The cultural life of Budapest has had a legendary reputation since the 19th century, and the world’s best classical and modern music performers are regular guests here. During your stay, you might catch a masterpiece of one of the great Hungarian composers, Franz Liszt, Béla Bartók or Zoltán Kodály at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Müpa (Palace of Arts) or even in Buda Castle. Concerts with a unique atmosphere and English-speaking performances are held in the latter on a regular basis.

Not many people know that the predecessor of the Academy of Music, with its special acoustics, was established in the second half of the 19th century in the apartment of Franz Liszt. Perhaps you have heard that the Opera House in Budapest is the most beautiful in the world according to Plácido Domingo. The above-mentioned Müpa is a multifunctional establishment in a modern building on the riverbank, providing a home for lovers of music, theatre and the visual arts, while regularly staging English- speaking performances.


The Budapest Music Centre (BMC) is not only popular due to the classical, contemporary and jazz concerts held in this ve-storey modern building, but also because the cultural institute has taken it upon itself to collect the history of Hungarian music and make it available online, while its travelling pavilion is introducing our music to the world.

The development of the Castle Garden Bazaar was not just a simple reconstruction – meaning just the authentic renovation of the building complex and of the connecting gardens that form a World Heritage Site. No, it was much more: in the reconstructed building complex exhibition halls and a multifunctional event hall have also been formed. A visitor’s center for tourists was created housing restaurants and an info point.During the reconstruction of  a building complex with a total surface area of 8.988 sq. meters was renovated, 17.722 sq. meters of new area was built including the subterranean garage and a garden and courtyard of 8.734 sq. meters was developed. Thanks to the development of Castle Garden Bazaar a new cultural attraction and public area has been created where visitors of any age may find an interesting program.

The Budapest Spring Festival attracts many foreigners to the city, with almost 200 programmes at more than 50 locations during the last two weeks of March. In addition to the concerts of world-famous classical and modern musical performers, it also hosts a number of English-speaking theatrical performances and open-air programmes. You don’t always need to buy tickets; sometimes it is simply enough to dive into the nightlife. Small designer shops in the city centre, contemporary art galleries, night concerts, lively club life and unique theatres provide momentum and a dynamic to the already vibrant creative life of Budapest.