Program recommendations for this weekend

Dear Travelers / Budapest Lovers! Let the Trip to Budapest Free Walking Tours Team recommend you some programs to check out before or after joining our free tours in Budapest 🙂

  1. Indoor Beer Festival – 18-19th February in the InterContinental Hotel : The country’s first winter beer festival is taking place this weekend in Budapest. You can find international craft beers, APA, IPA, stout and they also show you the cultural history of these drinks. If you buy your ticket, you have unlimited consumption.
  2. Carnival (Farsang in Hungarian) – 18-19th in Tompa street : it is Carnival season and this time of the year Hungarians organize parties where people dress up in (funny) costumes. In the 9th district of Budapest, in Tompa street, the catering units (restaurants, bars, cafés like B-terv Kávézó, Crafty bar, Manfred bakery, Paletta, San Ramon Caffee) will have Carnival menus or programs. Other bars in Budapest will also have costume parties for sure in these coming days/weeks.
  3. Freeze Festival – 18-20th February, City Park Ice Rink (Városligeti műlyégpálya in Hungarian) : For three days, the City Park Ice Rink will be the venue for this Food Truck Show, music and sports programs. From February 18th to the 20th, the well-known bands of the Hungarian music industry will give concerts, while the ice skating rink will be a place for the participants of the hockey cup, bubble hockey and curling lessons. You can only pay in cash at the event!
  4. Street Food Station – 14-20th February, Könyves Kálmán ringroad 3., next to the gas station : Have a look at and try the food trucks that offer waffels (WafelLand), pulled pork sandwiches (ZabáljCsak!), thai food (by Chaiyo Thai Food Truck) and pizzaburgers (by Pizz’ Burger). There is no entrance fee or preliminary registration, and there is no mandatory consumption plus the venue is family and pet friendly!

Hope we could help you with these recommendations, have fun and see you soon on our Free Budapest Walking Tours and Private Tours! 🙂

Tips for wintertime in Budapest

Things to do during wintertime in Budapest

In this blog article, The Free Budapest Walking Tours Team would like to recommend you a few things that you can do before or after taking a free tour with us during these cold days in the Hungarian capital city!

  • Try some Hungarian Wine in a wine bar! Hungary is traditionally a wine making country. Our wines are not very well known world-wide (except for the Tokaj wine which is a sweet white wine), but believe us, you can find some pretty nice ones for not too expensive. Alcohol can heat you up as well after spending some time wondering around the streets of Budapest in the cold 😉 Let us mention a few wine bars for you: Eazy Wine Bar on Hold street, Drop Shop on on Balassi Bálint street, Di Vino next to the Saint Stephen’s Basilica.
  • Have a hot coffee/drink or brunch/breakfast! Take a walk on Bartók Béla road on the Buda side from the green Liberty bridge and from the Gellért bath and discover its many cafés, there are pretty cool places over there, for example Szatyor, Mitzi, Kelet. A couple of brunch spots: Mindenem on Múzeum ringroad, Á la Maison on Szervita square, Czakó kert on the Buda side, on Czakó street.
  • Go Ice-skating! Europes largest open-air ice-skating rink is waiting for you next to the iconic Heroes’ square in the City Park. You can rent ice-skates in case you left yours at home… 🙂 Here are their opening hours! You can also find a few smaller ice-skating rinks for example next to the Bálna market hall (Fővám square 11-12.) with great views to the Gellért hill on the Buda side of the city until the end of February (if the weather allows).

Hope we can keep you warm during these freezing winter days with these recommendations, see you soon on our Free Tours in Budapest!

Closures/Renovation works in Budapest

Ongoing renovation works in Budapest 2022

Dear Travelers, in this blog post we would like to inform you about some ongoing renovation works and closures in Budapest, we hope that we can make it easier for you to orient yourselves in the Hungarian capital city this way and see everything you would like in a less stressful way! 🙂

