Decades of socialism left indelible marks on Budapest. At first sight, you cannot see the impact WW2 and the dictatorship that followed had on everyday lives in Budapest, and it’s also hard to imagine how this flourishing, vibrant capital city once looked.

If you are interested in the modern history of Hungary and the political processes shaping the fate of the country, the House of Terror Museum is an obligatory visit! The building at 60 Andrássy út provided the space for the horrors of two different regimes. Although walls cannot talk, the exhibition will speak for itself. The House of Allegiance was the gathering point for national socialists from 1937. After WW2, the State Protection Authority took over the building, which served as the centre of state terror until 1956. Surely everyone leaves the museum with a heavy heart, but will never forget what the minions of dictatorships are capable of.

Most visitors in Budapest head for Buda Castle first. If you have already marvelled at the unique building of Matthias Church, and you have discovered all the picturesque, cobbled streets, make your way to Lovas utca and visit the Hospital in the Rock. The bunker hospital played a significant role during both WW2 and the 1956 Revolution, in providing care for the injured. Turned into a fallout shelter under the Cold War, it was a strictly confidential facility until 2002. The museum provides guided tours in Hungarian and English every hour that demonstrate everyday life in the hospital in times of war.  When you purchase your ticket with a valid Budapest Card, you receive a 30% discount on admittance to one of the most exciting museums in Budapest.

Leaving the cavalcade of the city centre behind, Memento Park is also worth a visit. The park gives you a taste of what it was like to walk the streets of the capital in the 1970s. Statues of Lenin and Marx, boots from the Stalin statue that was pulled down, and the Monument to the Red Army soldiers are all on display, and you can also see a Trabant and the contemporary training video of the political secret police. With your BUDAPEST CARD, admittance is FREE of charge.

Your Budapest Card also ensures free entrance to the Urban Public Transport Museum in Szentendre, where you can see the vehicles of the Soviet era up close. We can relive the days; when the building of metro line 3 started in 1970, or when trolleybus line 70 was launched in 1949 and given its number to celebrate the 70th birthday of Stalin. Hundreds of photos, exhibits and 70 renovated museum vehicles highlight the capital’s transportation of the past.

Budapest Card you can buy HERE