We were finally very lucky to enjoy a lovely spring weekend with great weather and a lot of sunshine. Yes, our borders are still closed and we have absolutely no idea when travellers can visit our Beautiful Budapest, so here is a short video of the Heroes square – City Park area to get a little taste of the Budapest spring.
Save the date! 20th of March, 2021, Travel From Home Virtual Tours Festival organised by TheWaysBeyond. You’ll have the chance to visit virtually several destinations around the world, I’ll be your virtual tour guide in Beautiful Budapest. Stay tuned!
It’s about time to announce Travel from Home, the first virtual guided tour festival @travelfromhomewithus a new project we have been working on for a while already with our dear partner @beyondromaniatravel and @sofar_virtualtours – a team of smart and passion master students from Sorbonne Nouvelle university.
Get in touch with me if you’d like to schedule a private virtual tour!
Because of the time difference most of my virtual tours these days are delivered after sunset, giving a very special atmosphere to those tours. Besides enjoying the views, learning more about Budapest and its history visitors also have the chance to explore the night scene, with all the magical lights and colours.
Book a tour today to be part of an exciting fairytale!
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.
Another statue with a magical power, meet our Little Princess! She’s sitting near the Danube River at the Marriott hotel. She’s the one who can make all your wishes come true. Just stand in front of her, put your hands on her knees, close your eyes and make a wish!
The Lecsó, or Hungarian ratatouille is a great delight, especially in the summer month as it’s relatively light, compared to the very heavy Hungarian dishes. It’s a very simple vegetable stew you can prepare in 20 minutes. This is a vegetarian version, feel free to add sausage and bacon or fry 3 eggs in the stew if you wish.
Finely chop 1 onion and fry it until golden or light brown in hot vegetable oil. Add salt and pepper and 1 tbsp hot paprika powder. Remove the stalks of 2 lbs yellow bell peppers and cut into thin rings. Add to the onion and fry until translucent.
Slice 1 lb tomatoes and add to the peppers. Simmer gently for 8-10 minutes, cook until soft.
We can cook and other Hungarian dishes together online, book a Virtual Cooking Class and pick your favorite Hungarian meal!
As of today there are 3892 COVID-19 cases in Hungary and 527 people died. This means that the numbers haven’t increased much since the restrictions were lifted about two weeks ago.
That’s again a very good sign showing that hopefully we might leave the pandemic behind us soon and we can start travelling again. Fingers crossed 🙂
It’s also safe to say that Hungary and the neighbouring countries were not as badly affected as other European countries, it might be safer to travel to Hungary than to Italy, France or England. And of course, private tours are much safer than any other group tour.
Restaurants and bars, most of the shops reopened but the touristy places are still deserted and it literally breaks my heart. It’s so sad to see that places that are usually packed with people talking a hundred different languages are practically empty even now.
I don’t know when travel bans will be lifted and when tourists can finally come to my beautiful Budapest but I’m very optimistic and excited. Also, I’m putting together the social distancing tours, they will be uploaded once travelling is safe again. In the meantime, I’m still offering my popular virtual tours.
We’ve been in self isolation for 9 weeks and I have to admit it’s a very long time. But it’s over for now, restrictions are lifted, shops, public areas, parks, restaurants and cafés reopened. We can even go to outdoor swimming pools, museums and the zoo, too. Social distancing measures will continue to apply and it remains compulsory to wear a mask in shops and on public transport in Budapest.
As of today the number of COVID-19 cases in Hungary is 3535 and 462 people died. These numbers are significantly lower than in many Western and Southern European countries, we can’t tell why but think it’s because Hungary was literally locked down very early, on the 16th of March.
We still don’t know when it will be safe to travel again but can’t wait to open our borders to all travellers when it’s safe again!!
Don’t forget, Budapest is waiting for you and of course I won’t stop offering virtual tours:
This is the end of the month of April, this time of the year I’m usually very busy with tours as Budapest is magnificent in the spring months. This year is different, I can only deliver virtual tours, I can only show you my beautiful Budapest on the screen of your laptop or tablet.
As of today the situation in Hungary is still much better than in other European countries. There are 2583 registered cases (probably more but testing here is not as good as in other countries) and 280 people died. We’re in self isolation and can only go out to work, to do grocery shopping or to help relatives. This is the 7th week of self isolation.
I cannot tell you how much I miss travellers and the busy streets of Budapest. I’m devastated to see the deserted streets, cafés and restaurants. But as for now, it’s safer to stay home.
However, I think that summer months will bring us relief and there is light at the end of the tunnel. I hope that with social distancing we’ll be able to deliver some tours. I know that group touring will not possible but that’s maybe a good time for all travellers to try private tours. I’ll offer some special tours once it’s safe to do so, and people who visit my beautiful city will definitely have the most amazing Budapest experience.
I hope to see you soon!!
These are the empty streets of my beautiful Budapest:
Actually, this tour was suggested by one of my travellers, he and his family were mostly interested in our communist history. I customized a 1-hour online tour for them with the virtual visit of the House of Terror Museum and they liked it very much, so this tour is now available on my website.
This tour gives you a comprehensive overview of the Hungarian history in the second half of the 20th century. With a lot of footage and photos from the archives you get a better understanding of our life under Communism. Also, visiting virtually several exhibition halls of the House of Terror Museum makes it a full online experience.
Just like all of my other tours, this one is live and private too, and is fully customizable. Feel free to ask me for more details, or book online!
To be honest, this is my favourite tour these days. I know that it’s difficult to break the monotony of self isolation, all I can offer is an in-depth visit of a specific neighbourhood of Budapest, great stories, and a truly private tour.
You see through my camera what I see: my beautiful Budapest. From the comfort of your armchair you can take a virtual walk around the Parliament building on the Pest side of the Danube river or the magnificent Royal Palace in Buda. You see on your screen all the major attractions and can ask any question you’d like to, as if you were really touring with me around the city that I love the most and I know the best.
You can book 1 or 2 hours and see as much as possible. While you’re on a tour, you’re also supporting Budapest tourism industry devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feel free to contact me for further details or book online! I promise to deliver a special tour customised according to your interests and preferences.
