Garden of Lights Budapest 2026: Beauty and the Beast in the Botanical Garden, Final Season
On this page
For ten weeks this winter, the trees and glasshouses of the university’s botanical garden become the set of a fairy tale. The Garden of Lights fills the ELTE Füvészkert with Beauty and the Beast, and you walk through it in the dark, past a castle, a farmyard and a field of glowing roses, with the fairy tale’s well-known melodies following you round. It is also the last time: the organizers have billed this season as the closing act of the Garden of Lights. If it is on your list, this is the winter to go.
📋 At a Glance
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| 🌹 What it is | A light-art walk through the ELTE Füvészkert botanical garden, this season on a Beauty and the Beast theme |
| 🗓️ Season | 23 October 2026 to 3 January 2027, the final Garden of Lights season |
| 🚫 Closed | 23 and 24 December |
| 🕔 Hours to 9 November | Sunday to Thursday 17:00 to 20:00; Friday, Saturday, public and school holidays 17:00 to 21:00 |
| 🕓 Hours from 10 November | Sunday to Thursday 16:00 to 20:00; Friday, Saturday, public and school holidays 16:00 to 21:00 |
| 🚪 Last entry | 30 minutes before closing |
| 🎫 Day ticket | 5,000 HUF; reduced 4,000 HUF; under 100 cm 200 HUF |
| 👨👩👧 Family ticket | 16,000 HUF (2 adults, 2 children) or 19,000 HUF (2 adults, 3 children) |
| ⏱️ Time needed | About an hour, longer if you linger |
| 📍 Address | ELTE Füvészkert, Illés utca 25, 1083 Budapest (District VIII) |
| 🚋 Getting there | Tram 4 or 6, M3 metro, or buses 9, 72, 83, 99, 909. No parking at the garden |
What you see on the walk
The Füvészkert is a walled garden of old trees, glasshouses and winding paths tucked behind the busy streets of District VIII, and at night it makes a very good stage. This season’s show tells the story of Beauty and the Beast in large, moving light installations built with a lantern technique. Among the scenes the organizers list Belle’s farm, the Beast’s castle, Belle and the Beast themselves, a teapot mother they call “Tea Mama”, a candlestick and a little teacup, along with a light tunnel, a light waterfall, glowing light gates and a field of enchanted roses. Melodies from the story play as you go, and some stops add multimedia effects.
It is not a show you sit and watch. You set your own pace along the route, stop where you like and take as many photos as you want. Families get a story the children already know; couples get a quiet garden in the dark with a castle at the end of it.
Why this season is the one to catch
The organizers call Beauty and the Beast the “closing act” of the Garden of Lights, and their ticket shop lists 2026/27 as the final Garden of Lights season.
If you have seen Lumina Park on Margaret Island, the two are different evenings. Lumina is a long loop around a summer lido and runs until March. The Garden of Lights is smaller, set among trees and glasshouses, closer to the center, and it ends on 3 January.
Tickets and prices
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Day ticket | 5,000 HUF |
| Reduced day ticket (students, pensioners, disabled adults, one companion of a disabled child) | 4,000 HUF |
| Child under 100 cm, or disabled child under 18 (registration ticket) | 200 HUF |
| Family ticket, 2 adults and 2 children | 16,000 HUF |
| Family ticket, 2 adults and 3 children | 19,000 HUF |
| Season pass, unlimited visits | 11,000 HUF |
| Reduced season pass | 9,000 HUF |
| Child season pass (under 100 cm, or disabled under 18) | 500 HUF |
A day ticket is for one entry on a set date, within a set hour. Enter during that hour and you can stay until the garden closes. Bring proof of any discount, because it is checked at the entrance. Tickets cannot be refunded, but day tickets are not in your name, so a friend can use yours if your plans change. Groups of more than 20 get a discount.
Tickets are sold online at gardenoflights.jegy.hu and at the box offices on site, which take cash and bank cards. On weekends and holidays the organizers suggest buying online, which speeds up entry and saves you the box office queue.
Opening hours
| Dates | Sunday to Thursday | Friday, Saturday, public and school holidays |
|---|---|---|
| 23 October to 9 November 2026 | 17:00 to 20:00 | 17:00 to 21:00 |
| 10 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 | 16:00 to 20:00 | 16:00 to 21:00 |
Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. During the autumn school break, through Halloween and All Saints’ Day on 1 November, it opens 17:00 to 21:00 every day, and the ticket desks on site open at 16:45. The garden is closed on 23 and 24 December. Christmas Day, 26 December and 1 January are public holidays, so they run 16:00 to 21:00, and 1 November, All Saints’ Day, runs 17:00 to 21:00. For New Year’s Eve the organizers plan longer hours, which they will publish on gardenoflights.hu.
How to plan your visit
How long it takes. The walk takes about an hour. You can stay until closing, so there is no need to rush the one-hour walk. Book an early hour and you have the whole evening.
