Matthias Church concert

What you are buying

The ticket is one place at a classical concert in Matthias Church, Szentháromság tér 2, on Buda Castle Hill. The booking page describes music by the Duna String Orchestra with a violin soloist and shows 70 minutes as the duration, though guests describe a little over an hour. A string orchestra gathers violins, violas, cellos and basses, so the sound is warm and layered rather than loud. Pick a date to see its start time. The ticket covers the concert only. It does not sell a daytime visit to the church, which the church arranges for itself, and it does not promise a transfer or a meal.

The church you sit in

Matthias Church is the Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle, and it takes the name Matthias from King Matthias Corvinus, who married twice inside it. The church's own history page places its foundation in 1246 or 1247. Since then it has been rebuilt in the Gothic style, used as a mosque from 1541, and restored on a grand scale by the architect Frigyes Schulek in the late 19th century. Two coronations took place here: Franz Joseph and Elisabeth on 8 June 1867, and Charles IV and Zita on 30 December 1916. Liszt's Hungarian Coronation Mass was first performed at the 1867 celebration. The history guide follows the story from the 13th century onwards.

Read next: History of Matthias Church

What you will hear

The booking page shows a programme called Best of Classic. It names Pachelbel's Canon, a Winter movement and the Gloria by Vivaldi, a Bach violin concerto movement and the Air, Handel's Water Music, Albinoni's Adagio, Saint-Saëns's The Swan, Franck's Panis angelicus, Massenet's Thaïs Meditation and three works by Mozart. Programmes vary by date, so read that list as the style of the evening: well-known baroque and romantic pieces for strings, easy to follow if you rarely go to concerts. The programme guide explains the main pieces, with a fact or two about each that makes it easier to listen to.

Read next: Concert programme explained

Who plays and how it sounds

The booking page names the Duna String Orchestra and a violin soloist. That tells you what to expect: strings only, with the soloist stepping forward for the showpieces. There is no choir and, on the programme shown, no organ, although the church owns a large five-manual organ and is known for its church-music tradition. Guests praise the musicians and the church's acoustics, and one describes the music moving from joyful to solemn, dramatic to triumphant. A stone Gothic nave gives strings a long, warm ring, so a quiet piece like the Air or The Swan can carry across the room.

Choosing a seat category

There are three seating categories, and the calendar marks which are still open on your date. A guest who chose VIP describes the front three pews, close to the musicians. Another guest, who booked late and found only VIP seats left, felt the gap to regular seats was small and would choose the regular ones for the price difference. Some guests would like the sections to be marked more clearly, so arrive in good time and follow the staff's directions. If you care about the choice, book early: it keeps all three categories available to you, and it spares you from picking whatever remains.

Booking, paying and cancelling

Booking happens on GetYourGuide's page, not here. Choose a date and a seat category in the calendar, then reserve and pay later if you want to keep your plans loose. A cancellation made a day or more in advance returns the full fare. The price is shown in US dollars and switches to your own currency at checkout. A concert on a fixed date has a real deadline, so set a reminder if you are still unsure as the day approaches, and check your confirmation for the date and category you chose before you travel up the hill.

What guests say

Guests praise the setting and the musicians, and several single out the acoustics of the church. One writes that the 70-minute performance seemed to go very quickly, and another that the programme took the audience through expressive pieces from joyful to solemn. One adds that seeing the Fisherman's Bastion lit up after the concert gave Castle Hill a different mood from its busier daytime. Another wished people had stayed quiet during the music. The first is a reason to leave a little time at the end, and the second a reminder that conduct in the room depends on those who sit in it.

The church's own concerts and this ticket

The church hosts concerts of its own. Its website says several foreign church choirs and ensembles perform there, with a repertoire that is mostly classical and runs from Gregorian chant through the baroque to the 20th century, and it links this to a church-music tradition going back more than 300 years. That calendar is separate from the ticket on this site, which is for a particular string concert sold through GetYourGuide. If you want a choir, an organ recital or a liturgical programme, look at the church's own events and its ticket office instead.

Read next: Getting to Matthias Church

Compared with other church concerts in Budapest

Budapest has other church concerts, and the choice comes down to the room, the programme and the terms. Matthias Church is a Gothic coronation church with a painted interior and a famous roof, set on the hill beside the Fisherman's Bastion. A baroque church elsewhere in the city offers a different room, and some programmes add a soprano, a choir or an organ to the strings. If the building matters more to you than the programme, this is the one with the history and the setting. If you want voices, compare the tickets before you book, and read the cancellation terms on each.

Who goes, and what to bring

Recent guests on the booking page come from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, so the audience is mostly visitors to Budapest, and the music needs no translation. You can switch the booking page's language and currency before you book. Bring your confirmation and a light layer for a large stone church. If a companion rarely attends concerts, the programme is built from pieces many people already know, which makes it a gentle introduction. Leave your phone silent: the church asks for quiet, and one guest regretted the talking.

Who this isn't for

Skip this ticket if you want a tour of the church by day, a concert with a choir or an organ, a dinner, or a transfer from the hotel. It is also a poor fit if complete silence matters more than the setting, since a guest noted talking during the music. Anyone needing step-free access should ask the church first: Castle Hill is a hill, and the ticket does not describe the way in. And if you would rather hear a larger orchestra in a modern hall, a church concert of this kind is a different evening altogether.