I’m happy to have met realy great people and to have had the chance to show them around my beautiful Budapest and some of the Hungarian countryside, too. It was a real pleasure!
That’s a Hungarian saying, that’s probably how Hungarians try to find some comfort when they can’t see the sun for weeks. Budapest really is beautiful all year around but it shows most of its splendor in the sun.
Originally they were all built as single family homes, most of them were designed by the same architect so that the avenue has a harmonious look. They symbolize old wealth and old aristocracy. I’m happy to show you around our beautiful Andrassy avenue and tell you the stories of these beautiful buildings.
My favorite part of the year Budapest is getting more colorful and beautiful ever day. This is cherry blossom in the Buda Castle District. Come and see for yourself!
I keep revising and changing this list as I often try new places. I’m a big foodie and I’m happy to take you to a Budapest Foodie tour so that you can taste the best local treats.
These are my personal favorite restaurants in April 2019:
- Stand Restaurant (with 1 Michelin Star they got in 2019)
- Wine Kitchen (with 1 Michelin Star)
- Rézkakas Bistro
- Mazel Tov
- Aszu Restaurant
- Kazimir Bistro
- Spinoza
- Café Kör
- Kőleves
- Budapest Bistro
Working as a tour guide I often get the question whether I find my job boring, doing the same thing every day. Well, no. First of all, I spend all my time in Budapest, my favorite city, the place I lived all my life and I’m the most proud of. And of course I meet so many different people, you, my travellers make sure that every tour, every moment is unique and special.
Have a look at some of my favorite Instagram pictures from last year to see how many different shapes of Budapest I’m fortunate to see every single day.
There’s something I’ve noticed recently: wherever I go in Budapest, there is love. Come and join me for a tour if you want to see it for yourself!
I’m starting a new series to introduce you the most famous statues of Budapest and some of the hidden gems, too. These are the beautiful monuments of Budapest we usually see on our walking or driving tours in Buda and Pest.
The statues and the WW1 exhibit are near the Royal Garden Bazaar at the Danube River. I very often say that we know so much about WW2 but very little about WW1, this exhibit shows everything you need to know about the Great War which also defined the rest of the 20th century.
With over 250 tours I delivered last year I can’t tell how fortunate I am to show my travellers around the city and the country I love the most. This is my home, my birthplace and I’m looking forward to introducing it to even more people in 2019!
I’ve just had a look at which my most popular tours were last year:
- “THE GRAND BUDAPEST” WALK: a great introduction of Budapest to first time visitors or travellers who only have one day to see the main highlights and some of the hidden gems.
- BUDAPEST FOODIE TOUR: as I also work for a Hungarian food magazin, I’m really happy to take you to local markets and little artisan food shops and to make sure you taste all the great Hungarian treats.
- JEWISH QUARTER WALK: including the visit of the world’s second largest synagogue and a walk in the ghetto which is today the Soho of Budapest with great cultural and creative vibes.
- DANUBE BEND TOUR BY CAR: it’s a relatively short drive from Budapest and in only one day I can show you three very different little Hungarian villages and the stunning view over the bend of the Danube river.
- EGER AND WINE TOUR BY CAR: we love our wines and we love our wine countries, Eger, the postcard-like Baroque little town is famous for the Bull’s Blood, the great Hungarian red wine.
Wishing you all a Very Happy New Year from the top of the Buda Castle district!
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
We had the most exciting tour today about the Hungarian Samizdat press. I had the privilege to work with Kö
zgazdasági 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.
Bathing and bathing culture have always been an important part of our everyday life. According to a survey I’ve just read 30% of the locals go to the baths regularly. It’s fun, very relaxing and has healing effects, too. I can show you some of the most authentic Budapest baths if you join me for a tour.
The Gellért bathhouse is the most elegant bath complex of Budapest. The building is one of the most amazing pieces of the Budapest Art Nouveau and opened in 1918. When you have a look at the richly ornate facade of the building its hard to imagine that before the construction of the elegant hotel, the place had been referred to as to the muddy baths, where both people and animals had their regular bath.
The thermal baths are fed by the mineral hot springs of the Gellért hill. The water is rich in calcium, magnesium, hydrocarbonate and sulfate. The water temperature varies from 35 °C to 40 °C.
Don’t miss the Turkish section where the walls are so nicely decorated with colorful mosaics. The bath can be visited throughout the year, if you happen to be in Budapest in the summer, you can also take advantage of the outdoor wave pool.
My two greatest passions are tour guiding and photography. I’ve been involved in photography in a way or another my entire adult life and I always try to catch the beauty I see walking around Budapest every day. Some of my pictures are on Instagram, too: – https://www.instagram.com/kravianszky/
Wishing you a very happy and prosperous new year from the top of the Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest.
The truly amazing atmosphere of Budapest during the Christmas holidays, all the beautiful lights, gold and glitter of the city I love so much.
I’m the extremely proud winner of Travel and Hospitality Awards’ Private Tour Company – of the Year 2018 in Hungary. This is an award I appreciate a lot and it’s also a great feedback showing that my guests are happy with my services as their private Budapest tour guide. It’s time to celebrate!
Budapest is beautiful day and night, surprisingly it’s like a totally different town when darkness falls. I enjoy very much touring in the city when one can enjoy its amazing lights especially looking at them from the Buda hills. Join my “The lights of Budapest” tour, so that I can show you the nicely lit buildings and tell you more about the stories of my city.
We decided to celebrate the National Day by hiking around the beautiful Buda hills. We hoped to enjoy some splendid view over Budapest from the top of the Elisabeth tower but couldn’t wait until the fog eventually lifted. It was a beautiful day shared with many other hikers who visited the area despite the sad weather.
I’m not exactly the person who gets invited to the Presidential Palace very often but we were very lucky with my guests last weekend when the doors of the Sándor Palace were open and the public could walk around the beautifully designed interior.
Compared to the relatively simple outside the interior is surprisingly richly ornate, at times I felt like walking around the Versailles Palace. The building is from 1806 and was the residence of the country’s prime minister from 1867. That’s when Queen Elisabeth or Sisi visited the handsome count Andrássy several times after enjoying a performance at the Castle Theatre next door.
The building was restored and became the seat of the offices of the President in 2003, the actual furnitures are reproductions of the originals. The entire restoration was conducted in accordance with the original blueprints. The garden is absolutely stunning with a great view over the Pest side. There is no guarantee we can tour the interior when you book a tour in the Buda Castle district but I’ll find a way to show you something just as beautiful as the Sándor Palace.
