What to do and see in Budapest in May 2023?
Discover the numerous events and activities we have selected for your visit to Budapest in May.
The calendar for Budapest in May is regularly updated as soon as new events are announced that attract our full attention.
Concerts St. Stephen’s Basilica – Budapest in May
each Tuesday and Sunday
For Information of St. Stepen’s Basilica Concert and tickets
– click here
Address: St. Stephen’s Basilica, Szent István ter 1, 5th district, Pest – map –
Csontváry Exhibition at Buda Castle till July 16, 2023.
This exhibition of some forty works is a tribute to Tivadar Kosztka Csontváry, a Hungarian expressionist painter of the XIXᵉ and XXᵉ centuries and one of the most original and well-known artists in the history of Hungarian painting.
This major exhibition covering Csontváry’s entire oeuvre will be held at the National Gallery at Buda Castle from 14 April to 16 July 2023. It is an opportunity to discover his lesser-known works alongside his most famous ones, including the very famous Self-Portrait, the miraculous painting of the ruins of the gigantic Greek theatre in Taormina and the Lonely Cedar, which Csontváry originally titled A Cedar of Lebanon.
Address: National Gallery, Szent György tér 2, 1st district, Buda – map – website. Opening hours: 10:00 to 18:00 from Tuesday to Sunday.
Concerts MATTHIAS Church – each Friday
The beautiful Matthias Church in Buda’s Old Town holds classical music concerts several times a month with the Budapest Duna String Orchestra.
Spend an evening in this unique venue and enjoy a magical classical concert performed by the Duna String Orchestra and violin soloist Gabora Gyula. Concert each Friday:
Information about Matthias Church Concerts and tickets – click here
Address: Matthias church, Szentháromság tér 2, 1st district, Buda – map –
Watch this beautiful video of the Matthias Church in Budapest on this link.
Concert Ligeti, Beethoven, Rimsky‐Korsakov on May 13 and 14. – Franz Liszt Academy of Music –
At this highly anticipated concert, you will hear the melodious sounds of classical music by Ligeti, Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov at the Liszt Academy of Music Center in Budapest, a precious and world-renowned venue located in Pest, right in the city centre. Tickets from €17 –
Informations Academy of Music Concert and tickets – click here
Salvador Dali Exhibition until 30 June 2023
The Salvator Dalí exhibition, the largest ever held in Hungary, invites you on an unforgettable journey through Salvador Dalí’s engravings, life-size sculptures and other works of art with over 150 works of art. Salvador Dalí’s world challenges the perception of reality and pushes the limits of rational thought. This surreal journey culminates in a virtual reality experience.
Address: Komplex Event, Király u. 26, 6th district, Pest – map – Website.
Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 19:00.
Budapest Cruises on the Danube River
Discover Budapest with a cruise on the Danube (45mn-1h), day and night, to admire Buda Castle, Matthias Church, the Hungarian Parliament, Citadel, Hotel Gellért, and more!
For Cruise information in Budapest and Tickets – click here
You also have the opportunity to dine during your cruise
while admiring Budapest by night!
In the evening departing at 19:45, you can enjoy a two and a half hour cruise on the Danube accompanied by a four-course dinner and the musical performance of local Hungarian artists:
Information and booking – dinner cruise – click here
Hungarian folk dance performance each Saturday
Treat yourself to a cultural extravaganza as the famous Rajkó Folk Ensemble puts on a 1.5-hour dynamic and magical show of traditional music, dances and costumes. Through the dance-theater performance, you will witness a fascinating insight into the costumes, music, and dance heritage of Hungary and its former empire. Each concert starts at night and consists of two halves of 40-45 minutes, with a break for intermission.
Information and Tickets – click here
GULÁCSY EXHIBITION – 7 April to 27 August 2023
Discover Lajos Gulácsy (1882-1932), one of the most important figures of 20th century Hungarian art, with an exhibition of his life’s work at the Hungarian National Gallery in Buda Castle. This large-scale exhibition, which includes about 200 works, including 84 paintings, will shed new light on the various facets of Gulácsy’s art.
In addition to paintings, drawings, illustrations, manuscripts, photographs of the artist and some of his contemporaries, the world of the turn of the century and the beginning of modernism is explored through a series of photographs.
Address: National Gallery, Szent György tér 2, 1st district, Buda – map – website. Opening hours: 10:00 to 18:00 from Tuesday to Sunday.
SPARTY parties at the Széchényi baths in May 2023
The Széchenyi Baths host the Sparty parties on Saturday evenings in their outdoor baths. In this impressive setting you will experience animations, dancers, 3D projections and DJs live sets for a unique party !
Information SPARTY event and tickets – click here
Video of the Sparty event:
The Széchenyi baths can be reached by public transport via the Metro M1 – Széchenyi fürdő station – and the trolley bus 72 – Széchenyi fürdő station.
Address: Széchenyi baths, Állatkerti krt. 9th – 14th district, Pest.
National Opera in Budapest
After more than 4 years of renovation, the Hungarian National Opera reopened its doors in March 2022! With a capacity of 1200 seats, the National Opera of Budapest inaugurated in 1884 is an iconic place of the Hungarian capital. Discover its architectural beauty and the quality of its representations for an unique evening!
Information about the Budapest Opera, programs and tickets on this link.
Budapest Opera House Guided Tour
Discover the second largest stage in Europe on this guided tour of the Hungarian State Opera House, a must-see on your trip to Budapest!
A tour of the Opera House of about 60 minutes starts daily at 13.30, 15.00 and 16.30 in English. Booking at least 1 week in advance strongly recommended.
Information Opera House Guided Tour
and booking – click here
Photo exhibition ERGY LANDAU Budapest – Paris, till 14 May 2023.
This exhibition traces the career of the Hungarian-born photographer Ergy Landau (1896-1967). A member of the Hungarian diaspora who left her country after the First World War, she settled in Paris in the early 1920s. Ergy Landau participated in the most important photographic exhibitions. Her most personal photographs bear witness to her assurance, her precise sense of composition, her attention to detail and her facility in arranging the play of light and shadow. Her masterful portraits, especially of children, quickly made her known, and her formal experiments are in some ways similar to the style of the New Objectivity, while producing several female nudes.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 19:00.
Address: Mai Manó Ház, Nagymező utca 20, 6th district. Pest – map – Website.
