Full day private Budapest tour by car/ minivan

Full day private Budapest tour by car/ minivan

You can see the most important sights also of the Pest and the Buda side during this 8 hour long tour. This time is enough to explore the city more deeply and get a lot of information about Hungarian history, culture, arts, politics, gastronomy, people - and about anything what you want.

Sightseeing by car is more comfortable and less tiring - and allows more time to spend in all places.

If you are more in number than 3, I can arrange a minivan or a bus.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Heroes' Square, Andrassy Avenue Next to City Park in the VI. District, Budapest 1062 Hungary

One of the major squares in Budapest, noted for its iconic statue complex featuring the Seven chieftains of the Hungarians and other important Hungarian national leaders, as well as the Memorial Stone of Heroes, often erroneously referred as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The square lies at the outbound end of Andrássy Avenue next to City Park (Városliget). It hosts the Museum of Fine Arts and the Műcsarnok. The square has played an important part in contemporary Hungarian history and has been a host to many political events, such as the reburial of Imre Nagy in 1989.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Vajdahunyad Castle (Vajdahunyadvar), Vajdahunyad var Varosliget, Budapest 1146 Hungary

The castle in the City Park of Budapest was built in 1896 as part of the Millennial Exhibition which celebrated the 1.000 years of Hungary since the Hungarian Conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895. The castle was designed by Ignác Alpár to feature copies of several landmark buildings from different parts the Kingdom of Hungary, especially the Hunyad Castle in Transylvania (now in Romania). As the castle contains parts of buildings from various time periods, it displays different architectural styles: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque. Originally, it was made from cardboard and wood, but it became so popular that it was rebuilt from stone and brick between 1904 and 1908. Today, it houses the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture, the biggest agricultural museum in Europe.
The statue of the chronicler Anonymus (by Miklós Ligeti) is also displayed in the castle court. Anonymus lived in the 12th century (his true identity is unknown, but he was a notary of Béla III of Hungary), who wrote the chronicle Gesta Hungarorum (Deeds of the Hungarians).
The castle contains a statue of Béla Lugosi, as well, who was a Hungarian-American actor famous for portraying Count Dracula in the original 1931 film.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Szechenyi Baths and Pool, Allatkerti korut 9-11., Budapest 1146 Hungary

The Széchenyi Medicinal Bath in Budapest (IPA: [seːtʃeːɲi], Hungarian: Széchenyi gyógyfürdő) is the largest medicinal bath in Europe. Its water is supplied by two thermal springs, their temperature is 74 °C (165 °F) and 77 °C (171 °F).
Components of the thermal water include sulfate, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate and a significant amount of metaboric acid and fluoride.
During the planning phase from the 1880s, the bath had originally been referred to as the Artesian spa (Artézi fürdő), but when it opened on June 16, 1913, it was officially named Széchenyi spa after István Széchenyi.
The bath, located in the City Park, was built in Neo-Baroque style to the design of Győző Czigler. The pool construction cost approximately 3.9 million Austro-Hungarian korona. The total area covered was 6,220 square metres (67,000 sq ft). More than 200,000 bathers visited the spa in 1913. This number increased to 890,507 by 1919. At that time the Bath consisted of private baths, separate steam-bath sections for men and women, and male and female "public baths." The complex was expanded in 1927 to its current size, with 3 outdoor and 15 indoor pools. It is now possible for both sexes to visit the main swimming and thermal sections.
After the expansion, the thermal artesian well could not supply the larger volume of water needed, so a new well was drilled. The second thermal spring was found in 1938 at a depth of 1,256 metres (4,121 ft), with a temperature of 77 °C (171 °F). It supplies 6,000,000 litres (1,600,000 US gal) of hot water daily.[1] Between 1999 and 2009 the Széchenyi thermal bath was refurbished in a complete renovation.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Dózsa György út 41, 1146 Hungary

The Museum of Fine Arts is a museum in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary, facing the Palace of Art.
It was built by the plans of Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog in an eclectic-neoclassical style, between 1900 and 1906. The museum's collection is made up of international art (other than Hungarian), including all periods of European art, and comprises more than 100,000 pieces. The collection is made up of older additions such as those from Buda Castle, the Esterházy and Zichy estates, as well as donations from individual collectors. The Museum's collection is made up of six departments: Egyptian, Antique, Old sculpture gallery, Old master paintings gallery, Modern collection, Graphics collection. The institution celebrated its centenary in 2006.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Andrassy Avenue, Andrassy ut, Budapest 1061 Hungary

Andrássy Avenue is a boulevard in Budapest, dating back to 1872. It links Erzsébet Square with the Városliget. Lined with spectacular Neo-renaissance mansions and townhouses featuring fine facades and interiors, it was recognised as a World Heritage Site in 2002. It is also one of Budapest's main shopping streets, with fine cafes, restaurants, theatres, Embassies and luxury boutiques. Among the most noticeable buildings are the State Opera House, the former Ballet School (under reconstruction for several years), the Zoltán Kodály Memorial Museum and Archives, the Hungarian University of Fine Arts and the Ferenc Hopp Museum of East Asian Arts.

