Guide in Budapest.

[Bop]

We will be in Budapest on 9/23/06 through 9/25/06 after disembarking the Amadeus Symphony. Can anyone recommend a good guide there? Any advice or "must sees" appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Bop;)

[jeffejo]

Check out http://www.absolutetours.com for info on walking tours in Budapest. I'll be in Budapest in October with wife and another couple prior to boarding the MS Amadagio for a River Cruise to Amsterdam. Thought these walking tours sounded interesting.

[aagra]

Bop, We used Agnes for both the Danube bend and Budapest tours on our recent Peter Deilmann Mozart cruise. She is a warm and knowledgable host, her web page is, http://www.tourguide.hu/

[Bop]

Jeff,

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Jag,

Do you have any specific recommendations on things to see, where you went? I'll e-mail Agnes and check availability.

 

Thanks,

Bop

[ldove123]

We used Absolute Tours to locate a private guide for two days during our stay in Budapest. The company was very professional and thorough. Anna, our private guide, was wonderful. She's a student who will be studying in Paris this Fall so not available but I can definitely recommend the company.

 

We thought the money we spent on our own guide was the best investment we made during our trip to Hungary. We were able to set the pace we wanted on the tour, customize it to our interests and have many long discussions on life in Hungary. She even took us to a "communist" cafeteria for lunch that was indeed a throwback to the "50s. Great food in a setting that looked exactly like all those old Iron Curtain movies. We were the only English speakers in the room. Great fun.

 

We used our guide for 4 hours each day and that was perfect.

 

Go for the company and the private guide.

[aagra]

Bop, Shown below is part of the review I did for our trip. It tells you what we did in Hungary.

 

Wednesday- A morning stop in Esztergom where we decided to do the Danube Bend tour on our own with a private guide. We were met in the morning by Agnes a licensed Hungarian tour guide who speaks good English and enjoys guiding visitors to her native country. The town is within walking distance of the dock, but it is such a short stop that you may have difficulty visiting the Basilica, which is a must see, including visiting its small but artifact rich treasury.

 

We then went to Visegrad where we visited the Citadel which has a commanding view of the valley and the river. The Mozart was floating past the Citadel as we arrived at the summit. We then headed back to the town by the river to enjoy our lunch at the Renaissance Restaurant with its medieval theme and fare. It was fun and not too expensive.

 

Then off to Szentendre with its colorful storybook town center. This is a tourist town with many stores and cafes and we had a great time looking and shopping, and stopped at a café with an outdoor courtyard for coffee and tea. Great town to visit and relax. Then we headed off to Budapest to find Mozart ( the ship, not the composer ) . The trip took longer than expected due to heavy traffic in Budapest but it was not hard to find the Dock since the international ships park along the same area.

 

Having a private guide allowed us to travel at our own pace and enjoy the company of a friendly guide who can answer your questions and tell you about life in Hungary. A wonderful time was had by all. You can find Agnes at her web page, http://www.tourguide.hu/.

 

Thursday- Budapest, We took a half day tour of the City with Agnes visiting, Heroes Square, the city park, the Opera House, Matthias Church and Fisherman Bastion. The City is terrific, unfortunately the traffic and construction makes it a very difficult city to drive in and we spent too much time in the car. Guests who took the ships tour also complained about the traffic and delays.

[Bop]

Jag,

Thank you for the information. It is very helpful in making our plans. Amadeus includes a half day tour of the city in their psackage and it is reported to be very good. We usually do a lot of walking on our own but we use private guides to visit out of walking range sites. Thanks again for the tips.

Bop;)

 

Idove123,

Thank you too.

Bop