Budapest Urban Explorer

Budapest Urban Explorer provides a rare chance to traverse the capital and discover its secrets with a friendly private guide in the form of a three-hour-long walking tour. Participants will have the opportunity to roam the streets and not only pass by, but understand magnificent and pompous buildings like the Parliament building, the St. Stephen's Basilica, to comprehend the gravity of memorials like the Shoes on the Danube, to explore the hidden ruin pubs and synagoges of the vivid and hip Jewish quarter and discover the departed elegance of the once opulent Palace quarter on the Pest side of the city. After strolling past the National Museum and the Great Market Hall, the tour takes its voyagers across Liberty Bridge and the Danube river, arriving on the Buda side. It will end with a peek into the entrance hall of the flamboyant Gellért Bath followed by a rest in a local café, while the guide will make sure everyone leaves with a basic understanding of Hungarian history and culture.

After meeting your guide at the hotel reception at 10 a.m. you'll start the three-hour long walking tour with the imposing Parliament building and the scenic, colorful view of the opposite side of the river in the northern part of central Budapest. The historical discussion will begin there and continue with a stroll across Liberty Square - an elegant green dappled with fascinating monuments, showy architecture, and prestigious institutions of both the past and the present - before heading to see the Shoes on the Danube monument to learn about the physical and social devastation of the Second World War in Hungary.

Afterwards, you'll wander towards St. Stephen's Basilica - a massive church exactly equal in height with the Parliament building-, and Andrássy út, a belle-epoque boulevard that today is a world heritage sight and home not only to designer clothing stores and top restaurants, but institutions like the National Opera House which captures visitors with its Neo-Renaissance beauty.

Heading down to the Jewish quarter from there, voyagers can experience a truly enchanting and mysterious atmosphere where tradition and modernity live side by side. Looking up to the enigmatical towers of the synagoges, you'll hear stories about the once flourishing Jewish community as well as the recent revival of the tattered district, and have the chance to visit an upscale ruin pub with a retro design and vibrant life. You will also learn about Hungarian snacks passing by some food tracks.

To continue the tour, you'll find out how the elite lived in the once luxurious palace district, what happened to them during the Communist era, and why the revolution broke out in Budapest in 1956. The area, although a shadow of its former opulent self, still possesses a unique charm and sense of past glory.

Not far from there is the Great Market Hall of Budapest, the prefect place to learn about and experience the culinary habits of the run-of-the-mill citizen of Budapest and wittness everyday scenes from the lives of the people who live here. You can also learn about the main spice of Hungary: the paprika and buy some if you wish. Your guide will explain some recipes of typical Hungarian dishes, not leaving out the tricks and the habits either. As you exit the market and cross the river via Liberty Bridge, you'll be able to see the whole city as one, with the hills on the Buda side contrasted by the expansive and grandiose Pest side, with embellishing bridges connecting the two. It is interesting to hear the ambivalent and surprising history of the impressive Liberty Statue on Gellért Hill which recently became one of the city's symbols. 

Arriving in Buda on Gellért tér, the tour will end with a peek into the Gellért Bath to see the Art Nouveau interior and learn about the centuries-old bathing culture and thermal baths of Budapest before taking a well-deserved rest and enjoying a specialty coffee or a tea in a local café with magical atmosphere.