Duration: 50 minutes

Stop At: Hungarian State Opera House (Magyar Allami Operahaz), Andrassy ut 22, Budapest 1061 Hungary

The Hungarian State Opera House is a neo-Renaissance opera house located in central Budapest, on Andrássy Avenue. Originally known as the Hungarian Royal Opera House, it was designed by Miklós Ybl, a major figure of 19th-century Hungarian architecture. Construction began in 1875, funded by the city of Budapest and by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary, and the new house opened to the public on the 27 September 1884. Before the closure of the "Népszínház" in Budapest, it was the third largest opera building in the city; today it is the second largest opera house in Budapest and in Hungary.
Touring groups had performed operas in the city from the early 19th century, but as Legány notes, "a new epoch began after 1835 when part of the Kasa National Opera and Theatrical Troupe arrived in Buda". They took over the Castle Theatre and, in 1835, were joined by another part of the troupe, after which performances of operas were given under conductor Ferenc Erkel. By 1837 they had established themselves at the Magyar Színház (Hungarian Theatre) and by 1840, it had become the "Nemzeti Színház" (National Theatre).[2] Upon its completion, the opera section moved into the Hungarian Royal Opera House, with performances quickly gaining a reputation for excellence in a repertory of about 45 to 50 operas and about 130 annual performances.
Today, the opera house is home to the Budapest Opera Ball, a society event dating back to 1886.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: St. Stephen's Basilica (Szent Istvan Bazilika), Szent Istvan ter 1. Pest, Budapest 1051 Hungary

St. Stephen's Basilica is a Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest. It is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038), whose right hand is housed in the reliquary. It was the sixth largest church building in Hungary before 1920. Since the renaming of the primatial see, it's the co-cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest. Today, it is the third largest church building in present-day Hungary.
The site of today's basilica was a theater in the 18th century. This theater, named Hetz-Theater, was a place where animal fights were hosted. One of the wealthy citizens (János Zitterbarth) of the newly formed district built a temporary church there. In the late 1810s, about a thousand people formed the Lipótváros Parish. Then they began the fundraising and the believers started to make plans for the future church.
The Saint Stephen Basilica has played an active role in the musical community since its consecration in 1905. The head organists of the church have always been very highly regarded musicians. In the past century the Basilica has been home to choral music, classical music as well as contemporary musical performances. The Basilica choir performs often in different parts of Europe as well as at home. In the summer months they perform every Sunday. During these months you can see performances from many distinguished Hungarian and foreign organ players alike.
The two towers have six bells altogether: five on the left side tower and one in the right side tower. This latter one, the Szent István-bell is the biggest bell in Hungary with its 9250 kilograms and its diameter of 252 centimeters. Usually it’s used twice a year, at 17 hours on the 20th of August, and at midnight on New Year’s Eve. There are also some special events when it tolls, but it’s quite rare.

Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Hungarian Parliament Building, Kossuth Ter 1-3, Budapest 1055 Hungary

