Unfortunately, as part of the protection against the coronavirus epidemic, many of the beautiful sights in Hungary are closed to the general public. But only physically, because with the help of technology you can take virtual tours in museums, castles and even the zoo from the warmth of your home.
Origo selected 9 virtual tours that are great, fun, and even educational. The list is diverse, and none of the online tours uses Flash, so you should be able to access them on any device. We would like as many people as possible to wander these sights and, once the coronavirus epidemic and the restrictions that came with it are gone, hopefully, many of you will feel the need to visit them in person.
Hungarian National Gallery
You can take part in a virtual tour organised by the Hungarian National Gallery. The implementation is very good, as you can rotate each room, so you can observe them from many angles for as long as you want. Besides, the website offers a wealth of useful information about works and artists.
The virtual tour of the Hungarian National Gallery can be accessed by clicking here.
The chapel of the Castle of Füzér
The chapel of Castle Füzér, as well as the entire building, is stunning and you can now have a virtual tour in it. The details are very intricate and beautiful. You can take much smaller steps than in other programs, so you can practically go wherever you want. The image quality and visuals are breath-taking. Their entire website is very well done, with awesome photos and great videos, as well as a lot of useful additional information.
The virtual tour of the chapel of Füzér Castle can be accessed by clicking here.
Aquincum Museum
The ruins of the former city of the Roman Empire, Aquincum, are one of the most significant ancient monuments in Hungary. The part of the museum in Óbuda is especially large, and thus a great outdoor program, but it is now closed due to restrictions. You can, however, explore the area from your home using an internet application. The displayed images can be rotated as desired, and you can even open a floor plan. Once again, the site has a wealth of useful and important information, so anyone interested in the history, significance, and impact of Aquincum on our lives can satisfy their thirst for knowledge here.
You can take a virtual walk in the Aquincum Museum by clicking here.
Kunsthalle / Budapest Hall of Art
The Budapest Hall of Art is an internationally recognised and respected cultural institution in Budapest. There have been plenty of forward-looking, very high-level exhibitions here over the years, fortunately, many of which can be virtually visited through a website. When entering the halls, you can rotate around, thanks to the 360-degree panoramic images, which can also be magnified.
The virtual walks of the Budapest Hall of Art can be accessed by clicking here.
De la Motte Castle
It is one of the masterpieces of Hungarian castle construction, located in Noszvaj, 10 km from Eger. The masterpiece was built in the late Baroque, Zopf style, and it looks fantastic inside and out and can be accessed by anyone via a website. Visitors have far more options than usual, as they took a high-resolution, 360-degree photo of virtually every corner. The images can be rotated freely, and thanks to this, the website offers tremendous freedom during your virtual visit to the castle.
You can walk around the fantastic De la Motte castle by clicking here.
Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden
Unfortunately, the Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden is also closed, but thanks to Google, you can take a huge virtual walk in it. With the Streetview function, you can visit the park in a familiar and proven way. The experience is entirely realistic, except, that unfortunately, you cannot see the adorable animals live.
You can visit the Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden by clicking here.
Thury Castle
Thury Castle in Várpalota dates back six hundred years and would await guests in all its splendour – following the large-scale renovation work completed in 2011 – if not for the pandemic. However, thanks to the maintainers, you can wander around in the atmospheric rooms of this wonderful building while sitting in your comfortable home. A large number of high-resolution, freely rotatable panoramic images were taken of the interior of the castle so that every detail can be carefully examined.
You can visit the Thury Castle in Várpalota by clicking here.
Zsolnay Cultural District
You can not only visit buildings, palaces or exhibition halls from home but even complete parts of cities. A perfect example of this is the project of Pécs’ Zsolnay Cultural District. Thanks to their new project, you can take a 3D tour in this legendary city quarter. You can roam the atmospheric streets and fantastic alleys surrounded by the lavish buildings of Pécs.
You can take a virtual walk in the Zsolnay Cultural District by clicking here.
Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music
The Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, also known for Hungarian as ‘Zeneakadémia’ (Academy of Music), is one of the most famous buildings in the capital. Its long-overdue renovation was completed in 2013, and since then it has welcomed students and visitors to concerts in its old splendour. The unique, dazzling building of the Academy of Music can also be visited virtually so that anyone can admire it from the inside, even from the depths of their own bedroom. All you need is a computer or a phone, as the Google Arts & Culture project included the Liszt Ferenc University of Music among many other famous architectural works. Thanks to the panoramic technology and the spherical cameras used, the images can be rotated, and the photos can be easily be enlarged as well.
You can visit the building of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music by clicking here.
If you still crave more art and beauty, we cannot blame you. If that is the case, we recommend reading some of our other articles. These two might give you a headstart: