Budapest City Tour
This Budapest tour provides the highlights of Hungary's capital, known as the Queen of the Danube. The city was once three separate towns, Buda, Old Buda and Pest, on opposite banks of the Danube River. The Chain Bridge, completed in 1849, was the first permanent crossing to link them, and in 1873 the three towns formally united into a single city called Budapest.
On the Pest side of the river your guide takes you past Heroes Square, the State Opera House, the Hungarian Parliament, the Royal Palace and St. Stephen's Basilica. The Hungarian Parliament is Budapest's most recognizable building. Its construction, led by architect Imre Steindl, began during a building boom tied to Hungary's 1896 Millennium Exhibition marking 1,000 years since the Magyar conquest of the Carpathian Basin, though the building itself was not fully completed until the early 1900s. It was designed with the Houses of Parliament in London as a reference point. Heroes Square was also built for the 1896 celebrations: a 36 meter column topped by a statue of the Archangel Gabriel holding St. Stephen's crown stands above equestrian statues of the seven Magyar tribal chieftains, led by Arpad, who settled the region around 896 AD. The colonnade also holds statues of other figures from Hungarian history, which your guide uses to walk you through the country's story.
On the Buda side you explore the Castle District, with its medieval streets and some of the city's most important landmarks. Fishermen's Bastion, with its row of pointed neo-Romanesque towers, was built between 1895 and 1902 on the site of a former fish market and fishermen's guild area, and has since become one of Budapest's most photographed spots. From its terraces you get sweeping views over Pest and the Parliament across the river. Nearby, Matthias Church has origins dating to the 13th century under King Bela IV. It was rebuilt and enlarged several times, with its current form largely the result of a major restoration led by architect Frigyes Schulek between 1874 and 1896. The colorful Zsolnay tile roof and the large murals covering its walls and pillars give the interior a distinctive, almost Eastern feel. Two Hungarian coronations took place here in more recent history, Franz Joseph I in 1867 and Charles IV in 1916.
Before ending the tour, your guide brings you to the top of Gellert Hill for sweeping views over the whole city. At the summit stands the Citadella, a fortress the Habsburgs built between 1850 and 1854, after the 1848-49 revolution, to help keep watch over Budapest.
If you cannot find what you are looking for, our Budapest tours can also be customized to fit your needs. If you have a larger group, we can offer you a private Budapest day trip using a mid-size bus or full size coach. Please contact us with any questions or to receive a customized quote.
Review Location- Budapest 