The Hungarian Parliament Building, also known as the Parliament of Budapest after its location, is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, a notable landmark of Hungary and a popular tourist destination in Budapest. It is situated in Kossuth Square, in the Pest side of the city and on the banks of the Danube. It is currently the largest building in Hungary. It was designed by Hungarian architect Imre Steindl in neo-Gothic style and opened in 1902.
Budapest was united from three cities in 1873, namely Buda, Óbuda, and Pest.[8] Seven years later the Diet resolved to establish a new, representative parliament building, expressing the sovereignty of the nation. The building was planned to face the river. An international competition was held, and Imre Steindl emerged as the victor;[7] the plans of two other competitors were later also realized in the form of the Ethnographic Museum and the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture, both facing the Parliament Building. Construction from the winning plan was started in 1885, and the building was inaugurated on the 1000th anniversary of the country in 1896. It was completed in 1904. (The architect of the building went blind before its completion.)
About 100,000 people were involved in construction, during which 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones and 40 kilograms (88 lb) of gold were used. Since World War II the legislature became unicameral, and today the government uses only a small portion of the building. During the People's Republic of Hungary a red star perched on the top of the dome, but it was removed in 1990 after the fall of communism. Mátyás Szűrös declared the Hungarian Republic from the balcony facing Kossuth Lajos Square on 23 October 1989.
The Parliament Building is built in the Gothic Revival style; it has a symmetrical façade and a central dome. The dome is Renaissance Revival architecture. Also from inside the parliament is symmetrical and thus has two absolutely identical parliament halls of which one is used for politics, the other for guided tours. It is 268 m (879 ft) long and 123 m (404 ft) wide. Its interior includes 10 courtyards, 13 passenger and freight elevators, 27 gates, 29 staircases and 691 rooms (which includes more than 200 offices). With its height of 96 m (315 ft), it is one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest, along with Saint Stephen's Basilica. The number 96 refers to the nation's millennium, 1896, and the conquest of the later Kingdom of Hungary in 896.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Szechenyi Chain Bridge, Szechenyi Lanchid, Budapest 1013 Hungary

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge is a chain bridge that spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest, the western and eastern sides of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Designed by English engineer William Tierney Clark and built by Scottish engineer Adam Clark, it was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Hungary. It was opened in 1849. It is anchored on the Pest side of the river to Széchenyi (formerly Roosevelt) Square, adjacent to the Gresham Palace and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and on the Buda side to Adam Clark Square, near the Zero Kilometre Stone and the lower end of the Castle Hill Funicular, leading to Buda Castle.
The bridge has the name of István Széchenyi, a major supporter of its construction, attached to it, but is most commonly known as the "Chain Bridge". At the time of its construction, it was regarded as one of the modern world's engineering wonders. It has asserted an enormous significance in the country's economic, social and cultural life, much as the Brooklyn Bridge has in New York and the US. Its decorations made of cast iron, and its construction, radiating calm dignity and balance, have elevated the Chain Bridge to a high stature in Europe.
It became a symbol of advancement, national awakening, and the linkage between East and West.
In 2001 Hungarian stunt pilot Péter Besenyei flew upside down under the bridge, a manoeuvre that became a standard in Red Bull air races today. The bridge is featured in I Spy, Au Pair, Walking with the Enemy and Spy, and is the setting of the climax scene in Bollywood blockbuster Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The bridge featured prominently in Matthew Barney's Cremaster 5, serving as a reference to Harry Houdini, and also appears in Dan Brown's novel Origin and in the Season Two premiere episode of Syfy channel's 12 Monkeys, which aired in April 2016. It also appears at the beginning of the video for Katy Perry's song "Firework", and K-Pop Vocal Duo Davichi's music video of the song "Cry Again".

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Zero Kilometre Stone, Clark Adam ter, Budapest 1013 Hungary

The Zero Kilometre Stone is a 3 m high limestone sculpture in Budapest, forming a zero sign, with an inscription on its pedestal reading "KM" for kilometres. This stone marks the reference point from which all road distances to Budapest are measured in the country. The reference point had initially been located at the threshold of Buda Royal Palace, but was moved to its present location by Széchenyi Chain Bridge when the crossing was completed in 1849.
The present sculpture is the work of Miklós Borsos and was erected in 1975. The first official monument had been set up at this spot in 1932, but was destroyed in World War II. A second sculpture, depicting a worker, was in place from 1953 until its replacement by the current one.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Liberty Square, Budapest, Szabadság tér, Hungary

Liberty Square is a public square located in the Lipótváros neighborhood of Budapest.
The square is a mix of business and residential. The United States Embassy in Hungary and the historicist style headquarters of the Hungarian National Bank abut the west side of the square.
Some buildings on the square are designed in the Art Nouveau style.[1] Ignác Alpár designed two of the buildings.[2] The square houses monuments to Ronald Reagan and Harry Hill Bandholtz and a monument to the Soviet liberation of Hungary in World War II from Nazi German occupation It was designed by Károly Antal.
A barrack-prison ("Újépület") that previously occupied the space, was the site where Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány was executed in 1849, following the Hungarian Revolution. The building was destroyed in 1897 and the square constructed on the site.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Shoes on the Danube, Between Szechenyi ter and Kossuth ter, Budapest 1054 Hungary

