The museum is visually very impressive. The displayed objects, photos and videos really make you feel the terror Hungary has experienced. Especially walking through the rooms that have been used as actual cells was asphyxiating. The problem with this museum is in the information. Nothing that is displayed in the museum has signs with any explanation. The way to get your information is to read the information sheets in every room. But those are very badly written, huge portions of text with no clear structure and complex, archaic language (at least in English). They are a pain to read through, and you have to do this in every room to get a sense of what is going on. Also it is very annoying that you have to queue for the elevator to the basement (since there are no stairs) which takes several minutes (excluding the queue!) Too bad a museum with so much potential provides such a tedious experience.

Koen VerstegenFeb 6, 2018

Very long queues so get there early. A good way to find out some of budapests dark history.The cellars were particularly emotive. We didn't go for the audio guide so I don't know if that would have made it better, but all of the English translations were overly long(roughly a two side page at the start of each room). We would have liked some more facts about the rooms/people and the building itself to help bring it's history to to life more, as we found each two page document was heavily focused on the politics and not always what was in front of us.

Charlotte Le MaistreFeb 28, 2018

The museum of terror was just short of being a terrible experience. They clearly put a lot of resources into the aesthetics, which is the only saving grace. There is no narrative to follow, the museum does not flow, and to slightly understand what is happening, you must read an unnecessarily large amount on a sheet of paper at the start of every room. There are videos throughout, but no information about who is speaking, the year, the context, etc. Furthermore, discounted tickets ONLY APPLY IF YOU ARE AN EU CITIZEN. I attend an EU university but still had to pay full price. On top of all of this, the staff are quite rude. This museum has a lot of potential but is totally underwhelming.

Austin TiffanyMar 4, 2018

NO STUDENT FEE. You don't have a discount unless you're an European citizen, which sucked for us, international students. But anyway, the museum...The third floor was the most impressive to me with all the replicas of the places. It was shocking to hear and see the testimonial from people that were tortured for being against the communist regime. Overall it was good, although the service of Prague still very poor. They don't know how to deal with tourists ...

Alê NiheiFeb 16, 2018

A must visit. The idea behind this museum is really important and people should take their time to meditate on the past years and how terrible they were. In this way we can appreciate our lives much more.. Sure, there are some details that I did not appreciate - as an English speaker I found too many Hungarian quotes and texts that were not translated in English, which was annoying. But as I stated - it’s a must visit, it’s not a regular museum, its message is much stronger. At least it was like that for me.

Joana RaykovaFeb 20, 2018

Staff is very unpleasant and moody. Museum is probably very interesting if you speak Hungarian. Little information in English. Information that is available in English is on A4 papers which are accumulated along the way. Way too much information on one page, felt more like reading a history book for school. You start the tour off on the second floor and end in the basement. Unfortunately, to get to the basement you have to get on an elevator in which they show you a short film. Elevator moves way too slowly for the amount of people waiting to get on - we had to wait in line at least 20 minutes!! Would not visit again.

Lenneke KMar 27, 2018

I heard about this place from our walking tour and was very excited to visit however there is no real guide on what is going on (we didn’t opt for audio guide), there is an A4 piece of paper at the start of every room with way too much information on it. There are no labels or information on any of the displays so it’s not really clear. This place looks great however you’re not supposed to take any pictures when inside and you have to leave your bag in the cloakroom before you can even enter. The history is fascinating but I just wish the information was present better.

Shane ConwayMar 8, 2018

Were told audio guide was not available, although I seen many people in the exhibit with an audio guide. Not sure if there is a limited number but it definitely spoils the experience somewhat. Would have loved to have the guide as it was all very interesting. Slight wait time at the entrance but not too long.

Andy RiceMar 31, 2018

What a disappointment. I had such high hopes for this museum which has really excellent potential. So first of all, many things inside are only labelled in Hungarian, so tourists are missing out. Then, there’s all these random videos playing on the walls, but there’s nowhere to sit to watch them and some seemingly take 5-10 min, and they’re all playing at once so you have no idea at what point the video is and how much longer it will go for. But the worst part was definitely the sheets of paper in most rooms - a jumble of text about particular topics, sometimes up to two pages worth - this begs the question whether the curator has ever been to a museum. Summarise the info and put it on the wall! Sadly, I feel like I wasted my money. Hopefully they read these reviews and improve the museum so it’s as good as it could be.

Alina CherninApr 8, 2018

One of the best and most influential museums I have ever been to. Amazing exhibition, well designed and detailed. You will need a significant amount of time to see everything but it's so worth it. The building itself is stunning from the architectural point of view with a giant tank inside (I do not want to spoil anything, so I will just say the interior is monumental and has a big impact on visitors). There are many strong messages in the story the museum tells you, after seeing what's inside you will leave with a strange feeling that will remain in your mind even days after the visit. One of the most astonishing things I have seen in Budapest and in the same time scary and disturbing... If you wonder if it's worth visiting that place - GO.

