Aura Bay Budapest: The Light Park With a Dry Half and a Garden Half

Aura Bay is a light park on Óbuda Island in District III: a temperature-controlled indoor route of eight-plus immersive rooms, among them the Mirror Rain room of more than 110,000 light points, that ends in a 5,700 square meter outdoor light garden. It is open Thursday to Monday from 16:00 to 22:30, an advance adult ticket costs 5,000 HUF on Thursdays and Mondays and 5,600 HUF on most Fridays to Sundays (plus a 10% online fee), and you reach it on foot over the H-híd bridge from Szentlélek tér.

📋 Aura Bay at a Glance

Where	Óbudai-sziget (Óbuda Island), 1033 Budapest, over the H-híd bridge from Szentlélek tér
Open	Thursday to Monday 16:00 to 22:30, last entry 21:30; closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Adult ticket	5,000 HUF (Thu, Mon) or 5,600 HUF (most Fri to Sun) in advance, plus 10% online fee
Time to allow	1 to 2 hours; 30 minutes minimum for the indoor rooms alone
Rain-proof part	The indoor rooms, kept at a steady temperature all year; the garden is open air
Getting there	HÉV H5, tram 1 or bus 160 to Szentlélek tér, then a short walk

Which half stays dry when it rains

Aura Bay sells itself as a light park, and the word “park” matters on a wet day. The indoor exhibition covers more than 1,000 square meters and the operator keeps it at a steady temperature in summer and winter. The garden behind it is 5,700 square meters of open air, and the operator asks you to dress for the weather out there.

So on a rainy evening, plan the visit around the rooms. The operator recommends at least 30 minutes for the indoor route, and that is the part the rain cannot touch. Treat the garden as a bonus you take if the shower eases. One practical detail for rain: there is no cloakroom, so your wet coat comes around with you. Backpacks and side bags larger than 30 × 25 × 15 cm must go into the Locky lockers, which take contactless card payment.

If you want an evening that is indoors from start to finish, Cinema Mystica in the Párisi Udvar is the all-roof alternative, and our rainy day guide has a full afternoon of other options.

The rooms, and where Mirror Rain sits

The route runs in a fixed order. A 20-meter light whale marks the gate, then the indoor rooms follow one after another until a 30-meter tunnel lets you out into the garden.

Stop	What it is	Size, per the operator
Memoscape	Interactive point-cloud projection	6 × 6 × 3.5 m
Medúza	Hundreds of hanging light strands, deep-sea theme	6 × 6 × 3.5 m
Lumenwood	Wooden structure with pulsing projected light	8 × 7 × 4 m
Mirror Flux	Mirrors and floating geometric light	8 × 8 × 4 m
Mirror corridor	Tilted mirror walls under a LED ceiling of 9,000 pixels	30 × 2.6 m
Microcosmos	AI-generated visuals that react to your movement	6 × 6 × 3.5 m
Aranyhal (Goldfish)	Touch game: turn the fish gold, clean the water	6 × 6 × 3.5 m
Akvárium	Layered undersea installation	8 × 7 × 4 m
Mirror Rain	A digital rain of 110,000+ light points in mirrors	8 × 8 × 4 m
Bálna Dream	360° audiovisual dome, the whale legend	20 m across, 7 m high

Mirror Rain is the ninth stop, right before the whale dome. The operator describes it as a digital rain of more than 110,000 points of light, reflected without end by the mirrors around you, so the room feels far larger than its eight by eight meters. The house rules shape photography: no flash, no tripod and no selfie stick anywhere in the exhibition. Several floors are mirrored too, and the operator asks visitors to choose their clothes with that in mind, which in practice means pants over a short skirt.

The garden half holds the Talking Heads, two large light faces that change expression, the Blooms Park beds of glowing flowers, a walk-in Pyramid of light, the Kristálykert (Crystal Garden) and Kickit, an interactive light-ball game near the end. The operator says the outdoor pieces work after dark. In November, it is dark within the first hour after the 16:00 opening.

One health note from the house rules: the rooms use flashing light, and anyone with a history of photosensitive epilepsy should talk to a doctor before visiting.

Tickets: weekday, weekend, advance or on the day

Every ticket is for a set date and a 30-minute entry slot. The slot only fixes when you walk in; once inside, you stay as long as you like.

