Here are seven of Budapest’s lesser-known landmarks – maybe you might know one that’s more obscure?

1. Cave Church

Mass still takes place several times a day in this carved hollow in the rock at the foot of Gellért Hill, where a group of Pauline monks still resides. Hidden away from the world, which is exactly why the monastic Order had it created in the 1930s, the Cave Church was boarded up by the Communists in the 1950s, then reopened in 1989.

Today, it’s a spooky tourist attraction, visitors welcomed with an audio guide in eight languages explaining the history of this unusual place. Tours start with two short films, explaining how a visit to Lourdes by Hungarian pilgrims inspired this unusual place of worship – a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes stands by the glass doors at the main entrance.

Cave Church https://sziklatemplom.hu/eng/, 1114 Budapest, Szent Gellért rakpart 1.

2. Ervin Szabó Library

Few libraries are included on any tourist’s check list of things to see – then again, few libraries feature massive chandeliers. Operating as a standard library for the many students in this university quarter around the National Museum – non-members pay a modest day fee to enter – this ornate building was once the mansion of Count Frigyes Wenckheim.

Like many MPs with country estates in the later 1800s, Wenckheim had a pied-à-terre in what later became known as the Palace Quarter, providing easy access to the nearby national assembly before Parliament was opened in 1904. Later bought by the City and converted into a library, the building has been used over the decades as a film set for stars such as Richard Burton, Bill Nighy and Melissa McCarthy.

Ervin Szabó Library https://fszek.hu/en, 1088 Budapest, Szabó Ervin tér 1.

3. Kiscelli Museum

It’s a steep climb up to this former monastery, built by the noble Zichy dynasty in the 1700s, but well worth it once you reach here. The permanent exhibition presents an urban history of Budapest in two parts, from the Zichy era to the city’s unification in 1873, and then until 1940. Home furnishings, antiques and architectural plans all feature, along with shop signs and the inside of a pharmacy from a century or mor ago.

Temporary exhibitions are a complete cornucopia of life in Budapest, from punk rock to the history of toilets – currently, one focuses on the most mundane square in the Hungarian capital, Nyugati tér.

The lovely grounds are ideal for a stroll, especially in autumn.

Kiscelli Museum http://kiscellimuzeum.hu/eng/, 1037 Budapest, Kiscelli utca 108.

4. Mai Manó Ház

Or the House of Hungarian Photography, in the same building where former court photographer Manó Mai created his own studio in the 1890s. Exhibitions here are temporary but top-notch, such as the current one showcasing the work of the legendary Ruth Orkin from the earlier 20th century. Her images, including the iconic An American Girl in Italy, are on display here until next January.

Less well-known artists have pieces mounted every six weeks in the Paperlab Gallery, which doubles up as the gift shop. The café is also a lovely place to spend an hour or two on Budapest’s Broadway.

The English-language version of the website features a history of the building, referring to its earlier guise as a ‘luxury-bar’. This is complete nonsense. The Arizona was a louche cabaret of international notoriety, where spies, diplomats and bon-vivants convened while showgirls pranced around a revolving stage.

Marcello Mastroianni starred in the cinematic re-enactment of its glory days. A plaque just inside the main door commemorates its martini-tinged heritage.

Mai Manó Ház

https://www.maimano.hu/eng/home-mai-mano-house, 1065 Budapest, Nagymező utca 20.

5. Museum of Commerce and Hospitality

Tucked behind the Aquincum Hotel in Óbuda, in the same house where legendary gourmand writer Gyula Krúdy spent his last days before the war, this wonderful museum allows you to look at how Hungarians shopped generations ago.

The regular temporary exhibitions are fascinatingly niche, delving into advertising of the 1970s or, in the case of one now running until March 2024, the luxury boutique of Alajos Marton, whose ornaments decorated many a Budapest apartment in the 1880s.

This is the kind of everyday social history you don’t see in grander institutions, but might tell you far more about how locals lived than any statue or posed portrait. Eclectic gift shop, too.

Museum of Commerce and Hospitality https://mkvm.hu/en/home/, 1036 Budapest, Korona tér 1.

6. Stamp Museum

Right by the post office where Hársfa and Dob utca meet a block up from the Nagykörút, this surprisingly fascinating museum has more appeal than just to philatelists – although they’ll find jaw-dropping rarities such as the Moldavian Bull’s Heads and Mauritian reprints.

You can trace the history of Hungary through every stamp issued by the nation, including original graphics and first-day envelopes. Ask someone to show you the set produced in Sopron immediately after World War I, when the city had to decide whether to be part of an independent Austria or Hungary. Rumours of the stamp’s existence reached Buckingham Palace, causing inveterate collector George V to dispatch his minion to this border town to snaffle up as many examples as possible.

Stamp Museum http://www.belyegmuzeum.hu/, 1074 Budapest, Hársfa utca 47.

7. Veli Bej

Think Ottoman baths in Budapest, and you conjure up visions of the Rudas and the Király, where bathers have wallowed for centuries since the Turkish era. The Veli Bej has the same heritage, clearly visible from the main octagonal pool and central cupola, but has only become operational once more relatively recently.

Much smaller than other spas you might visit here, the Veli Bej is therefore more intimate and without the tourist hoards you’ll find at the Széchenyi. This means it’s ideal if you’re on your own – you can find your own space in the thermal water or excellent steam sauna and not be bothered.

Visits are limited to three hours each, currently between 3pm-9pm daily, as well as 6am-noon at weekends.

Veli Bej irgalmasrend.hu/site/velibej/home, 1023 Budapest, Árpád fejedelem útja 7.

Words by Peterjon Cresswell for Xpatloop.com
Peterjon has been researching the byways of Budapest for 30 years, extending his expertise across Europe to produce guidebooks for Time Out and his own website liberoguide.com