Museum of Fine Arts

The Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum) holds Hungary's main collection of international art and stands on the north side of Heroes' Square. The neoclassical building, designed by Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog, was built between 1900 and 1906, and its columned portico looks across the square towards the Műcsarnok.

The collection spans several thousand years. The Egyptian department has around 3,500 objects, including painted sarcophagi, and is one of the largest of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. The classical antiquities include Greek and Roman sculpture and pottery. The Old Masters gallery is the heart of the museum, with around 3,000 paintings from the 13th to the 18th centuries; highlights include Raphael's Esterházy Madonna, works by Titian and Bruegel, and one of the finest groups of Spanish painting outside Spain, with El Greco, Velázquez and Goya. The sculpture and graphics collections include a small bronze of a rearing horse and rider attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, as well as drawings by Leonardo, Rembrandt and Goya.

The building itself repays attention, particularly the grand historic halls on the ground floor that echo Romanesque and Renaissance architecture. Major temporary exhibitions run through the year; a Gauguin exhibition opens on 30 October 2026 and runs until February 2027. The graphics exhibition space is closed until 10 December 2026.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, and closed on Mondays. The ticket office and last entry are at 17:00, and the exhibition rooms start closing at 17:30. Special opening times apply on some dates, so check the official website before you go. Allow at least two to three hours; it is better to choose a few departments than to try to see everything in one visit. It suits art lovers, students and older children with an interest in history; families with younger children may prefer to focus on the Egyptian rooms and the antiquities, which are easier to enjoy in a short visit.

Hősök tere station on metro line M1 is right outside. Afterwards, walk into City Park for the Széchenyi Thermal Bath, Vajdahunyad Castle or the House of Music, or stroll back down Andrássy út towards the centre.