Sándor Palace

Castle District


This imposing neoclassical palace dates back to 1806 and now serves as the official residence of Hungary's president (János Áder who was re-elected to a second five-year term in 2017). You can watch the relatively low-key changing of the guard in front of the palace every hour on the hour from 9am to 5pm.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Castle District attractions

1. Turul Statue

0.06 MILES

To the east of the Habsburg Steps entrance to the palace is a bronze statue from 1905 of the Turul, a hawklike totemic bird that supposedly impregnated…

2. 0km Stone

0.11 MILES

What looks like an elongated concrete doughnut hidden in the bushes off Clark Ádám tér is the 0km stone. All Hungarian roads to and from the capital are…

3. Clark Ádám tér

0.12 MILES

Clark Ádám tér, the square named after the 19th-century Scottish engineer Adam Clark (1811–66) who supervised the building of the Szécheny Chain Bridge …

4. Hungarian National Gallery

0.13 MILES

The Hungarian National Gallery is an overwhelming collection spread across four floors and four wings of the palace that traces Hungarian art from the…

5. Museum of Applied Hungarian Folk Art

0.14 MILES

This small museum focuses on folk art from around Hungary. There are impressive collections of fine textiles and embroidery, wood and bone carvings,…

6. Matthias Fountain

0.14 MILES

Facing the Royal Palace’s large courtyard to the northwest is the Romantic-style Matthias Fountain, portraying the young king Matthias Corvinus in hunting…

7. Eugene of Savoy Statue

0.15 MILES

To the southeast of the Habsburg Steps entrance, just in front of the Royal Palace, stands a statue of Eugene of Savoy, the Habsburg prince who wiped out…

8. Royal Palace

0.16 MILES

The former Royal Palace has been razed and rebuilt at least half a dozen times over the past seven centuries. Béla IV established a royal residence here…