Ticket	Thu, Mon in advance	Thu, Mon on the day	Fri to Sun in advance	Fri to Sun on the day
Adult	5,000 HUF (about $15)	5,600 HUF (about $17)	5,600 HUF (about $17)	6,400 HUF (about $20)
Senior (65+), student (to 25), child (2 to 14), District III resident	3,600 HUF	4,000 HUF	4,000 HUF	4,500 HUF
Family, per person (4 to 7 people, 1 or 2 adults)	4,100 HUF	4,600 HUF	4,600 HUF	5,200 HUF

Prices are in HUF and are paid in the online shop or at the ticket desk. Converted at 1 USD = 325 HUF, the ECB rate on 2 November 2026. Rates move, so treat the converted figures as indicative.

The advance prices carry a 10% online handling fee, which narrows the gap. A weekday adult ticket bought ahead comes to 5,500 HUF against 5,600 HUF at the desk, and a weekend one to 6,160 HUF against 6,400 HUF. What booking ahead really buys is the entry itself: desk tickets depend on free capacity, and the operator names weekday afternoons and whole weekends as the times when you may have to wait. Online ticket holders still check in at the desk, with a separate lane at busy times.

The advance price runs until midnight before your date; bought online on the day itself, a ticket costs the desk price plus the 10% fee.

A few rules worth knowing before you pay:

• Dates are fixed. Timed tickets cannot be refunded or moved. For a good reason such as illness, email the operator at least 24 hours before your slot; a change depends on free capacity.
• Concessions are checked at the desk. Students need a valid student card, District III residents an address card.
• Visitors with disabilities buy a senior ticket, and one companion can too, on showing a Hungarian MÁK certificate or a valid MEOSZ, SINOSZ or MVGYOSZ card. No other discount cards are accepted.
• SZÉP card is not accepted.
• Gift tickets can be bought online and redeemed within 90 days.
• The exact price for your date appears when you pick it in the operator’s ticket section.

With children, strollers and wheelchairs

Under-2s get in free, but only in a carrier worn on the front of your body. Strollers are not allowed into the exhibition rooms, and neither is carrying a child on your back or neck. Children under 14 need an adult with them the whole time. The operator’s own advice on age is that children really understand and enjoy the rooms from the last years of kindergarten. The baby-changing table is in the accessible toilet.

The park is wheelchair accessible. The indoor part is step-free, and a concrete path runs through the first part of the garden. The wooded back section, with the Kristálykert and Kickit, has mulch paths that the operator leaves to your own judgment. Pets stay at home: the strong sound and light are the reason given, and only guide dogs may enter.

For more ideas with children, see our family programs in Budapest.

Getting to Óbuda Island

The address is simply 1033 Budapest, Óbudai-sziget. You reach the island over the H-híd bridge, and banners and signs take you to the entrance once you are across.

• HÉV H5: get off at Szentlélek tér; from there it is a short walk.
• Tram 1 and bus 160: both stop at Szentlélek tér.
• Taxi: it can take you as far as the H-híd bridge, a few minutes on foot from the gate.
• Car: drive onto the island over the H-híd and park in the paid parking lot next to the entrance. Parking anywhere else on the island is forbidden. The operator’s site does not list the fee.

Food and drink cannot go into the exhibition rooms. An outdoor catering stand runs on site.

Pairing it with the rest of your day

Aura Bay opens late in the afternoon, so the morning is free for Óbuda. The Roman ruins and museum at Aquincum are a few HÉV stops north, a natural first half of the day. Do not confuse Aura Bay with Lumina Park, the seasonal light garden on Margaret Island; they are separate operators on separate islands. And if your trip falls this month, our Budapest in November guide covers the weather you are dodging.

Aura Bay

What is it? A light park on Óbuda Island: a fixed route through temperature-controlled indoor immersive rooms, Mirror Rain among them, followed by an outdoor light garden.

Why it’s worth it It is an evening plan for groups who do not share a language, for families with kindergarten-age children and up, and for a damp night when a bar is not the answer. The weakness: the garden half is at the mercy of the weather, and on a wet night you may only get the indoor route, which the operator says needs at least 30 minutes.

Insider tip Book the slot online and come on a Thursday or Monday, when every ticket type costs less than on most weekend dates.

The facts 1033 Budapest, Óbudai-sziget, over the H-híd bridge from Szentlélek tér (HÉV H5, tram 1, bus 160). Thursday to Monday 16:00 to 22:30, last entry 21:30, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Adult 5,000 to 6,400 HUF depending on day and how you buy, concessions from 3,600 HUF, under-2s free. Paid parking next to the entrance only. Contact: info@aurabay.hu, +36 70 370 7037 during opening hours.

Source: aurabay.hu (hours, address, rooms, ticket prices for November 2026 dates, getting there), the operator’s FAQ and house rules, checked 3 November 2026.