Michał BoryczkoMay 17, 2018

Incredibly important story. Worth the visit. Takes about 2 - 2.5 hours. If you're not fluent in Hungarian, I HIGHLY recommend paying for the headsets for the audio tour. It would be difficult to get much out of the experience without the narration if you don't read Hungarian. No photos aloud inside. There is a free coat/bag check that you should utilize. Small cafe inside - only takes cash (HUF).

Peter WolffJun 11, 2018

This is an amazing museum. If you are interested in the modern history of Hungary and Eastern Europe. It is pretty crowded, but well organized and very informative. If you want audioguide it s extra money, but you can find printed information in English in each room. All the short documentaries/ interviews are in Hungarian but with English subtitles. Going to the bottom floor is a must although you have to take the elevator.

Dorin BacJun 5, 2018

Very interesting and looked great but let down by a few elements. I would firstly recommend the audio guide, this should be given in this day an age as standard. If you have chose not have the guide you are bombarded with a4 paper in each room, front and back. Too much info. Some of the rooms don’t have the info in English available. None of the Visuals on the walls contained English so it was the sheet or nothing. Visual music in a few rooms is too loud, mixed with tours that talk over videos and it gets very very very cramped. The queue to get to the lower floor was 20mins so we had to go back to the beginning and down the stairs. The place just felt a little let down by a few things mentioned. Poorly managed.

james birtwistleMay 22, 2018

So much history. Spent more time in this museum than usual. Very informative. Plenty of short movies to keep you interested. Pretty cool seeing a tank in the middle. Definitely recommend to get the audio guide. Pity they won't allow you to take any photos.

Paul NguyenMay 10, 2018

House of Terror is certainly one of the best museums I've been to. The concept and layout helps to facilitate your comprehension and each room was designed very purposefully. Of course, it is unsettling to become so immersed in the history of the terror regimes but if you allow yourself enough time (we were actually there for about 3.5 hours) to process each room, you will certainly feel thankful that you visited. This is not a museum that should be rushed through in 30 minutes or an hour so be sure to give yourself time. The museum itself provides content that you simply would not be able to easily access elsewhere. I cannot stress enough how much I recommend watching the video footage of interviews with survivors of the era. They're spread throughout the museum but unfortunately, many visitors only gave the screens a few seconds of their attentions before moving on. But I found them to be the most affective part of the visit. I would definitely recommend getting an audio guide. Although, my only complaint is that it sometimes felt that some information was left out or not addressed and I left with some questions that I felt should've been answered. However, these were mostly very specific questions and didn't effect my overall understanding.

Katherine KesterJul 20, 2018

House of Terror? It is in fact a history museum talking about the tragedy experienced by Hungarian people during the Nazi Germany and Soviet Union Communist Party occupation. Many of the rooms tell the stories via TV screen and audio recordings in Hungarian language. You will need an English audio guide to understand what it is about. There lacks sufficient English to tell the stories which are very disappointing. If you do not understand Hungarian and there is no English audio guide available, you would end up knowing very little from the limited subtitles on TV screens and English leaflets. (There are limited numbers of English audio guides and during peak season, you are most likely than not to not getting one. Many rooms tell the stories via TV and audio recording and some has a small number of military equipment or interrogation settings to look at. Two stars is max for this museum.

JO YIPJul 25, 2018

The presentation of the exhibits is awesome. Although sometimes it was not clear what and why something is presented, as the exhibits are almost never labeled you need. All the information is mediatied through sheets which are available at the beginning of each room. Therefore you have to read a lot. Alternatively you could get an audio guide. You definitely learn a lot about the Soviet occupation in Hungary. If your interested it's worth a visit.

Yannik IJul 26, 2018

Powerful. Be sure to get the audio guide if you don't read Hungarian. There are supposed to be sheets of paper with written English explanations at the entrance of each room, but most of them were gone, leaving non-Hungarians with no clear explanations of what they're seeing. Also, be sure to take the stairs to see some really impressive Soviet-era statues and relief art that you won't find anywhere else in the city.

Travis MorganAug 1, 2018

Nice museum with a dark and sad atmosphere which is suitable for the topic. No photography allowed. We had to wait outside for half an hour in the sun when it was over 30°C outside, while we weren't even really sure what we were waiting for because the doorkeeper didn't speak any word of English. It seemed to be some crowd control, people could enter in groups of 10 or so every 5-10 minutes. Indoors after the cashier it was not crowded at all. Main displays and spoken texts/videos are mostly in Hungarian but there are pieces of paper in each room with an English explanation (although not available in each room anymore when we visited, please put them back after reading :) ).