  1. Chain Bridge: The most iconic bridge of Budapest, also the first permanent suspension bridge connecting the two sides of the river Danube ready by the 1850’s. There is a long renovation project going on at the moment, supposedly it is going to be ready by the end of 2023. Until that you can choose the closest 2 bridges (white Elisabeth bridge and yellow Margaret bridge) to cross or there is a ferry boat crossing between Pest and Buda right next to the Chain bridge, but there are some phases of the renovation when the boat is not running, please check on THIS website)
  2. Liberty Statue and Citadel on Gellért hill: The highest point of the city center of Budapest, with the altitude of about 235 meters, it has one of the nicest views as well. On the top you can find the Liberty statue and the Citadel, a Fortress built in the 1800’s. The renovation works will last supposedly until the end of 2023. They are building new paths/stairs leading up to the top, new lookout terraces, new green areas and a huge park, a new lake and café. Do not be fooled by the closures around the Liberty Statue while the renovation is going on, you can still go up to the top of the hill to see the views, just follow any paths going upstairs!
  3. Blaha Lujza sqaure: one of the most important traffic junctions in the city center of Budapest (more precisely on the Pest side), it is a metro station as well, metro line nr.2 runs through it. The renovation works are planned to be finished in the first half of the year 2023.
  4. Metro line nr. 3: they are planning to finish the renovations works by the beginning of the year 2023, until that at some sections of the metro line nr.3 replacement buses are running. There are informative boards at the stops/sections where there are works going and replacement buses are running.

We hope you found it useful to read about these ongoing renovations works in our city and see you soon on our Free Budapest Walking Tours, you can find our daily free tour schedule HERE.

Our Holiday Free Tour Schedule

Our Christmas and New Year’s free tour schedule

Dear Travelers, in this blog post let us share our holiday Free Budapest Walking Tours Schedule and a couple of things about how Hungarians celebrate Christmas!

Holiday free tour schedule

  • Free Budapest Walk: Dec.23;24;27,28;30;31 at 10:30 on the Pest side, Elisabeth square
  • Free Buda Castle Walk: Dec.23; 27;28;30;31 at 14:30 on the Buda side, Batthyány square metro station
  • Free Jewish District Walk Dec.23;27;30;31 at 15:30 on the Pest side, Elisabeth square
  • Free Communism Walk Dec.28; 31 at 15:30 on the Pest side, Elisabeth square
  • Free Evening Walk Dec.30 at 18:30 on the Pest side, Elisabeth square

See you soon at our meeting points, we wait for you in our blue uniforms and blue free tour flags! Booking is not mandatory at all, but if you feel safer, you can find the ‘Book now’ button at each of our Budapest Free Tours subpage!

Christmas and New Year in Hungary

Now let’s see how Hungarians celebrate the most important Christian Holiday!

The population of our country is roughly 10 million (2 million people live in the capital city, Budapest). About 70 percent of the Hungarians are Roman Catholic, about 20-30 percent Protestant, and we have 1 percent Jewish in our population.

Traditionally Hungarians celebrate Christmas Eve on the 24th of December. This is the day when Baby Jesus was born, and in our tradition he is the one that brings the presents on the evening of the 24th of December (not Santa Claus). Usually, the nuclear family gets together on the 24th, then on the 25th of December, which is the first day of Christmas, we go and visit the extended family, and this goes on on the 26th and 27th as well. On the 31st we celebrate New Year’s Eve of course, with our friends and/or family.

In one of our previous blog articles, HERE you can read about what the Hungry Hungarians eat around these Holidays! 🙂

Wishing You All Happy Holidays,

The Free Budapest Walking Tours Team

Christmas Market Time 2021

Christmas Market Time in Budapest in 2021

It is that time of the year again… Christmas will be here soon, and so are the Christmas Markets in Budapest. Unfortunately, last year our large Christmas markets were not organized because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but this year they are back, so let us recommend a few locations to you where you can enjoy spicy hot wine, quality presents and souvenirs! These markets offer great opportunities to spend 1 or 2 hours in the city center after you learned about Hungary and Budapest on our free walking tours… 🙂

Vörösmarty Square Christmas Market

Open till the end of 31st of December 2021 (it closes at 1am during the night of the 1st of Jan.), located on the Vörösmarty square, absolutely in the city center, at the final stop of the Metro line nr.1 (which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because it was the first metro line of Continental- Europe in the year 1896).

The square itself has been fully renovated a few years ago and they made the “corridors” between the little wooden houses selling all kinds of goods more spacious than before. This Christmas Market has been organized on the same square in the last about 25 years and has been voted to be one of the best of these kind of fairs. It is a special one, because only Hungarian hand-made products can be sold by Hungarian craftsmen and designers.

Advent by the Saint Stephen’s Basilica

You can visit this Christmas Market on the square in front of the biggest Roman Catholic church of Budapest until the 1st of January 2022. In the online voting of the European Best Destinations, this market in received almost 25,000 votes from 163 countries and was chosen to be the best in Europe for the second year!

