House of Terror Museum

An intense experience, a very well thought out and very well made museum. It offers a lot of very useful information, it is interactive, modern and useful. It is worth the money I paid, I highly recommend it.

Excellent idea, visually nice, but misleading information and not good history museum. I was really looking forward to going to this museum. However, after leaving, I kind of regretted going there. For someone who knows nothing about the history of Hungary in the 1950s, it might be interesting, but you won't learn basically anything about the Nazi history of Hungary here. First they show you how Hungary was "robbed" by the Treaty of Trianon - that's when the first red flag comes up. Then Hungary is portrayed as only a victim of the Nazis - another red flag. And the rest of the museum is about the atrocities of the communists in the 1940s and 1950s. The museum becomes really interesting and extremely scary in the basement. Here you can imagine the suffering that people had to experience here. This is where you get chills. However, it is also the only place where you don't have paper documents to read and if you don't have a guide, you will learn almost nothing about these places. I also see it as a huge disrespect, when young teenagers are taking selfies in torture cells with a smile on their faces like if they are in Disneyland. Apparently, no one told them what was happening here and that they should have at least a little respect. And at the end they give you a guide where all those half-truths are repeated and at the end it is mentioned (as a bonus) that it is all thanks to Prime Minister Orbán. At that moment you realize that this museum is actually primarily political propaganda of the current government and history is only secondary. Personally, I see it as disrespect towards all those people who experienced real terror in this place. If you want a quality history museum, go to Prague or Berlin.

Fantastic exhibition and tour giving a great overview of Soviet occupation of Hungary following World War 2 and the savagery imposed on the Hungarian people during that period. Highly recommend a visit but make sure you get the audio guide for the extra 2000 HUF (about €5). Give yourself about 2 hours so you can take your time and get value from the visit.

Leaving aside its meaning and importance, it is a poorly organized organization designed to make money today rather than to show the suffering of the Hungarian people. I think it is more important to present the hardships and drama to the world in different languages (at no extra cost), but for 2000ft they only offer it in English. Hungarian people already know what happened in that period, whoever thought of organizing the whole museum in Hungarian is wrong!

I had never been here before, and it was incredibly interesting to rediscover my country’s history. The exhibition is very visual, with lots of interviews on the screens and many pictures. I’d also add that I believe the audio guide is a must. Without it, the experience could become a bit dull, but the audio guide turns it into a captivating journey through Hungary’s turbulent times. You can buy tickets on the spot. (ONLINE is not possible atm).

Visited mid week in mid October 2024. Allow around 3 hours. The staff speak English. Get the audio guide (many languages) - it costs a little more but adds real value. Very eye-opening and sobering: be careful if taking a young child in as there are some gruesome pictures and videos. It makes you stop and think about how easy it is to turn people against each other. The Hungarians had a rough time of it all. Photos inside are prohibited but people do take them (we did not). Free cloak room for bags and jackets etc. There is also a book store and a cafe. There are toilets, but the queue can be a little long

An interesting museum, but it has to be visited with an audioguide as most of the informations are not written anywhere, not in English at least. The staff is not the friendliest, especially the old ladies that take your bag and jacket.

The history of Hungary is extremely interesting and it’s so important to learn about what happened during the 20th century. However, this museum is quite old and the way it’s organized and presented really needs to be rethought and renovated. If you decide to visit it, definitely go for the audio guide as no written explanation is given throughout the museum.