Thank you to Alex & Cristina for today’s post on the Transport Museum of Budapest.
I have visited the Transport Museum of Budapest for the first time in 2007. It was Alex’s suggestion and I loved it. Fast forward 5 years and I really wanted to go back. We figured things would change and they did…one of the exhibits which was paid for (aside from the entrance ticket) was now free…
I noticed two special exhibits and both could be visited with the entrance ticket (no additional fees). One was celebrating MAV (Hungarian railway) and the other was dedicated to the kids. Otherwise, the exhibit dedicated to the ships (which was paid for in 2007) could also be visited as part of the main ticket.
To the left of the entry there’s an enormous hall which is filled with real locomotives, a ton of information (in Hungarian but there are quite a lot of good translations, too), a real-life railway station (see the photo of yours truly waiting for the train) and plenty other things related to the railway.
Alex flying a plane in virtual reality
Tucked away in the corner between the locomotives exhibit and the gift shop (a big one!) there’s a place where you can fly a plane in virtual reality (for money, of course, 800 ft / 5 min). Don’t crash and you’d get a diploma.
There was also a nice section dedicated to Budapest at the time of the Millennium exhibition. And by the way: the building which houses the museum was built for that particular exhibition, along with plenty other important buildings in the city, including the Parliament.
I wanted to show you this photo of Keleti pu. (Keleti railway station – top right) as it was before they started working on the metro line 4 (which is due to open for the public in spring of 2013). I was lucky to see that old square myself in 2007, too.
The museum also houses interesting motorcycles and cars – from very old ones to a new Audi (ok, not that new but dating after 2005). They are quite crammed together due to the rather small space they are housed in, but it’s interesting to read the info on the walls, as well.
Since Arad (where we live) has been part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, I saw many maps of Old Hungary in which Arad was an important center; plus there were bus and train schedules for lines operating from Arad all the way to Vienna (Austria).
I recommend the museum to any person who is fascinated by trains (especially old locomotives) , vessels and cars. Needless to say, guys and kids will have a blast! But I admit I was pretty entertained myself.
Also, there’s a cafe in the hallway which is not only really cheap but also really cozy; and an amazing way to finish up two or three hours of walking in the museum. And by the way: everywhere in the museum there are benches so you can stop and rest for a while.
Location: 1142 Budapest, Városligeti körút 11, Hungary
Entry Fee: 1400 ft / US$6.31