These are the two largest and best Christmas Markets this year in the Hungarian capital, but you can also find some nice smaller ones throughout the city center, like at the

Large Christmas Tree on the meeting point of our Free Buda Castle Tour with tour guide in our blue uniform

Batthyány square, Free Buda Castle Tour meeting point

Wishing you nice winter days and safe travels, see you on our Free Budapest Walking Tours and Private Tours soon! 🙂

News in the first half of November

News of the Free Budapest Walking Tours Team on the 11th of November 2021

Dear Travelers! The number of Coronavirus cases have been rising again in many countries, including Hungary as well. However, so far there has not been any strict restrictions made by the Hungarian state, the only restriction regarding travelers as well at the moment in our country and Budapest is that people must wear face masks on public transportation. We will keep you updated on our blog about any upcoming Covid-19 restrictions.

Our Free Tours in Budapest will continue running until as late as it is possible! You can see our updated Daily Free Walking Tour Schedule here.

Program recommendations around the 11th of November by our Budapest Free Tour Team

  • November 14th – Vegan Sunday Market on Dob street 19. Stifler House: 25 exhibitors, street food and desserts, free products, CF cosmetics, zero waste products, cheese and meat substitutes, market atmosphere all day long
  • Vintage and Flea Market on Népsziget  (an island on the Danube in Budapest), on the 14th of November: a family- and dog-friendly flea market and vintage fair not far from the city center. In addition to the treasure hunt, you can complete the experience with the well-known Hungarian street food, 30 types of LÁNGOS, majestic giant pancakes and, of course, refreshing drinks.
  • Winter Wonderland on the top of Westend City Center Mall from the 14th of November – 31st of December: Roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, ice skating rink, craft fair and carousel. This winter, a real winter wonderland will come to life at the Westend Roof Garden, where young and old alike can find the joy of preparing for the holiday.
  • Many restaurants have special menus on the 11th of November and around this date for Saint Martin’s day. You can try many nice dishes made from goose.

Apart from these programs, see you on our Free Budapest Walking Tours every week from Thursday till Monday (no free tours in Budapest with us on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) 🙂

News of October 2021

News of the Free Budapest Walking Tours Team

We are very glad to see that the mood for travelling has not been declining and so we can keep running our free tours in Budapest! 🙂 You are very welcome to join us every week from Thursday to Monday with or without a booking, we are offering the following walking tours in Budapest at the moment:

  • Free General Budapest Walking Tour (Pest side, meeting point is Elisabeth square)
  • Free Buda Castle Walk (Buda side)
  • Free Jewish Quarter Tour (Pest side, meeting point is Elisabeth square)
  • Free Communism Walking Tour (Pest side, meeting point is Elisabeth square)
  • Free Evening Walk (Pest side, meeting point is Elisabeth square)

For the exact times please have a look at our Daily Tour Schedule HERE!

Programmes in Budapest for the second half of October 2021

  • Celebration of Franz Liszt: Musical rarities, premieres, legendary ensembles, young talents, form-breaking productions, exciting programs – the first International Cultural Liszt Festival starts on October 8 and lasts until October 24, with classical music concerts, opera and dance performances, contemporary music evenings, jazz, world music as well as special literary and fine arts programs await the festival – goers for 17 days. Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, music teacher, and organist of the Romantic era (1811-1886). He got famous in the early nineteenth century for his prodigious virtuosic skill as a pianist. Liszt was a friend, musical promoter and benefactor to many composers of his time, including Frédéric Chopin, Richard Wagner, Hector Berlioz, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Camille Saint-Saëns, Alexander Borodin and so on…
  • Pilinszky János photo exhibition in the Kunsthalle on the Heroes’ square: Exhibition of János Pilinszky’s photographs of more than half a century in the Műcsarnok Chamber Hall. The 66 photos are mainly selected from photographs taken on Pilinszky’s foreign trips: he often photographed sacred buildings, objects, monuments, but on his 1967 trip to London, when the album of the Beatles called Sgt. Pepper was a novelty, he captured young people on the streets. He found their thinking sincere and hopeful then. Pilinszky was one of the greatest Hungarian poets of the 20th century. He is known for his vast influence on postwar Hungarian poetry, his style includes a juxtaposition of Roman Catholic faith and intellectual disenchantment. His poetry often focuses on the underlying sensations of life and death; what furthered his isolation and estrangement was his time as a prisoner of war during World War II and later his life under the communist dictatorship.
  • BUSH (Budapest Showcase Hub) – Music Festival of the Eastern Block: on the evenings of the 21st and 22nd of October you can enjoy showcase concerts by the most exciting Hungarian and foreign, Eastern-European bands in Budapest’s well-known clubs and special venues.

