Royal Palace in Visegrád

When we are touring the Danube Bend I usually try to include the visit of the Castle complex including the Upper Castle and the Royal Palace, too.

The miracle that we are able to see how royals lived in the 15th century is due to a passionate Hungarian archeologist who had discovered the ruins of the palace in an orchid, we are tremendously grateful to the archeologists who recreated the lavish interiors of the Gothic-Renaissance palace.

The barely 5.000 sq feet stone house built in the 1300’s was rebuilt and extended several times and transformed to a fabulous royal residence with 350 rooms by King Matthias. Legend is that marble fountains were filled with red wine in the 15th century. The Gothic cloisters, Renaissance loggia, living quarters of our kings and queens, amazing fountains and gardens are to be seen in the Palace as well as items and relics from the Middle Ages.

 

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A Must-See: the City Park

The second largest park of Budapest, the locals’ favorite, a beautiful green oasis in the middle of Pest. There are so many things to do and to see in the City Park. You can visit the 150-year-old Budapest Zoo, the City Circus, enjoy the truly relaxing warm water of Széchenyi bathhouse, admire the various architectures of Vajdahunyad Castle or simply have a picnic topped with a boat ride on the lake.

Budapest City Park
Budapest City Park
Budapest City Park

A Must-See: Füvészkert Botanical Garden

Although Füvészkert seems to be hard to pronounce but it’s surely woth a try, as it’s a true hidden gem in  the 8th district of Budapest.

The oldest and largest botanical garden of the city is from the 1770’s and is home to more than 7.000 plant species on a 3-acre area. The 150-year-old Chinese gingko is the oldest tree in the park.

You can admire the tropical and subtropical plants in the Palm House, Amazonas water lily in the Victoria glass house and the rich collection of palms, cactuses, bromelias and orchids. It’s one of the major locations in Ferenc Molnár’s ‘Paul Street Boys’, a famous Hungarian novel.

Budapest Fuveszkert Botanical Garden
Budapest Fuveszkert Botanical Garden
Budapest Fuveszkert Botanical Garden
Budapest Fuveszkert Botanical Garden
Budapest Fuveszkert Botanical Garden
Budapest Fuveszkert Botanical Garden

The Parliament by night

I love the evening tours, I tell my guests all the time that Budapest has two entirely different faces as it looks different during the day and during the night. My favorite building is the Parliament, it looks like a magnificent gingerbread cake with all the lights and colors of the night.

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Margaret Island

The largest Budapest park, the place chosen by princess Margaret when she gave up her life as a princess and started a new life in the monastery or an island where lepers lived isolated a long time ago; it is literally the favorite park of the Budapesters. I’m not a big fan of comparing places to other places but I can tell that it’s like our very own Central Park.

Unfortunately we very rarely include the visit of the island in the tours, because it’s a rather long walk from the city center. Still, when we do, my guests always appreciate it because it’s pretty, unique and it’s also an off-the-beaten-path experience.

The best method to discover the island is to rent a special bicycle for maximum 6 people. I’d suggest to ride all the way from the south to the north and not to miss the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, the small zoo, the Water Tower. Also, take some time to enjoy the music of the Musical Fountain.

 

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Filming the Communist tour with Trabant

I’m very much honoured because my Trabant tour will be included in a French TV show about Budapest. The idea is a really good one, it gives tips and recommendations about what to do in my lovely city when you visit Budapest for 2-3 days.

The filming was a very special experience for me, I can’t wait to see the cut version which I’ll share once I have it.

 

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36 Hours in Budapest by The New York Times

 I’ve received this article from three guests of mine at different occasions – and thank you so much guys for your preparations before your actual trip to Budapest. I need to tell that most of the places recommended by The New York Times are both fun and nice, still, I have the impression I can show you so much more when you come to visit my beautiful city.

Feel free to ask for my special recommendations!

A Must-See: the Széchenyi baths

To show how much local people love the Széchenyi baths, I can tell you that we also have a nickname for it and call it simply ‘Szecska’. It opened in 1913 and has a total of 18 indoor and outdoor swimming pools. It’s one of the most richly ornate buildings of the city with an architecture combining Neo-Renaissance and Classicist elements. One really has to see the main foyer where both the statues and mosaics are all realted to water and bathing culture.

I only recommend going to the Szecska in the summer for those who don’t mind crowds but it’s really quiet and enjoyable in the winter. I can take you to the Széchenyi if you book the Baths of Budapest  walking tour with me.

More information about prices and opening hours.

 

  • Budapest Baths Private Walking Tour
  • Budapest Baths Private Walking Tour

BUDET – a special tour about Hungarian Samizdat

We had the most exciting tour today about the Hungarian Samizdat press. I had the privilege to work with Közgazdasági Politechnikum in this great project: Building Democratic Europe Together – http://budet.poli.hu/

My tour’s focus was the illegal, uncensored production, publishing and distribution of books and articles which couldn’t have been published in the Communist regime. It was all about conspiracy, clandestine operations and about how the state and state security tried to liquidate the entire movement, but more importantly my tour was about the desire to exercise free speech and free press, essential pillars of our new democracy.

It was great to see the enthusiasm of both students and teachers and I’m very proud to have been part of it.

 

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