Budapest Hungarian National Gallery 2026 events: exhibitions, guided tours, family workshops, kids programs, sculpture, Impressionism, online tours, building walks at Buda Castle. Discover Fényes Adolf and Hungarian masters.
when:
Budapest’s Hungarian National Gallery at 1014 Budapest, District I – Castle District, Szent György Square (Szent György tér) 2, rolls out a full year of exhibitions, guided tours, family workshops, and special programs. From blockbuster painting walks to toddler-friendly adventures, the calendar blends Hungarian and global art, with fresh highlights popping up all year inside the former Royal Palace atop Buda Castle.
February 28, 2026 – The Taste of Sunshine: A curator’s tour by art historian Edit Plesznivy leads visitors through the intimate Fényes Adolf chamber show, using emblematic masterpieces to map the painter’s entire career. Expect stories about his family roots, formative training, patrons and professional circles, and the classical traditions he drew on.
March 1 – Our Artist Colonies: Szolnok and Fényes Adolf. Why did artist colonies form? How did they actually work? And how did their creators shape Hungarian art? This guided series unpacks the history of the country’s most important colonies through standout works by their leading figures.
March 3 – Online tour: Tihanyi 140. Explore Lajos Tihanyi’s painting from home via a live digital walkthrough, designed for anyone who didn’t catch the exhibition in person.
March 4, 11, 18, 25 – Color It Anew! A museum workshop for kids dives into the rich world of folk life. What were village festivities like? What did people sing, wear, and cook? How did they decorate homes, and what are tulip chests? Children create art inspired by folk motifs, patterns, and stories.
March 5 and 26 – Mama, nézd! – Shades of Green. Green is one of art’s most versatile colors, from Eden in sacred art to sunlit landscapes—and those shimmering Zsolnay eosin glazes. This guided family tour hunts for greens across periods, spanning painting and applied arts. March 19 features the same program in English: Look at that, Mom! – Shades of Green.
March 7 – Create! The Fashions of the Centuries. Fashion isn’t timeless, as any teen photo proves—especially when you scan old masterpieces. Meet the collection’s most bizarre “style icons”: impossibly long shoe tips, horned headdresses, and extravagant bustles. A short gallery walk ends with a workshop to craft badges decorated with favorite artworks.
March 8 – The Temptation of Marble. The renewed show, Nudes at the Turn of the Century, explores the many meanings of the human body in sculpture. The tour reveals how a figure can slip into reality under the spell of antiquity, freezing movement and making a moment eternal.
March 10 – Tiptoers: The Spring Fairy arrives, painting the world in color. Budding trees, smiling flowers, and fresh scents set the tone for a singing, rhyming, play-based discovery of spring in painting. After games in the gallery, toddlers create in the studio.
March 12 – Sunny Everyday Life: The Art of Fényes Adolf. Wander through tranquil interiors and luminous landscapes while asking how a peasant courtyard fits under the shadow of French Impressionism, how a colorful Szolnok interior might speak to Paris, and what century-old genre scenes say about the simple joys and struggles of Hungarian rural life.
March 14 – The Most Hungarian Habsburg: Two Hundred and Fifty Years Since the Birth of Palatine Joseph. An in-depth lecture by art historian Gábor Bellák offers behind-the-scenes context linked to the gallery’s collections—stories, connections, and curiosities you won’t easily catch in the exhibition halls.
March 14 – With Granny at the Gallery: Spring Dressed in Color. Grandparents and grandkids explore together, comparing impressions of paintings and sculptures. A spring-scented gallery walk leads to a shared studio session where everyone, young and old, gets hands-on.
March 20 – Italian-language tour: Discover major Hungarian masterpieces from the Middle Ages to today, with a special focus on the 19th and 20th centuries—and keep an eye out for Dante among the canvases. March 22 – Renoir, Monet, and the Impact of Impressionism: A one-hour tour introducing France’s greats and their Hungarian contemporaries. Also March 22 – Seas’ Waves, Rivers’ Currents: For World Water Day, wander the gallery’s loveliest landscapes, seeking seas, rivers, waterfalls, and raindrops while immersing yourself in Hungarian fine art.
March 24 – Preschoolers at the Gallery: Dance of Flowers. Where does spring peek out of paintings? Budding trees, fragrant blossoms, and sunlit hues turn the hunt into a game, followed by a studio session to create each child’s own colorful spring.
March 25 – Mental Fitness: Tuning for Easter. Christianity shaped medieval art, and Easter’s mystery remains a major theme. This session traces sacred art from Gothic altarpieces and Károly Ferenczy’s religious scenes to János Vaszary’s monumental Golgotha. A gallery walk concludes with collaborative making in the studio.
March 28 – Adventure in the Gallery: Order and Mess. Two sessions split by age:
– 10:30–11:15 for ages 6–9
– 11:30–12:15 for ages 10–13
April 9 – Mama, nézd! – Along Poems. To celebrate Poetry Day, the April family program wraps itself around the most beautiful Hungarian poems. Dive into fine art and literature, find the overlaps, and test whether a 19th-century poem and a contemporary artwork can express the very same feeling.
April 12 – Explore the Gallery: From the Crypt to the Dome. Tour the building’s hidden marvels—from the Habsburg Palatine Crypt to the spectacular panorama from the dome—while meeting the treasures of the collection inside the former Royal Palace.
April 18 – Building Tour for the International Day for Monuments and Sites. The old Royal Palace holds countless wonders. Visit the Habsburg Palatine Crypt, climb to the dome for that jaw-dropping view, and see more extraordinary corners of the building. Discover the gallery’s history and collections in one sweeping architectural journey.
