Budapest Grand Walk

Walking is by far the best way to explore Budapest—and the only way to truly discover the details hidden amongst the city’s streets. This tour visits a mix of many of the city’s major sights and lesser-known ones which we believe should not be missed. Focusing on the history of the city and the country, this tour covers a large area of the city, squeezing in many places of interest (and lots of information). Think of it as an advanced level introduction to Budapest.

We’ll begin in the Pest Palace district with a glass of sparkling wine, as we get our bearings. In this neighborhood we’ll see some stunning buildings (many of which have seen better days) including the Hungarian National Radio Building (which was an important site during the 1956 Revolution) and the National Museum. Many buildings in this neighborhood were once aristocratic palaces.

We’ll briefly check out the neighboring Jewish District, and see the Grand Synagogue (Europe’s largest!), the Gozsdu udvar complex, and bustling Király utca. In addition to seeing grand public spaces such as Kossuth tér, Szabadság tér, and Heroes’ square, we’ll see grand and eclectic architecture such as The Postal Savings Bank building (built by Ödön Lechner, the Gaudi of Hungary), the Academy of Sciences (founded by statesman Count István Széchenyi), buildings on Andrássy út such as the Opera and the Ballet Institute, among many others.

We’ll see monuments including the heartbreaking Shoes on the Danube Holocaust memorial and the Soviet Monument. You’ll also learn why there is memorial to characters such as a US major, and Ronald Reagan. We’ll hop on continental Europe’s oldest metro line (so we can cover more ground), and we’ll also stop for a coffee break at one of our favorite cafés.

Budapest has layers of history, and this tour will reveal them through the telling of the stories of the buildings and streets, as well as the important players in Hungarian history from kings, dictators, and freedom fighters to architects, writers, and politicians. You’ll get a good overview of the city, while covering lots of ground (approximately 3 miles) on this walk.

Travel Tip

Make it a full day! We designed the Budapest Grand Walk to complement the Culinary Walk. The Grand Walk begins where the Culinary Walk ends, so it’s convenient to take these tours on the same day!