In southern Pest, at the foot of the Lágymányosi Bridge, right beside the similarly grand National Theatre (which opened five years earlier), this monumental (750,000-square-foot) venue is not just a place where the capital's nouveau riche can spend their forints on a wide array of musical, theatrical, and dance performances in addition to dining in style. As per the title of a brochure advertising its splendors, it is also an "experience in every sense"—much of which is accessible free of charge to anyone who wants to wander around inside. Of course, you first have to make your way to Boráros tér and take the HÉV commuter train one stop—a bit of a bother, but worth it, if you have several days in Budapest. On the outside the place does indeed look palatial, in a very modern sense. The inside, as spacious and as sparkling as it is, contains plenty of intimate, well-cushioned little nooks on all floors on both sides of its National Concert Hall—which occupies its centre—where you can take a seat and ponder life and/or art. Free (performance prices vary). Metro: M3: Ülløi út.