Best time to go. A weekday, Sunday to Thursday, is the calmer choice. On Friday, Saturday and holiday evenings, buy online to skip the box office, as the operator recommends. In late October the first hour starts while there is still a little light in the sky; the installations look their best once it is fully dark, so a slightly later slot pays off early in the season. From 10 November the garden opens at 16:00, when December dusk is already falling.
What to wear. You are outdoors for an hour or more on a winter evening. Dress for the weather, and wear shoes that can handle the unpaved paths, which get muddy after rain.
Food and drink. The Szakállas Medve bistro and a food truck are open while the garden is. You can bring your own snacks and soft drinks; alcohol is not allowed in.
Accessibility. The organizers say the route and the toilets are accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. Some sections are unpaved and uneven, which is harder going in wet weather. The show uses flashing lights and sound effects, worth knowing if anyone in your group is sensitive to them.
Who can come. Children under 14 must be with an adult. Pets are not allowed. Photos and videos for your own use are welcome; commercial shoots need the organizers’ permission first.
Combine it with the Christmas markets
The garden pairs well with an evening in the center. Both big Christmas markets, at Vörösmarty tér and in front of St Stephen’s Basilica, open on 13 November 2026 and stay open late, so you can take an early hour in the garden and then ride the M3 straight to Deák Ferenc tér, a few minutes on foot from both markets. Our Christmas markets guide has their hours, and Christmas in Budapest covers the rest of the season.
The free street lights are the other half of the evening: Andrássy út, the lit squares and the facade projection at the Basilica. Our Christmas lights guide maps them out on a walkable route. One thing to plan around: the Garden of Lights closes on 3 January, three days before the street lights come down, so an early-January trip catches the street lights but not this show. If you are coming earlier, our guides to Budapest in November and Budapest in December cover the weather and what else is on.
Getting there
The Füvészkert is at Illés utca 25 in District VIII, a short walk off the Grand Boulevard. The organizers list trams 4 and 6, the M3 metro and buses 9, 72, 83, 99 and 909. The garden has no parking of its own; there is paid street parking and an underground garage at a nearby shopping center, but public transport is the easier choice on a winter evening. The BudapestGO app plans the route from wherever you are staying.
Source: gardenoflights.hu (Hungarian and English pages: theme, final season, opening hours, last entry, prices, ticket rules, accessibility, food, pets, address, public transport and parking), the operator’s ticket shop gardenoflights.jegy.hu (scenes and characters, season dates, closure on 23 and 24 December, final season, time slots) and the ELTE Füvészkert’s opening notice, all read 26 October 2026; Christmas market dates from adventbazilika.hu and vorosmartyclassicxmas.hu, read October 2026; the operator’s Facebook post of 23 October 2026 (autumn break hours, ticket desks).
Related Articles
Good to know
When is the Garden of Lights open in 2026?
From 23 October 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed on 23 and 24 December. Until 9 November the garden opens 17:00 to 20:00 Sunday to Thursday and 17:00 to 21:00 on Friday, Saturday, public holidays and school holidays. From 10 November it opens an hour earlier: 16:00 to 20:00 Sunday to Thursday and 16:00 to 21:00 on Friday, Saturday, public holidays and school holidays. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. The organizers will publish longer New Year's Eve hours on gardenoflights.hu.
How much are Garden of Lights tickets?
A full-price day ticket is 5,000 HUF. The reduced ticket, 4,000 HUF, is for students, pensioners and disabled adults, and also covers one companion of a disabled child. Children under 100 cm and disabled children under 18 need a 200 HUF registration ticket. A family ticket is 16,000 HUF for two adults and two children or 19,000 HUF for two adults and three. A season pass for unlimited visits is 11,000 HUF, 9,000 HUF reduced and 500 HUF for children under 100 cm. Bring proof of any discount to the gate.
Is this really the last Garden of Lights?
The organizers say so. Their site calls Beauty and the Beast the closing act of the Garden of Lights and this season your last chance to see it.
Do I have to arrive at the time on my ticket?
You have to enter within the hour your ticket is for. After that there is no time limit: you can walk the garden until it closes. Tickets cannot be refunded, but day tickets are not in your name, so you can give one away if your plans change.
Can I buy Garden of Lights tickets at the gate?
Yes. The box offices take cash and bank cards. On weekends and holidays the organizers suggest buying online at gardenoflights.jegy.hu to skip the queue at the box office.
Is the Garden of Lights open at Christmas?
It is closed on 23 and 24 December. On 25 and 26 December and on 1 January it runs on holiday hours, 16:00 to 21:00. The last day of the season is Sunday 3 January 2027.
Is the Garden of Lights wheelchair and stroller accessible?
The organizers say the whole route and the toilets are accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. Some paths in the garden are unpaved and uneven, and they get harder to use after rain, so allow extra time in wet weather. The show uses flashing lights and sound effects.
Can I bring food, drink or a dog?
You can bring your own snacks and soft drinks, but alcohol is not allowed in. The Szakállas Medve bistro and a food truck are open during opening hours. Pets are not allowed, following the botanical garden's own rules. Children under 14 must come with an adult.
Book it, skip the counter
Prices checked 2026-10-26. Booking through these links supports the site at no extra cost to you. How this works.