A wonderful day in Győr, Sopron and the Fertőd Esterházy Palace

Private tour to Győr, Sopron and the Esterhazy Palace in Fertőd

Győr, Sopron and other beautiful towns of Hungary are a longer drive from Budapest, so unfortunately this is not my most popular tour. That is why it is always a special treat to travel near the Austrian border to explore the Baroque architecture, local culture and local food. The weather was not ideal, however, the fog made the towns look even more magical and special. We also had time to visit the absolutely exquisite Esterházy Palace in Fertőd, which I think is the number one attraction in Hungary (it really is a tough race). Thank you for the great experience and I cannot wait to take more people to Győr, Fertőd and Sopron!

Private Herend Porcelain Factory Tour from Budapest

This Private Herend Porcelain Factory Tour from Budapest offers a refined half-day experience into one of Hungary’s most elegant and iconic crafts. If you love craftsmanship, design, and stories hidden behind beautiful objects, this private tour to the Herend Porcelain Factory is a truly special experience.

Although I’ve been offering this visit for several years as part of custom itineraries, it felt like the right moment to make it a standalone tour — because Herend deserves it.

I’ll be honest: I’m genuinely in love with Herend porcelain. It’s unique, elegant, timeless, and unmistakably Hungarian. And every single traveller I’ve taken here so far has been fascinated by what they see.

What makes this tour special?

Herend is not a factory in the modern, industrial sense. It’s a living manufactory, where everything is still made by hand using techniques passed down through generations.

During the visit, you’ll discover:

  • the different stages of porcelain production

  • the delicate work of hand-painting and gilding

  • the incredible precision behind even the smallest details

Seeing the artisans at work makes it clear why Herend porcelain is considered luxury craftsmanship rather than mass production.

Tour details at a glance

  • Duration: approx. 6 hours

  • Departure: from Budapest (private transportation)

  • Includes:

    • private transportation

    • visit to the Herend Porcelain Factory and Museum

    • free time in the shop

  • Style: private, relaxed, unhurried

This tour can also be combined with other countryside stops on request.

Availability – important to know

Available from April to October only

The Mini-Manufactory is closed during the winter months, which is why this tour is seasonal. I always recommend booking well in advance for spring and summer dates.

Is this tour right for you?

This experience is perfect if you:

  • enjoy design, decorative arts, and craftsmanship

  • are curious about Hungarian cultural heritage

  • prefer meaningful, behind-the-scenes experiences

  • value quality over rushing from sight to sight

No prior knowledge of porcelain is needed — just curiosity.

Booking & questions

If you’d like to book the Private Herend Porcelain Factory Tour from Budapest, or if you’d like to customise it (for example, combining it with Lake Balaton or Veszprém), feel free to get in touch.

I’m always happy to help you plan a tour that fits your interests and travel style.

👉 Book the tour here
👉 Contact me with questions

 

 

Szentendre – the postcard village full of charm

Here are a few pictures I took visiting Szentendre with my travellers yesterday. The photographs don’t do any justice to the spectacular little village, but they give you an idea about what you can expect. Szentendre is only a 20-minute drive from Budapest, also, you can take a local train to get there. I’m offering multiple tours to visit the village, the full-day driving tour to the Danube Bend and the half-day Szentendre driving tour. Book now!

 

 

Private daytrip to the lake Balaton from Budapest

The lake Balaton is the number one destination of Hungarians in the summer months. It’s the greatest freshwater lake in Central Europe and is famous for its wine regions, cute little villages, beautiful castles and of course the magnificent views over the lake.

You can book the tour or contact me for further details. I’ll make sure to include in the itinerary all the sights you would like to see.

The mummies of Vác – a fantastic exhibition about life and death in the 18th century

Vác is a cute little town on the left bank of the Danube, it’s some 25 minutes drive from Budapest. The visit of Vác can be included in a customised Danube Bend day trip. It’s such a beautiful Baroque jewellery box, I strongly recommend a short visit. We had been fortunate to tour Vác with my travellers before the borders of Hungary got closed again on the 1st of September.

