Budapest Tour: Homepage

Topics: Introduction * Philosophy * Which private tours will be given * What's the meaning of the private tours * How the private tours will be held * Who's your guide * Interested?

News for the 2014 season:
The prices are the same as in 2013 / With regard to the cooperation on the Sultans Trail, the long distance hiking pad from Vienna to Istanbul, will be in the spring of 2014 a private tour available about Turkish Budapest / From this moment on also bigger groups are able to book a tour at "Boedapest Rondleiding" or asking the help of Julius for making reservations in restaurants or arranging tickets for concerts. See for the possibilities this page.
 

Introduction

"Budapest Tour" is a part of the "Szia Budapest" websites about Budapest. To update the information about the private tours uniform an quick on all websites is on January 22, 2013 the website "Budapest Tour" launched.

"Budapest Tour" offers you as a visitor of Budapest a variety of unique private tours, during which you never get a standard story. On this homepage a brief introduction about the private tours which be given. (Photo: statue made around cca. 1910 and to find near the entrance of a school in Budapest)

Philosophy

The philosophy behind the private tours which be given, is that you not should know Budapest from a guidebook but from someone who knows the city inside out. A private guide who can show you the city in a unique way. Relaxed and with a lot of background infomation about the culture, the social climate and other current affairs that determines the life in the city.

With all respect for the many (good) guides which have been published about the city, but "Budapest Tour" often sees that people are so busy with reading a guidebook, that they don't notice lots of wonderful things. Things from which you only get knowledge if you literally have walked for hundreds of hours "street in, street out". Not only in the center, but also in the suburbs.

An example: the Kozma utca Jewish cemetery. You can visit this cemetery without any problem on your own. However, the cemetery is and very big and you don't know where the special monuments are located. This because there is no map which shows you the locations and many graves are hidden. Do you want to take for about 45 minutes the tram from the center of Budapest and also 45 minutes traveling back for, let's say, a walk of 30 minutes and miss the most beautiful or special graves? Or do you want to hire a private guide who's able to show you these special monuments.... Simply because this guide has visited the cemetery dozens of times and know how and what.

Julius, the person behind the "Szia Budapest" websites and private guide, also warns you that the city is too big to view everything during one visit. That's impossible. Even with a private tour about for example Bauhaus and New Objectivity architecture, a choice must be made. Seeing everything is impossible in a tour from about approx. 3-4 hours. Then you have to spend many days.

"Budapest Tour" doesn't organize normal city walks during which you only see the so called "highlights". For that purpose there are many others, because Julius wants to make you aware of the other side of Budapest. If you only want to view the standard highlights, then "Budapest Tour" is not suitable for you. But if you want to know the city on an unique way, then you've found the right website.

"Budapest Tour" is independent and and not affiliated to any organization. Neither has "Budapest Tour" agreements with restaurants or bars to bring people to them. At any time your guide will be able to give you an independent advice which restaurants or bars are good during your visit.

"Budapest Tour" is also easy accessible. The transfer of knowledge is more important than to become infinitely rich. Therefore, low prices be applied. Children under the age of 16 and accompanied by a parent or parents can join for free and students in possession of a valid student card will receive a discount of 50% on the normal prices.

Which private tours will be given

"Budapest Tour" has developed a number of private tours which you can view in the menu at the left side of this website. An complete overview, with brief descriptions for each tour, you also can find on this page. Beside it's possible to organize private tours based on your wishes. If Julius don't have the required knowledge to give such a tour by him self, then he can, on your request, hire experts on the subject of the desired private tour.

What's the meaning of the private tours

All private tours are organized around a central theme such as "Early Art Nouveau buildings 1897-1905". That gets the most attention during the tour but Julius also tells you about other things which during a tour can be seen or tells you about the life in the city. Basically all private tours last between 3 and 4 hours during which you, at your own request, can announce when you like to drink something or to make a sanitary stop.

How the private tours will be held

Quite simply: by foot or with the use of the excellent public transport available in the city. That is the best way to really discover a city and you'll see much more than if you take a taxi or minivan which drives you from building to building. If you are disabled this can be, of course, done on this way but you see, to be honest, less.

Who's your guide

Julius Palacinka, the (artist)name used by the person behind the websites and in the meantime better known under that name than his original Dutch name. Dutchman by birth and since March 2011 permanently living in Budapest. But visiting the city since 1989 and therefore a huge knowledge. Always visiting pubs where young people are coming, just to stay young. The luxury restaurants, where three waiters standing behind your chair, he likes less. Much reading about Budapest, getting a lot of information of friends and, above all, daily walking in the city during many hours. Therefore able to show Budapest in a way that only a few others are able to. Knowledge of small-scale concerts and other activities and therefore Julius also can be helpful on this subject. No day is the same and thanks to the quality to be flexible, he's able to respond quickly on current events.

Interested?

Are you interested in a private tour? Then use the contactform form which you can find on the website. Of course it's also possible to ask questions or anything else get out of your system. Julius hopes, just as in 2011, 2012 and 2013, also in 2014 tens of people tell about his love, but also critics, for Budapest and show you the city on an unique way.

The logo is based on a couple of private tours which be given. The building on the frontside is one of the most beautiful designs by the architect Ödön Lechner and has e.g. Zsolnay tiles. The hills at the background, especially at the right side, you will visit during one of the nature walks given by "Budapest Tour".

(Last modification: December 22, 2013)