Dohány Street Synagogue — Attraction in Budapest

Ah, the Dohány Street Synagogue—largest in Europe, allegedly. Also the most expensive spiritual pit stop east of the Danube. €100 for three people to step inside a building built in the name of faith, community, and humility? Now that’s what I call Old Testament irony.

Don't get me wrong—it’s stunning. The architecture is Moorish revival on a sugar high, the stained glass is heartbreakingly beautiful, and the memorial tree in the courtyard could punch emotion into even the most jaded traveler. But somewhere between the ticket booth and the “mandatory guided tour,” you start to feel like you’re being spiritually mugged in broad daylight. And you paid for the privilege.

You’re herded through in a cadence so rehearsed it might as well be on Spotify. “Here is the Torah ark,” says the guide, eyes glazed, already moving to the next tragic anecdote before you’ve registered the last. It's like being given a lecture on death and faith while being gently upsold at a duty-free perfume counter.

And look—I’m not here to cheapen history. This place matters. It's sacred ground. Jews were deported from this very courtyard. The synagogue is part museum, part tomb, part stubborn miracle of survival. But when they start charging museum-of-modern-art prices to breathe in the echoes of loss, something’s off. Very off.

Yes, it’s important. Yes, it’s beautiful.

But should faith and memory cost you more than your lunch, your taxi, and your sense of dignity combined?

Hard no.

Come for the history, stay for the existential crisis at the ticket counter. By the end, you’ll feel reverent, sad, inspired… and also like you just got hit with a very tasteful invoice for...

I was absolutely appalled by the treatment of the visitors by the synagogue staff.

I have travelled the world for over 30 years and have never been treated with such disrespect and hostility. Yes, you read that right.

There is a security procedure to go through before entering the synagogue. But instead of investing in x-ray machines, the staff search the visitors' personal belongings by hand in the most unrespectful way.

My handbag was grabbed by a member of staff without even looking at me, and he began to rifle through my things with his bare hands as if he were rummaging through a rubbish bin.

When I politely protested, he reacted with such hostility that my underage daughter stepped behind me.

He asked me if I had a problem with this and I said I did. He then called another security guard in a very demonstrative manner, causing an unnecessary scene.

I tried to explain to both of them that I understood security procedures, but the way this was carried out was unacceptable.

They didn't understand or didn't want to understand.

If they had asked me politely to open my bag, I would have done so. If they treated my belongings respectfully, I would still feel uncomfortable, but I would oblige. If the man wore gloves, like the security guards at the British Museum, I would comply.

But as it was, and as I was treated, I decided not to enter the synagogue, and I never will. Not this one, not any other.

You can't expect respect from others if you don't show respect yourself.

PS. And they did not return the money paid...

DOHANY STREET SYNAGOGUE The Dohany Street Synagogue holds the distinction of being the largest synagogue in Europe and one of the world's largest functioning synagogues, accommodating around 3,000 worshippers. Constructed between 1854 and 1859, the synagogue boasts a Moorish Revival architectural style, uniquely amalgamated with Byzantine, Romantic, and Gothic influences. The Dohany Street Synagogue complex encompasses the Great Synagogue, the Heroes' Temple, the Cemetery, the Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park, as well as the Jewish Museum and Archives. The very street, Dohany Street, holds a poignant Holocaust legacy as it marked the boundary of the Budapest Ghetto. The synagogue fell victim to a bombing by the Hungarian pro-Nazi Arrow Cross Party on February 3, 1939. During World War II, it was repurposed as a base for German Radio and even used as a stable. The building endured substantial damage from aerial raids both during the Nazi Occupation and the Siege of Budapest. Throughout the Communist era, the partially damaged structure once again served as a place of worship for the dwindling Jewish community. Restoration efforts commenced in 1991, funded by both the state and private contributions, culminating in its completion in 1998. In order for men to enter the Great Synagogue, they will be provided with disposable kippahs to wear on...