The mummified remains of 265 people were found in 1994 in the crypt of the Dominican church, they had been laid to rest in hand painted, wooden coffins in the 18th and 19th centuries. The bodies didn’t decompose but were mummified naturally because of the favourable air conditions and dry settings.

The findings were extraordinary and not only because it’s a veritable gold mine for ethnographers about 18th century Hungarian everyday life and funeral traditions. It’s also a fantastic source for medical researches, a large number of tests have been performed by scientists on the mummified remains related to tuberculosis, HIV researches and they could also confirm C section had been performed as early as in the 18th century in Hungary.

The coffins are simply beautiful, all colourful, all hand-painted, all prepared with a lot of care, it’s very much like the fascinating celebration of life and death in a small Vác museum.

 

 

A beautiful day in the Tokaj wine country

We were lucky enough to visit the Tokaj wine region last week, this is one of my favourite tours. We were able to sample some truly amazing wine in Tokaj and Mád, visited the fairytale castle of Boldogkő, saw a beautiful rainbow over the vineyards and had also the chance to see the Mád synagogue.

This was a tour to remember, I hope I can show more and more travellers this beautiful part of Hungary.

 

Looking back at 2019

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 2020!

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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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. 
  • A DAY IN TOKAJ WINE COUNTRY: another day trip, another tour to a beautiful wine region. I love Tokaj and the Tokaj wines and I hope that my travellers who picked this tour in 2019 loved it just as much as I did.

Kalocsa tour

The reason why I love family researches a lot, is because it’s always a great experience to do the research and to find out more about my travellers’ relatives and family who were originally from Hungary. The other reason is that we usually go to beautiful Hungarian villages and towns to see where and how the family members lived 100 or 200 years ago.

Last week we visited the town of Kalocsa which isn’t just another cute little Hungarian town but it’s also famous for the local paprika. We went to see the local Paprika Museum to find out more about the most popular Hungarian spice.

 

Szentendre Light Festival

Szentendre is a little postcard village, one of the three villages we visit on the Danube Bend tour. It’s a very short drive from Budapest and is equally popular among tourists and locals.

This weekend was very special, the entire village was beautifully lit up for the Light Festival. A truly amazing end-of-the-summer wonderland.

 

Must-See: The Upper Castle of Visegrád

If you are planning a day trip from Budapest, the Danube Bend is one of the most rewarding regions to explore — and the Upper Castle of Visegrád (Citadel) is without question one of its highlights.

The Danube Bend tour is one of my most popular private tours, as it combines three very different villages along the Danube River, each with its own character, history, and atmosphere. Among them, Visegrád stands out for its dramatic hilltop fortress and breathtaking panoramic views.

A Fortress Born After Invasion

Visegrád is best known for two historic sites: the Royal Palace and the Upper Castle, both part of a vast system of fortifications built in the 13th century. These defenses were constructed after the devastating Mongol invasion, when Hungary began reinforcing strategically important locations throughout the kingdom.

Perched high above the river, the Upper Castle was designed not only for defense, but also as a safe refuge. According to historical sources, its construction was financed by the wife of King Béla IV, and the site originally served as a place of protection and seclusion.

What You Can See Today

Today, visitors can walk among the impressive remains of the thick stone walls and towers, gaining a real sense of medieval military architecture. The climb up to the citadel is rewarded generously: from the top, the view over the Danube Bend is one of the most iconic panoramas in Hungary.

On a clear day, you can see the river making its dramatic curve between forested hills, with small towns and villages dotting the landscape below. It is an ideal spot for photography — and one of my favorite places to pause during a private tour.

Why Visit the Upper Castle of Visegrád?

  • One of the best panoramic viewpoints in Hungary

  • A key site for understanding medieval Hungarian history

  • Perfectly combined with nearby towns on a Danube Bend day trip

  • Easily accessible from Budapest, yet surrounded by nature

Visiting Visegrád on a Private Tour

The Upper Castle of Visegrád fits beautifully into a full-day Danube Bend itinerary. Visiting with a private guide allows you to move at your own pace, avoid unnecessary crowds, and understand the historical context behind what you are seeing — not just admire the view.

If you are interested in exploring Visegrád together with other highlights of the Danube Bend, this stop is an essential and unforgettable part of the journey.