The Shoes on the Danube Bank is a memorial in Budapest, Hungary. Conceived by film director Can Togay, he created it on the east bank of the Danube River with sculptor Gyula Pauer to honour the Jews who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II. They were ordered to take off their shoes, and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. It represents their shoes left behind on the bank.
The monument is located on the Pest side of the Danube Promenade in line with where Zoltan Street would meet the Danube if it continued that far, about 300 metres (980 ft) south of the Hungarian Parliament and near the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; between Roosevelt Square and Kossuth square.
The composition titled 'Shoes on the Danube Bank' gives remembrance to the 3,500 people, 800 of them Jews, who were shot into the Danube during the time of the Arrow Cross terror. The sculptor created sixty pairs of period-appropriate shoes out of iron. The shoes are attached to the stone embankment, and behind them lies a 40 meter long, 70 cm high stone bench. At three points are cast iron signs, with the following text in Hungarian, English, and Hebrew: "To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944–45. Erected 16 April 2005

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Buda Castle, Szent Gyorgy Ter, Budapest 1014 Hungary

Buda Castle (Hungarian: Budavári Palota, German: Burgpalast) is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest. It was first completed in 1265, but the massive Baroque palace today occupying most of the site was built between 1749 and 1769. The complex in the past was referred to as either the Royal Palace (Hungarian: Királyi-palota) or the Royal Castle (Hungarian: Királyi Vár, German: Königliche Burg). The castle now houses the Hungarian National Gallery and The Budapest History Museum.

Buda Castle sits on the southern tip of Castle Hill, surrounded by the touristic area known as Várnegyed (Castle Quarter), which is famous for medieval, Baroque and Neoclassical houses, churches, public buildings and monuments. The hill is linked to Clark Ádám Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge by the Castle Hill Funicular. The castle is a part of the Budapest World Heritage Site, so declared in 1987.

Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes

Stop At: Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest, Szentháromság tér, 1014 Hungary

The Halászbástya or Fisherman's Bastion is one of the best known monuments in Budapest, located in the Buda Castle, in the 1st district of Budapest. It is one of the most important tourist attractions due to the unique panorama of Budapest from the Neo-Romanesque lookout terraces. The Fishermen's Bastion's main façade, parallel to the Danube, is approximately 140 meters long, of which the southern aisle is about 40 meters long, the north is 65 meters long, and the ornate central parapet is 35 meters long. Its seven high-pitched stone towers symbolize the seven chieftains of the Hungarians who founded Hungary in 895.

It was built between 1895 and 1902, in Neo-Romanesque style, on the base of a stretch of the Buda Castle walls, by architect Frigyes Schulek, who was also responsible for the restoration of the Matthias Church. Several historians say that in the Middle Ages this part of the castle walls was protected by the guild of fishermen (halasz), who lived under the walls in the so called Fishtown.Since 1987 it has been part of Budapest's World Heritage Sites as part of the Várkerület District (Buda Castle District).

Duration: 25 minutes

Stop At: Matthias Church, Szentharomsag ter 2, Budapest 1014 Hungary

The Church of the Assumption of the Buda Castle (Hungarian: Nagyboldogasszony-templom), more commonly known as the Matthias Church (Hungarian: Mátyás-templom), more rarely the Coronation Church of Buda, is a Roman Catholic church located in the Holy Trinity Square, Budapest, Hungary, in front of the Fisherman's Bastion at the heart of Buda's Castle District. According to church tradition, it was originally built in Romanesque style in 1015, although few references exist. The current building was constructed in the florid late Gothic style in the second half of the 14th century and was extensively restored in the late 19th century. It was the second largest church of medieval Buda and the seventh largest church of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom.

It is a historic building with an important history. Two ruling parties were crowned within its walls: Franz Joseph I of Hungary and Empress Elisabeth, and Charles IV of Hungary and Zita of Bourbon-Parma.

The church was also the location of the "Mary-wonder." In 1686 during the siege of Buda city by the Holy League a wall of the church collapsed due to cannon fire. It turned out that an old votive Madonna statue was hidden behind the wall. As the sculpture of the Virgin Mary appeared before the praying Muslims, the morale of the moslem garrison collapsed and the city fell on the same day.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Citadella setany 1 Gellerthegy, Budapest 1118 Hungary

The Citadella is the fortification located upon the top of Gellért Hill in Budapest, Hungary. Citadella is the Hungarian word for citadel, a kind of fortress. The word is exclusively used by other languages to refer to the Gellért Hill citadel which occupies a place which held strategic importance in Budapest's military history.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Citadel lookout, Budapest, Citadella stny., 1118 Hungary

A spectecular view on Budapest from the Citadel.

Duration: 30 minutes