Vera van ZoestJul 31, 2018

The museum is visually very impressive. The displayed objects, photos and videos really make you feel the terror Hungary has experienced. Especially walking through the rooms that have been used as actual cells was asphyxiating. The problem with this museum is in the information. Nothing that is displayed in the museum has signs with any explanation. The way to get your information is to read the information sheets in every room. But those are very badly written, huge portions of text with no clear structure and complex, archaic language (at least in English). They are a pain to read through, and you have to do this in every room to get a sense of what is going on. Also it is very annoying that you have to queue for the elevator to the basement (since there are no stairs) which takes several minutes (excluding the queue!) Too bad a museum with so much potential provides such a tedious experience.

Koen VerstegenFeb 6, 2018

Very long queues so get there early. A good way to find out some of budapests dark history.The cellars were particularly emotive. We didn't go for the audio guide so I don't know if that would have made it better, but all of the English translations were overly long(roughly a two side page at the start of each room). We would have liked some more facts about the rooms/people and the building itself to help bring it's history to to life more, as we found each two page document was heavily focused on the politics and not always what was in front of us.

Charlotte Le MaistreFeb 28, 2018

The museum of terror was just short of being a terrible experience. They clearly put a lot of resources into the aesthetics, which is the only saving grace. There is no narrative to follow, the museum does not flow, and to slightly understand what is happening, you must read an unnecessarily large amount on a sheet of paper at the start of every room. There are videos throughout, but no information about who is speaking, the year, the context, etc. Furthermore, discounted tickets ONLY APPLY IF YOU ARE AN EU CITIZEN. I attend an EU university but still had to pay full price. On top of all of this, the staff are quite rude. This museum has a lot of potential but is totally underwhelming.

Austin TiffanyMar 4, 2018

NO STUDENT FEE. You don't have a discount unless you're an European citizen, which sucked for us, international students. But anyway, the museum...The third floor was the most impressive to me with all the replicas of the places. It was shocking to hear and see the testimonial from people that were tortured for being against the communist regime. Overall it was good, although the service of Prague still very poor. They don't know how to deal with tourists ...

Alê NiheiFeb 16, 2018

A must visit. The idea behind this museum is really important and people should take their time to meditate on the past years and how terrible they were. In this way we can appreciate our lives much more.. Sure, there are some details that I did not appreciate - as an English speaker I found too many Hungarian quotes and texts that were not translated in English, which was annoying. But as I stated - it’s a must visit, it’s not a regular museum, its message is much stronger. At least it was like that for me.

Joana RaykovaFeb 20, 2018

Staff is very unpleasant and moody. Museum is probably very interesting if you speak Hungarian. Little information in English. Information that is available in English is on A4 papers which are accumulated along the way. Way too much information on one page, felt more like reading a history book for school. You start the tour off on the second floor and end in the basement. Unfortunately, to get to the basement you have to get on an elevator in which they show you a short film. Elevator moves way too slowly for the amount of people waiting to get on - we had to wait in line at least 20 minutes!! Would not visit again.

Lenneke KMar 27, 2018

I heard about this place from our walking tour and was very excited to visit however there is no real guide on what is going on (we didn’t opt for audio guide), there is an A4 piece of paper at the start of every room with way too much information on it. There are no labels or information on any of the displays so it’s not really clear. This place looks great however you’re not supposed to take any pictures when inside and you have to leave your bag in the cloakroom before you can even enter. The history is fascinating but I just wish the information was present better.

Shane ConwayMar 8, 2018

Were told audio guide was not available, although I seen many people in the exhibit with an audio guide. Not sure if there is a limited number but it definitely spoils the experience somewhat. Would have loved to have the guide as it was all very interesting. Slight wait time at the entrance but not too long.

Andy RiceMar 31, 2018

What a disappointment. I had such high hopes for this museum which has really excellent potential. So first of all, many things inside are only labelled in Hungarian, so tourists are missing out. Then, there’s all these random videos playing on the walls, but there’s nowhere to sit to watch them and some seemingly take 5-10 min, and they’re all playing at once so you have no idea at what point the video is and how much longer it will go for. But the worst part was definitely the sheets of paper in most rooms - a jumble of text about particular topics, sometimes up to two pages worth - this begs the question whether the curator has ever been to a museum. Summarise the info and put it on the wall! Sadly, I feel like I wasted my money. Hopefully they read these reviews and improve the museum so it’s as good as it could be.

Alina CherninApr 8, 2018

One of the best and most influential museums I have ever been to. Amazing exhibition, well designed and detailed. You will need a significant amount of time to see everything but it's so worth it. The building itself is stunning from the architectural point of view with a giant tank inside (I do not want to spoil anything, so I will just say the interior is monumental and has a big impact on visitors). There are many strong messages in the story the museum tells you, after seeing what's inside you will leave with a strange feeling that will remain in your mind even days after the visit. One of the most astonishing things I have seen in Budapest and in the same time scary and disturbing... If you wonder if it's worth visiting that place - GO.

