A Must-See in Budapest: Wenckheim Palace

Located on the edge of Budapest’s elegant Palace Quarter, Wenckheim Palace is one of those places that often surprises visitors. Just steps away from busy streets, it offers a calm, richly decorated interior that feels worlds apart from the surrounding city—and that’s exactly what makes it so special.

Built in 1889, the palace was commissioned by Count Frigyes Wenckheim and his wife, Krisztina Wenckheim, and designed by architect Artúr Meinig. The Neo-Baroque exterior gives way to lavish interiors decorated in Louis XV style, reflecting the wealth and refined taste of Budapest’s late-19th-century aristocracy. At the time, Wenckheim Palace was considered one of the most beautiful private residences of the 8th district.

The highlight of the building is its magnificent ballroom. Spacious, light-filled, and richly ornamented, it could easily accommodate up to 500 guests. The Wenckheim family was known for their elegant receptions and social events, welcoming members of the political and aristocratic elite—including Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.

After Count Wenckheim’s death in 1912, the palace was sold to the city in 1927, and a few years later it began a new chapter. In 1931, it became the central building of the Budapest Metropolitan Library. Today, this unique function allows visitors to experience an authentic aristocratic interior while the building remains very much part of everyday Budapest life.

One of the palace’s great advantages is accessibility. The main halls can usually be visited during library opening hours. That said, occasional closures do happen due to filming, special events, or the summer break.

Good to Know Before You Go

  • Easy access: Wenckheim Palace can usually be visited during the opening hours of the Budapest Metropolitan Library, making it one of the easiest historic palaces to see from the inside without advance booking.

  • Best timing: Late mornings or early afternoons on weekdays are usually the quietest, offering the best chance to enjoy the interiors without crowds.

  • Possible closures: Parts of the palace may occasionally be closed due to filming, special events, or during the summer school break—worth keeping in mind if this is a highlight of your visit.

  • Photography: Discreet photography is generally allowed, but flash and tripods are not.

  • Who it’s ideal for: A great stop for visitors interested in architecture, film locations, libraries, or travellers looking for an elegant yet relaxed indoor visit.

  • How to include it: Wenckheim Palace fits naturally into a Palace Quarter walk or can be combined with nearby sights on a longer city tour.

Wenckheim Palace is also a popular filming location. Its interiors have appeared in several international productions, including Red Sparrow, The Alienist, Spy, and The Phantom of the Opera.

Elegant yet approachable, central yet surprisingly peaceful, Wenckheim Palace is an excellent stop on a Budapest walking or driving tour—especially for visitors interested in architecture, film locations, or simply experiencing a lesser-known side of the city’s aristocratic past.

If you enjoy discovering the stories behind Budapest’s buildings, you might also like my Beautiful Budapest Stories piece on Wenckheim Palace, where I focus more on atmosphere and hidden details.

 

The home of composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt

The Budapest home of Liszt is surprisingly modest with only two rooms, one of them serving as bedroom and study at the same time but it’s nevertheless full of treasures. The Budapest home of the one and only Hungarian composer universally renowned as one of the greatests of the 19th century was on the elegant Andrássy avenue.

His home is a museum now and it’s a remarkably valuable collection of objects: personal items and amazing instruments of music. My favourite piece is a music composing desk with a built-in three-octave piano keyboard, specially designed for Liszt in the 1870’s. I also love the ornate music stand that Liszt received as a gift in 1858 and thanked it by saying: “I wish to produce soon some works worthy of being offered as an homage to the three patrons of music: Beethoven, Weber and Schubert” – whose busts decorate the wonderful piece.

Although Liszt only welcomed visitors in his home on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons, the museum is open to visitors every day except Sundays.

 

 

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The mummies of Vác – a fantastic exhibition about life and death in the 18th century

Vác is a cute little town on the left bank of the Danube, it’s some 25 minutes drive from Budapest. The visit of Vác can be included in a customised Danube Bend day trip. It’s such a beautiful Baroque jewellery box, I strongly recommend a short visit. We had been fortunate to tour Vác with my travellers before the borders of Hungary got closed again on the 1st of September.

The mummified remains of 265 people were found in 1994 in the crypt of the Dominican church, they had been laid to rest in hand painted, wooden coffins in the 18th and 19th centuries. The bodies didn’t decompose but were mummified naturally because of the favourable air conditions and dry settings.

The findings were extraordinary and not only because it’s a veritable gold mine for ethnographers about 18th century Hungarian everyday life and funeral traditions. It’s also a fantastic source for medical researches, a large number of tests have been performed by scientists on the mummified remains related to tuberculosis, HIV researches and they could also confirm C section had been performed as early as in the 18th century in Hungary.

The coffins are simply beautiful, all colourful, all hand-painted, all prepared with a lot of care, it’s very much like the fascinating celebration of life and death in a small Vác museum.

 

 

Beautiful Budapest on Facebook

Ok, the timing might not be ideal. But. I originally created a Facebook profile for my tour guiding services some 5 years ago but I never really had time to take care of it and to publish enough interesting content. Now that I only deliver virtual tours obviously I have more time to work on my tours and profiles and uploaded some pictures and information.

I’ll try to post as often as I can so that you can learn more on my beautiful city and country:

Please like, share, comment, send me messages, so that I can see that you’re checking back on what’s new in Beautiful Budapest!

About Shore Excursions

I’m delighted to see how many people explore my beautiful Budapest as part of their river cruise. I know that while on a cruise travellers have very limited time to discover each place.

That’s the reason why I offer Shore Excursions, fully customisable driving and walking tours, so that each and every visitor can make the most of their time in Budapest. I know what the cruise companies offer on their tours, and I’ll make sure I see you much more when you decide to book a private tour with me. The tours include driving and walking tours in both Budapest and the beautiful Hungarian countryside.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me for further details or to book a tailor-made tour!

 

Goodbye Old Trabant!

This really was a very popular tour but unfortunately the Trabant car is so terribly polluting that I decided to stop it. Now the same tour is available by car, I’m happy to offer the same experience with less impact on the environment.

This was not an easy decision for me, especially after my tour was featured in a French travel TV show but our planet’s and our kids’ future is more important than some business opportunities.

 

My Instagram

I try to publish beautiful pictures of my beautiful Budapest as often as I can, still, I don’t think I reach many people via my Instagram feed. Never mind, this is the selection of my favourite pictures in 2019.

 

Lonely Planet: Best in Travel 2020

Lonely Planet has just published a list of the “Best destinations, journeys and sustainable travel experiences” for 2020. I am very proud, because Budapest is listed among 10 destinations in total, we’re number 2. It’s a great achievement, I only wish they didn’t include “Budapest is one of the most rewarding on your pocket” as I don’t want travellers to visit Budapest because it’s cheap. Come and see my city, because it’s beautiful! 🙂

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