Pesti Vigado
Pesti Vigado
4.5
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
Pesti Vigado is a more than 150 years old amazing building full of history. It is where Budapest was born in 1873. Where emperor Franz Joseph’s coronation banquette was held in 1867, and where highly-acclaimed concerts took place by outstanding musicians including Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms and Claude Debussy. Today, Pesti Vigado is housing interesting contemporary exhibitions and it has an unparalleled panoramic view from its roof terrace over the heart of the city along the river Danube.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area

Address
Neighborhood: Belváros-Lipótváros
How to get there
  • Vörösmarty tér • 2 min walk
  • Deák Ferenc tér • 5 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles145 reviews
Excellent
78
Very good
50
Average
14
Poor
2
Terrible
1

Neil K
Liverpool, UK829,468 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Friends
One of the most beautiful theatre buildings in Budapest is Pesti Vigado .
Constructed between 1859- and opened in 1864 and designed by Frigyes Feszl .
I love the look of this building ,on the facade is the Hungarian coat of arms ,the pillar structures were the work of sculpture Karoly Alexy .
This building was damaged during the bitter battles that took place in Budapest during World War Two,rebuilt post war and declared a National Monument in 1954 ,further renovations have took place to leave us with this stunning building we view today ,we were here on a cold November afternoon ,we sat outside Pointer Pub Budapest enjoying a beer and taking in the beauty of not just Pesti Vigado and Vigado Square .
Well worth checking out if you're in the area.
Written November 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gabriella A
Cluj-Napoca, Romania229 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2012 • Friends
The Concert Hall is a great place to visit. The building looks great and you can also enjoy some great music and have some fun there. A must see.
Written December 22, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael K
San Jose, CA1,107 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018 • Couples
The concert hall has a grand entrance with red carpets going up the stairs leading to a large painting on top of the stairs. It creates quite a dramatic picture. In comparison, the concert hall itself is more austere looking. The admission price without a concert also includes access to the rooftop terrace with a view of the Danube and the Elisabeth Bridge with the Liberation Monument on Gellert Hill in the background. However, since the concert hall is not that tall, the view from the rooftop terrace is not that much better than at the Danube Promenade level.
Written June 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Allan S
New York City, NY7,075 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2014 • Couples
This hall is a magnificent edifice to the wonderful history of the country. The richly appointed space reflects life of another era. The city is a a serious music lovers delight as the acoustics are excellent and the hall is not too large and gives the occupant excellent sight lines to the stage. IT is equipped with elevators to assist physically challenged to attend. There are plenty of rooms around to aloow for receptions and there is a place for refreshments during intermission. A be sure to visit place on your list of things to do in the city.
Written September 27, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Katerina V
Prague, Czech Republic51 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019
Very nice building with gallery and other cultural venues inside. I came for the Felt exhibition, which was great. The surroundings are also nice.
Written August 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much we loved the Felt Road from Orient to Occident exhibition too!
Written August 7, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

RobyGlobal
168 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2016 • Business
The Vigado (translates as place of fun) is a unique, wonderfully reconstructed venue at the Danube bank, with the wonderful view of Budapest's unique UNESCO panorama. Let me also send big kiss to Kate, who passionately loves to read my reviews :*.
Written March 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

EvaM221150
London, UK174 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2015 • Couples
Having had something of a disastrous New Years eve last year at one of the upmarket Budapest hotels, we decided to do something different to see in 2016. Going on line, we discovered that the famous Vigado Concert Hall had a New Years eve event. We really wanted to see this recently restored building, as it has been something of a sleeping beauty. We booked the full package, a five course dinner, concert show and drinks after. By far the best part of the evening was the concert show in the fabulous concert hall. A small but highly competent orchestra under the direction of Werner Gabor performed a number of pieces by Strauss whilst two superb singers entertained us with numbers from The Merry Widow and The Land of Smiles by Lehar. Absolutely first rate! On a lighter note two other performers sung some fun operetta type numbers with Hungarian dancing at break-neck speed. A ballet ensemble was cleverly integrated into the performance together with a Gypsy band which played Monti's Czardas. All in all a highly enjoyable and thoroughly professional show. The pre-show dinner was however not quite as good. Being in Hungary you have to get used to food that is not hot, but given the prices and the fact that guests from many nations were present, they should have tried harder with the menu and the food temperature! There was however no shortage of excellent and varied wines, different for each course. This continued in a similar way at the after show party which went on to the small hours. Yes, we would go again as the concert show was so good. Originally the building was for the rich and famous and is well worth a visit as the restoration work is absolutely first class.
Written January 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mina P
Inverkip, UK7,908 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2014 • Couples
Pesti Vigadó (which means place for merriment) is the 2nd largest concert hall in Budapest. The very first building was totally destroyed by fire in 1848. At its place a new building emerged. It was lucky to be designed by Frigyes Feszl, the same person that designed the Dohány Street Jewish Synagogue. The construction lasted 6 years from 1859 to 1865. That Concert Hall lived a lot of glory. Very special events took place there. In 1867 Emperor Franz Joseph attended a banquet in honour of his coronation. In 1869 in this hall people had the chance to enjoy a first all Liszt concert. In 1875 Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner organized a concert together to raise funds for the building of Bayreuth Theatre. There is a special plaque at the entrance, reminding this event. Many famous or not so famous artists performed in this Hall. Unfortunately during the WWII it suffered a lot of damage. There wasn't enough money for the reconstruction and some people wanted more schools than a Concert Hall. But in 1954 the Hall was declared a National Monument, something that saved its existence. Works started in 1968 but it wasn't until 1980 when the Hall managed to open its doors to the public again. The new building is an exact copy of the original designs by Frigyes Feszl. It's a mixture of Oriental and Hungarian Art Nouveau. The main Hall hosts 700 people while the Chamber Hall (for drama performances) 220. There is an Art Gallery too where many contemporary artists and not only, have seen their work exhibited. In 2006 the façade was cleaned There are a lot of levels apart from the Hall and a terrace for a wonderful view over Pest.
Written May 23, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MaryQU88
Rochester Hills, MI26 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2012 • Family
I absolutely loved their presentation of Transylvania Folk music and dancing! It is my favorite kind of folk music, and I am from the suburbs of Detroit, where we don't get any Transylvanian folk music except on YouTube. To see it performed, with all of the traditional dance styles, was a dream come true. They did a nice interpretation of style, which included some 20th century costumes as well as the historic costumes, and told a story of the decline of the folk life and ways, as modern life and culture has come along to interrupt it, and the struggle to preserve these traditions might be a losing battle. It made me cry to think of it, all of the culture we are losing to the modern and industrial ways of life. At least we can see it preserved, like a relic, here at the Budai Vigado.
Written October 1, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TheShis
Tel Aviv, Israel42,755 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Couples
This is a lovely concert hall, located in the tranquil and beautiful Vigado square.
The hall has undergone some extensive renovations in recent years and is now looking better than ever.
Make sure to book tickets in advance.
Written June 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Pesti Vigado - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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