Buda Castle Private Walking Tour: A Kingdom of Many Nations

5.0 (9 reviews) 3 hours Free cancellation

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Buda Castle Private Walking Tour: A Kingdom of Many Nations — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Buda Castle Private Walking Tour: A Kingdom of Many Nations, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Embark on a 3-hour, private walking tour of Castle Hill; the oldest part of Budapest. In the company of a historian, take a personalized, tour of Buda Castle and the surrounding district filled with narrow, cobblestone streets and Baroque and Gothic facades.

Learn about the fascinating stories behind Matthais Church, the Presidential Palace, the remains of a synagogue from the Middle Ages, and many more of Budapest's culturally and historically significant monuments.

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At a glance

Duration: 3 hours
Confirmation: Confirmed within 48 hours
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 10 people
People per booking: 1–10
Guide: English
Operated by: Insight Cities

What is included

Included

Included: Professional guide
Included: 3-hour guided walk through Castle Hill

Not included

Not included: Food and drinks, unless specified
Not included: Gratuities
Not included: Buda Castle, Matthias Church, & Fisherman's Bastion tickets

Itinerary

Buda Castle

2 hours

Two buildings stand out on Castle Hill, the oldest part of Budapest, known for its narrow and cobbled streets and its baroque and Gothic facades: the massive and imposing palace on the southern tip of the hill and the colored roof of Matthias Church in the middle, with its rank steeple pointing towards the heavens.
Stop 2

15 min

We start our tour at the palace, the ancient seat of royal power. It was rebuilt, extended, changed, burned down and rebuilt again several times over and it got its current eclectic appearances only after World War II. The first to build on Castle Hill was King Béla IV. He erected a fortress on this spot around 1250 after a devastating invasion by Mongolian hordes. In the Renaissance period, King Matthias made it into the most famous court in Europe at the end of the 15th century. Then came the Turkish pashas who ruled the country for over 150 years, followed by a succession of Hapsburg emperors.
National Dance Theatre

Passing by

Discuss the changing function of the building throughout its history.
Sandor Palace

5 min

The Sándor Palace is the official residence of the President of Hungary, and the seat of the Office of the President. It has served as both since 2003. The original palace was build in Neoclassical style in 1806. It was commissioned by Count Vincent Sándor, an aristocrat and a philosopher of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Matthias Church

20 min Admission not included

A highlight of the tour is Matthias Church with its abundantly decorated roof and amazing interior. The church is a very finely executed Neogothic reconstruction fantasy from the end of the 19th century and it is a strikingly beautiful building.
Stop 6

20 min Admission not included

Fisherman's Bastion is an architectural fantasy in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque styles designed and built between 1895 and 1902. Its seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin at the end of the 9th c. The terrace provides one of the most famous panoramic views of the Danube, Margaret Island, Pest and the Gellért Hill.
Stop 7

10 min

Our tour ends at the Vienna Gate, from where you can see all the way to Obuda (Old Buda), where the Romans founded the city then called Aquincum.

Meeting point and pickup

You can be picked up from your accommodation or go straight to the meeting point.

Meeting point

Please meet your guide outside Bálthazár, a hotel with a café Országház utca 31, 1014 Budapest 50m from the first bus stop on Castle hill (which is on the Bécsi kapu tér).

End point

Pickup points

Unless hotel pick up has been arranged, please meet your guide 15 minutes before start time at the default meeting point, Bálthazár, a hotel with a café Országház utca 31, 1014 Budapest 50m from the first bus stop on Castle hill (which is on the Bécsi kapu tér).

Using your ticket

Your tour guides are professors, doctoral students, historians, journalists, art critics, and published authors

Entrance Fees:

Castle Tickets: Adults: 2000 FT (approx. $7.21 USD), Students & Seniors: 1000 FT (approx. $3.61 USD)
Matthias Church: Adults: 1500 FT (approx. $5.41 USD), Students and Seniors: 1000FT (approx. $3.61 USD)
Fisherman Bastion: Adults: 1000 FT (approx. $3.60 USD), Students and Seniors: 500FT (approx. $1.80 USD)