CHURCH COLLECTION OF ECCLESIAL ART
Szentharomsag ter 2
36 1 355 5657
A small museum inside Matthias Church on Castle Hill with sacred church relics, chalices, monstrances and replicas of the Hungarian royal crown and coronation jewels to delight any newcomer interested in Hungarian royal lore.
MILLING INDUSTRY MUSEUM
Soroksári út 24
Mon.-Thurs., 9am-2pm; 1 Jan-31 Dec.
The museum has a Concordia Flour Mill along with other milling equipment on display. Take a look at the development of milling technology in Hungary. Grinding and sieving machinery from windmills, watermills, and machine-driven mills are on show.
MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS
Ulloi út 33-37
Phone: 01 456 51 00
Open: Tue – Sun.: 10am to 6pm
The third museum of its kind to be built in Europe in 1872, the Museum of Applied Arts was established by Ferenc Hopp in 1919. There is a furniture collection, a ceramic and glassware collection, and a textile and garments collection. The collection ranges from a total of 4000 pieces.
MUSEUM OF BRASS AND MINERAL MINIING
3733 Rudabánya, Petõfi Sándor utca 24
Phone: 06 48 353 151
One of Hungary's largest mining history collections founded in 1956, this museum tells the history of brass and mineral mining in Hungary from prehistoric times to the present day. Documents, machines and works of art plus a collection of rocks, minerals and meteorites.
MUSEUM OF ETHNOGRAPHY
Kossuth tér 12
Phone: 473 2400; 473 2441
Open; Tue-Sun., 10am-6pm
Displays of the traditional culture of the Hungarian people this is one of the largest ethnographical museums in Europe. It presents the art, customs, national costumes, and way of life of Hungarians and other peoples of Europe and outside Europe. This magnificent building was built between 1893 and 1896 with a neo-Renaissance interior.
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
Hõsök tere
469 7100
Open Daily, 10am-7:30pm, except Mon.
The Collection of Egyptian Art, comprising nearly 4000 items, is one of the richest of its kind in Central Europe. Plus, 5000 artworks provide a comprehensive survey of Classical Antiquity and the development of European painting from the 13th to the 18th centuries, 600 sculptures and 10,000 drawings and 100,000 prints from past to present. There is also a library that shelves the largest art historical collection in the country.
MUSEUM OF HUNGARIAN NATURAL SCIENCES
Ludovika ter 2-6
Phone: 36 1 210 1085
Open Daily, , 10am-6pm, Except Tues.
With the most extensive collection of natural history in the Carpathian Basin, over 10 million specimens, including items not only from all continents of the Earth, but from the Moon and other planets as well to study and learn about.
MUSEUM OF MEAT TRADE
Gubacsi út 6/b
Phone: 36 1 215 7350 141
Open: Mon-Fri., 9am-4pm
Learn a historic overview of the craftsmanship of the meat industry of the Carpathian Basin of Hungary.
MUSEUM OF THE TV TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMING HISTORY
Október 6. utca 9
Phone: 200 8782
Open: Tues., 10am-2pm, Thurs., 2pm-6pm
7 machines as well as short descriptions show the technical development of television and programming history from the end of the 19th century to now. Look forward to seeing a phonograph, record players from five different periods and a DVD player.
MUSIC HISTORY MUSEUM
Táncsics Mihály utca 7
214 6770
Website: www.zti.hu/default.htm
15 Mar-Nov.15; Mon., 4pm-8pm; Wed-Sun., 10am-6pm
16 Nov-14 Mar., Mon: 3pm-6pm; Wed-Sun., 10am-5pm
The life and culture of music in Hungary including instruments used by an entire army band and of an orchestra from the age of Haydn and an exhibition presenting the stages in the career of Béla Bartók.
NAGYTETENY CASTLE MUSEUM
Kastélypark utca 9-11
207 0005; 207 5462
This 28-roomed Baroque castle is surrounded by a large park and possesses an inner courtyard. It is a museum that displays a furniture collection of European renown from the Gothic to the Biedermeier style. The upper floor has a ballroom that is used for conferences and other events.