Michał BoryczkoMay 17, 2018

Incredibly important story. Worth the visit. Takes about 2 - 2.5 hours. If you're not fluent in Hungarian, I HIGHLY recommend paying for the headsets for the audio tour. It would be difficult to get much out of the experience without the narration if you don't read Hungarian. No photos aloud inside. There is a free coat/bag check that you should utilize. Small cafe inside - only takes cash (HUF).

Peter WolffJun 11, 2018

This is an amazing museum. If you are interested in the modern history of Hungary and Eastern Europe. It is pretty crowded, but well organized and very informative. If you want audioguide it s extra money, but you can find printed information in English in each room. All the short documentaries/ interviews are in Hungarian but with English subtitles. Going to the bottom floor is a must although you have to take the elevator.

Dorin BacJun 5, 2018

Very interesting and looked great but let down by a few elements. I would firstly recommend the audio guide, this should be given in this day an age as standard. If you have chose not have the guide you are bombarded with a4 paper in each room, front and back. Too much info. Some of the rooms don’t have the info in English available. None of the Visuals on the walls contained English so it was the sheet or nothing. Visual music in a few rooms is too loud, mixed with tours that talk over videos and it gets very very very cramped. The queue to get to the lower floor was 20mins so we had to go back to the beginning and down the stairs. The place just felt a little let down by a few things mentioned. Poorly managed.

james birtwistleMay 22, 2018

So much history. Spent more time in this museum than usual. Very informative. Plenty of short movies to keep you interested. Pretty cool seeing a tank in the middle. Definitely recommend to get the audio guide. Pity they won't allow you to take any photos.

Paul NguyenMay 10, 2018

House of Terror is certainly one of the best museums I've been to. The concept and layout helps to facilitate your comprehension and each room was designed very purposefully. Of course, it is unsettling to become so immersed in the history of the terror regimes but if you allow yourself enough time (we were actually there for about 3.5 hours) to process each room, you will certainly feel thankful that you visited. This is not a museum that should be rushed through in 30 minutes or an hour so be sure to give yourself time. The museum itself provides content that you simply would not be able to easily access elsewhere. I cannot stress enough how much I recommend watching the video footage of interviews with survivors of the era. They're spread throughout the museum but unfortunately, many visitors only gave the screens a few seconds of their attentions before moving on. But I found them to be the most affective part of the visit. I would definitely recommend getting an audio guide. Although, my only complaint is that it sometimes felt that some information was left out or not addressed and I left with some questions that I felt should've been answered. However, these were mostly very specific questions and didn't effect my overall understanding.

Katherine KesterJul 20, 2018

House of Terror? It is in fact a history museum talking about the tragedy experienced by Hungarian people during the Nazi Germany and Soviet Union Communist Party occupation. Many of the rooms tell the stories via TV screen and audio recordings in Hungarian language. You will need an English audio guide to understand what it is about. There lacks sufficient English to tell the stories which are very disappointing. If you do not understand Hungarian and there is no English audio guide available, you would end up knowing very little from the limited subtitles on TV screens and English leaflets. (There are limited numbers of English audio guides and during peak season, you are most likely than not to not getting one. Many rooms tell the stories via TV and audio recording and some has a small number of military equipment or interrogation settings to look at. Two stars is max for this museum.

JO YIPJul 25, 2018

The presentation of the exhibits is awesome. Although sometimes it was not clear what and why something is presented, as the exhibits are almost never labeled you need. All the information is mediatied through sheets which are available at the beginning of each room. Therefore you have to read a lot. Alternatively you could get an audio guide. You definitely learn a lot about the Soviet occupation in Hungary. If your interested it's worth a visit.

Yannik IJul 26, 2018

Powerful. Be sure to get the audio guide if you don't read Hungarian. There are supposed to be sheets of paper with written English explanations at the entrance of each room, but most of them were gone, leaving non-Hungarians with no clear explanations of what they're seeing. Also, be sure to take the stairs to see some really impressive Soviet-era statues and relief art that you won't find anywhere else in the city.

Travis MorganAug 1, 2018

Nice museum with a dark and sad atmosphere which is suitable for the topic. No photography allowed. We had to wait outside for half an hour in the sun when it was over 30°C outside, while we weren't even really sure what we were waiting for because the doorkeeper didn't speak any word of English. It seemed to be some crowd control, people could enter in groups of 10 or so every 5-10 minutes. Indoors after the cashier it was not crowded at all. Main displays and spoken texts/videos are mostly in Hungarian but there are pieces of paper in each room with an English explanation (although not available in each room anymore when we visited, please put them back after reading :) ).

Vera van ZoestJul 31, 2018