Hope you will enjoy this October with us in Budapest, see you on our Free Budapest Walking Tours and Private Tours! 🙂

 

Autumn News

The arrival of autumn does not mean summer is over. Sure, the leaves might be turning crunchy and the kids are going back to school, but Budapest comes alive in September and October with city-wide celebrations, free sightseeing walking tours and exciting exhibitions.
Besides taking our Free Budapest Walking Tours here are a few tips to get you started…
  • Budapest Wine Festival in September 23-26,  at the Buda Castle area. Hungary’s  winemaking history and traditions are fascinating. The wine is part of our life, plays a huge role in the folklore and traditions of the Hungarians. We are sure that you will leave Budapest with bottles in your suitcase and a newfound love for Hungarian varieties. https://aborfesztival.hu/en
  • There is also a beer festival going in the Corvin area of Budapest: https://fb.me/e/1ebkJyxEO
  • The World of Hunting and Nature Exhibition is an important and influental event that will be held in September 25-October 14. There is so much for the whole family to enjoy! https://onewithnature2021.org/en
Hope to see you soon on our free tours in Budapest on the Elisabeth square or on the Batthyany square! Look for our blue free tour flag and our guides in our blue uniforms at the meeting points!
(Booking is not mandatory, but can be made at each tour’s subpage.)

News

News of the Free Budapest Walking Tours Team at the end of August 2021

Dear Travellers, as you can see on our Home page, we are very happy about the fact that we could restart our free tours in Budapest and many of you have joined us recently! We happily opened more walking tours in Budapest as this month has been passing by.

At the moment we run the following free Budapest walking tours:

Thursdays:

Fridays:

  • 10:30 Free Budapest Tour
  • 14:30 Free Buda Castle Tour
  • 15:30 Free Jewish Quarter Tour & Free Communism Tour
  • 18:30 Free Evening Tour

Saturdays

  • 10:30 Free Budapest Tour
  • 14:30 Free Buda Castle Tour
  • 15:30 Free Communism Tour
  • 18:30 Free Evening Tour

Sundays

  • 10:30 Free Budapest Tour
  • 14:30 Free Buda Castle Tour
  • 15:30 Free Jewish Quarter Tour
  • 18:30 Free Evening Tour

Mondays

  • 10:30 Free Budapest Tour
  • 14:30 Free Buda Castle Tour

Please feel free to join us with or without a booking on the Elisabeth square on the Pest side of the capital and on the Batthyany square on the Buda side (all the free tours meet on the Elisabeth square except for the Buda Castle Tour)

Some other program reccomendation for the second half of this week

From the 31st of August until the 5th of September there is a free beer festival going on with 250 different kinds of beer and some food trucks  on the Liberty square (Szabadsag ter in Hungarian) on the Pest side of the city, close to the Parliament. We visit this square on our Free Communism Walking Tours as well, and we reccommend you to visit this program on your own, too! 🙂 Here is the Facebook link of the event: https://fb.me/e/2vs8C8zFE

Hungary in general is a wine producing country with 22 wine regions, but in recent year there has been a craft beer revolution going on as well, so it is worth trying some of our beers as well!

See you soon on our free Budapest walking tours! 🙂 

20th August – National Holiday

Dear Travelers!

Please note that the 20th of August is a National and bank holiday every year in Hungary. Shopping malls, banks, shop are closed except for some non-stop supermarkets in the city centre.

On this day we celebrate the foundation of the Hungarian state by our first king, Saint Stephen (or Stephen the 1st, who was canonised later).  If you would like to learn more about this, please feel free to join any of our free walking tours in Budapest. We do not run all our free tours as usual, but

we run the following free tours on the 20th of August

  • 10:30 Free Budapest Tours
  • 15:30 Free Jewish quarter Tour

You can join without a booking as well, but if you would like to make sure, you can book your walk on the subpage of each of our free tours by clicking on the “Book now” button.

On the rest of the weekend all our tours run as usual, please see the Daily tour schedule HERE.

Free programs on the 20th of August

Every year (except for last year 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic…) the state organizes huge fireworks in the city centre on the banks of the Danube which is free to join. Please note that there probably will be a crowd, but You can watch the fireworks from the banks of the Danube between Rakoczi bridge and Arpad bridge on both sides of the river. You can also go up to the top of the Gellert hill and the Castle hill.

Some of our museums are also free to visit on the 20th of August!

These museums are: The National Gallery, the National Museum, the Natural History Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, the Aquicum Museum (Roman ruins) and the Hungarian Museum of Agriculture.

Hope to see a lot of you on our Free Budapest Walking Tours soon! 🙂