The Eclectic-style Parliament, designed by Imre Steindl and completed in 1902, has 691 sumptuously decorated rooms. You’ll get to see several of these and other features on a guided tour of the North Wing: the Golden Staircase; the Dome Hall, where the Crown of St Stephen, the nation’s most important national icon, is on display; the Grand Staircase and its wonderful landing; Loge Hall; and Congress Hall, where the House of Lords of the one-time bicameral assembly sat until 1944.
The building is a blend of architectural styles – neo-Gothic, neo-Romanesque, neobaroque – and in sum it works very well. Tours in eight languages run for 45 minutes; to avoid disappointment book through Jegymester (www.jegymester.hu). The English-language ones are usually at 10am, noon and then hourly on the half-hour till 4.30pm, though there may be additional departures depending on demand.