NATIONAL LUTHERAN MUSEUM
Deák tér 4
317 4173
The Hungarians have a long history in the Lutheran church and it can be traced back from the Reformation onwards. On display is the actual Last Will and Testament of Martin Luther from 1542.
NATIONAL SZECHENYI LIBRARY
Szent György tér 6; Royal Palace Building “F”
01 224 3848
Open: 10am-8pm; Tues-Sat.
A museum and library since 1985 built in 1890-1902 with the most treasured of ancient books; one in particular belonged to King Mátyás Corvinus. The collection was known as one of the largest Renaissance libraries in Europe. It houses the earliest surviving documents of the Hungarian language from the 13th century. The collection has over five million items with everything that has ever had Hungarian authorship represented.
OBUDA MUSEUM
Fõ tér 1
Open: Tues.-Fri., 2pm-6pm; Sat-Sun., 10am-6pm
Obuda is a vast, quiet district in the northern part of the Buda side with medieval cobblestone streets and ancient Roman ruins. In the museum is the Zichy Mansion, giving home to the Old Buda Museum, which displays historical documents and relics of the once-standalone town which is today a part of Budapest (since 1873).
OPEN SOCIETY ARCHIVES
Arany János utca 32
327 3250
An archival holdings of approximately 7,000 linear meters of records which are divided into 3 main categories: Communism, the Cold War, and their Afterlife; Human Rights; and the Soros Foundations Network which holds the official archives of Central European University (CEU) which are responsible for the long-term preservation of and access to network records. There is an audiovisual collection and library digital archival laboratory.
PALACE OF ART
Dózsa György u. 37
Open: 10am-6pm, 1 Jan-31 Dec., Closed Mon.
The Hall of Art or Palace of Art (Mûcsarnok in Hungarian) is an art museum in Budapest, located in Heroes' Square, facing the Museum of Fine Arts. Temporary exhibitions offer a glimpse of the achievements of contemporary Hungarian and foreign artists in fine arts, applied arts, photography, design and all the latest art trends.
PALACE OF MIRACLES
Fény utca 20-22 (Millenáris Park)
350 6131; 336 4044
The Palace of Miracles is one of the 2 outstanding permanent exhibitions in the House of Future Centre. Learn some of the rules of science with hands on experience for children and adults alike.
PETOFI LITERARY MUSEUM
Károlyi Mihály utca 16
317 3611
A literary museum created to preserve and protect the writings of the Petofi, from many manuscripts to books and relics from Petofi, but of other Hungarian writers as well, like Mor Jokai, and the two outstanding figures of 20th-century Hungarian poetry: Attila Jozsef and Endre Ady.
POSTAL MUSEUM
Andrássy út 3
Open: 10am-6pm, Apr 1-Oct 31, 10am-4pm, Nov 1-Mar 31, closed on Mon.
The museum's collection consists of over 21,000 objects, 150,000 documents and 13,000 books detailing the history of the Hungarian postal service. The exhibit includes a mock 19th-century post office and a vintage mail vehicle.
RAKOSPALOTA MUSEUM
1158 Pestújhelyi út 81
Phone: 419 8216
Opening Hours: Tue, Thu, Sat: 10-14, Wed: 14-18
ROCK HOSPITAL
Lovas út 4/c
06-30-689-8775
Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-20:00. Last entry: 19:00. Closed on Monday except if national holiday.
You are invited to the sensational touristic attraction of Hungary, the former top secret Military Hospital and Nuclear Bunker – under the codename of LOSK 0101/1 – beneath the Buda Castle that is now open to the public.
