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Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum

4 Lovas út, Budapest,

Description

The Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum was built at the outset of WW2 and completed in 1944 to provide emergency care whilst sheltered from bombs and shelling. It consists of a network of tunnels in Budapest's Castle Hill that was staffed by 40 doctors, nurses, and assistants. After the war, it was reconverted as a bunker that could withstand a nuclear or chemical attack and protect a selected group of healthcare staff for a few days. Nowadays, it is operated as a museum with waxwork human replicas and can be visited as part of regular English or Hungarian guided tours throughout the day.

Access & Transport

The museum is in the north-western part of Castle Hill, close to Matthias Church and about 700m away from Buda Castle. Mikó tram stop (17, 56) is 5mins walk away and the Déli train station and tram stops (17, 41, 56, 59, 61) about 10mins.

Instructions & Recommendations

English guided tours leave every hour from 10h00 to 18h00 and last 60mins. Tours in Hungarian are less frequent on weekdays but last 90mins. The minimum age is 6yrs old and recommended min. is 12years old. Children between 6 and 12 can only visit the museum with the supervision of parents / adult

Meta review

Often recommended by travel bloggers and well supplied with fake online reviews, visitors have contrasting opinions about the museum and the experience. Many find it to be very instructive and the "exhibits" adequate but a large number turns out to be quite underwhelmed and think the nuclear part of the story was very scant and too focused on the Hiroshima & Nagasaki explosion, making up for a very average tour, especially given the price. Consistent comments about groups being too large so that it is sometimes difficult to all be in the same room and hear the guide properly.

Environmental & Social

Repurposing of an existing building with very minor electricity use so we deem this activity environmentally neutral. Part of the city's historical background.

Conclusion

The Hospital in the Rock Museum is an interesting but anecdotal activity that is perhaps best tailored and priced for Budapest residents. In our opinion, the pricing for foreigners isn't in keeping with the quality or breadth of the content and its delivery.

Key positive

Original museum

Key negative

Very expensive considering the size / content

Very narrow topic and groups are too large

Suitability

Not recommended for children under 12yrs old (min. is 6yrs old) and only partially wheelchair accessible (hospital part is ok but not the machinery area)

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

August 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Last admission is 1h before closing. Closed on 01 Nov, 24/25 Dec, 31 Dec / 01 Jan

av. transport time:0h 20m

est. visit time:1h 20m

Regulated hours

Monday10:00 - 19:00

Tuesday10:00 - 19:00

Wednesday10:00 - 19:00

Thursday10:00 - 19:00

Friday10:00 - 19:00

Saturday10:00 - 19:00

Sunday10:00 - 19:00

Pricing
The Hungarian tour costs 9,500/7,000/4,800 HUF.
Age band
Age band
Regular price / pers.
Senior
65 - 99
€22
Adult
18 - 64
€30
Child
6 - 17
€15
Infant
0 - 5
€0
Price for students <26 is EUR22

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