Communist Walking Tour of Budapest Led by Historian

With the help of a historian, this 3 hour walking tour allows you to grasp the “goulash communism” of Budapest’s decades under totalitarianism, the soft dictatorship in which Hungarians had certain liberties in exchange for obedience on major issues. Learn why, for all the suffering of Budapest’s citizens under the communist regime, Hungary was called “the happiest barrack in the Soviet Bloc.”

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Hungarian Parliament Building, Kossuth Ter 1-3, Budapest 1055 Hungary

Traveling by subway to Kossuth Square in front of Parliament, we explore monuments from the 1956 revolution, before continuing to Liberty Square where we discuss aspects of the Cold War before the US Embassy, the monument to the Soviet Army, the statue of Ronald Reagan and an atomic shelter.


Duration: 25 minutes

Stop At: House of Terror Museum, Andrassy ut 60, Budapest 1062 Hungary

We conclude outside the House of Terror, the imposing museum housed in the former headquarters of the communist secret services with a slab of the Berlin Wall in front. (Although the exhibit within is not included in the tour, this is the perfect endpoint for those interested in delving deeper into Hungary’s Cold War experience)



Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Stade Puskas Ferenc, Istvanmezei ut 3-5, Budapest 1146 Hungary

Dropping by the former People’s Stadium (now Puskas Soccer Stadium), with classic socialist realist statues still standing, we can explore the heavy-handed propaganda favored by the regime.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Ronald Reagan Statue, Liberty Square, Budapest Hungary

Discover the Ronald Reagan statue and the Hungarian sense of obligation to this US president for his efforts to bring down the Iron Curtain.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Kossuth Lajos Square, Budapest Hungary

Explore Bem József Square, where the first big demonstration of the 1956 uprising started. On the square is also a coffeehouse that has retained its original interior from the 1960s.

Duration: 25 minutes