SEMMELWEIS MUSEUM OF MEDICAL HISTORY
Apród utca 1-3
375 3533; 201 1577
Trace the history of medicine from ancient times to the modern era at the former home of Ignác Semmelweis, Hungary's leading 19th-century physician. Semmelweis is thought of as the "savior of mothers" for his role in identifying the cause of puerperal (childbed) fever by advocating that physicians wash their hands between patients, an uncommon practice at the time. Made up of four rooms, the museum displays everything from early medical instruments to anatomical models to old medical textbooks. A faithfully reconstructed 19th-century pharmacy is on display although descriptions are in Hungarian only, many exhibits are self-explanatory.
STAMP MUSEUM
Hársfa utca 47
341 5526
Stamp collectors will be in awe of the fact that this museum has each and every Hungarian first edition stamp as well as all their variations (every philatelist's dream). They also have stamps from around the world, all neatly displayed behind glass and at easy viewing level.
SZERECSEN PHARMACY MUSEUM
Apáca utca 1 (near Széchenyi tér)
The Szerecsen Pharmacy was a famous pharmacy once in Hungary. See pharmacy handbooks, medicine chests and utensils and porcelain and faience storage jars and see what the old chemists concocted long ago for their Hungarian patients.
TELEPHONE MUSEUM
Úri u. 49
Open: 1 Apr-31 Oct, 10am-6pm; 1 Nov-31 Mar., 10am-4pm; Closed Mon.
The first telephone operator centre in Hungary was established in 1881 and this past world is recreated around a switchboard which still works today along with documents about the history of the telephone.
TORNYAI JANOS MUSEUM
Szántó Kovács János utca 16-18
06 62 242 224
The János Tornyai Museum was founded in 1905. Its ethnographic collection was based on the objects collected by Lajos Kiss with the instructions of János Tornyai for the Industrial and Agricultural exhibition of 1904. The institution extended by a department of archeology in 1930. The basis of the collection of fine arts is the almost 500 pictures of the painter János Tornyai.
TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM
Városligeti körút 11
273-3840
Open: 1May-Sept. 30, 10am-6pm; 1 Oct-April 30, Tues-Sun: 10am-4pm
Permanent exhibition on the history of transportation in Hungary.
UNDERGROUND RAILWAY MUSEUM
Deák Ferenc tér underpass
342 2130
Continental Europe's first motor-powered underground railway was established in Budapest in 1896. The museum shows two carriages from this period and is on display in an original section of the tunnel.
UJPEST BUTTERFLY MUSEUM
Dessewffy utca 26
Phone: 231 0296
Open: Tue-Fri: 12am-6pm, Sat-Sun: 10am-6pm
VASARELY MUSEUM
Szentlélek tér 6
388 7551; 250 1540
Victor Vasarely (original Hungarian name was Gyõzõ Vásárhelyi) was a Hungarian-born painter who moved to Paris in 1930 to devote his life to art. He was the founder of the Op-Art Movement, a type of art that uses sharp colors, optical illusions and geometric forms. The museum carries 400 works of art donated by the Museum of Fine Arts.
ZSIDU MUSEUM
Dohány utca 2
Open: 1 May-31 Oct., Mon., 2pm-6pm; Tues-Fri, Sun., 10am-1pm
A museum celebrating many kinds of Jewish holiday-related items and holy objects if you are of or are interested in Jewish faith and history.
ZSOLNAY MUSEUM
Káptalan utca 4
06 72 324 822
The Zsolnay Museum has some of the best examples of Zsolnay porcelain, produced locally since 1852. There are vases, plates, cups, figurines, and even ceramic paintings and once you've seen the museum, check out the Zsolnay fountain at the lower end of Széchenyi tér in front of St. Sebastian's Church.
ZWACK UNICUM MUSEUM
Soroksári út 26 (Entrance from Dandár utca)
476 2383
New to the scene is Zwack Unicum Museum and Visitors' Centre. Take in a 25-minute documentary film and a slew of rare objects. Listen to sounds and music related to the events portrayed. Touch press clippings of old and smell the unmistakable medicinal fragrance of drinks that are distilled nearby and end it all with the final taste testing of products of the Company. A specialty shop near the museum sells drinks, souvenirs and old posters.