My husband and I are going to Budapest in June for 5 days and are planning on getting a guide for 1/2 day walking tour, Danube Bend, and the Jewish section and prefer private tours. I have found 2 on the net and have communicated with them by email - One is "Guide in Budapest" and his name is Andrew. The tour is by private car and seems very comprehensive and intersting. He is an individual doing this not a Tour Agency. My friends tell me that I am nuts considering this because we know nothing about him. I have done this before and everything was fine.....

The second one is Mellow Mood Group and they are a tour agency. We have also considered American Express Travel and going through our hotel (Le Meridian).

Comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks, Judy

Judy, there were a few guides that have been posted or posted themselves on this website, search the forum for Budapest private guide...but i have cut and pasted this following info:

Hope that this is helpful.

can recommend an excellent private guide in Budapest. Her name is Gabriella Torok - [email protected]. She is very knowledgeable, kind, passionate about her country, and speaks with great enthusiasm and sincerity about the history of Hungary, its people and customs, and her own life experience living under Communism. If you want to experience Hungary in a personal way, not just from a tour bus, I highly recommend Gabriella

We just returned from a fabulous visit after a 2 week river trip from Amsterdam to Budapest.
Katalin Till was recommended by friends and she gives a great tour at about $25 US an hour. We go by bus and subway (the fastest) from your hotel to the most important sites. Contact her at:
[email protected].
She knows her history and is sensitive to how much time and walking (necessary to see Budapest) you can handle.

bookmarking for my July trip

gregeva1,

Thank you for your suggestion on Gabriella. We are arriving Thursday and have her booked for three days. We have emailed back and forth and she seems as though she will be great.

bookmark

Would like to second [email protected] as a guide. We contacted her at the last minute and found her guiding to be the best part of our trip to Budapest. Although you could see all the sites on your own, gabriella really gave more meaning and focus to our trip. Much more memorable than if we had done it ourselves.

We did use Gabriella and agree she was great. We used her for 3 days and really got a feel for Budapest and it is obvious she loves her country and wants you to know and love it as well. My husband's father was born in Budapest as were my grandparents and she seemed to care that we learned and felt our hertiage.

Those of you that used Gabriella - I have been in touch with her and am looking to book a tour with her, but would like to know which tours you went on? I am contemplating doing either the 4 hour walking tour, OR one of the countryside tours (4 or 6 hour). Any help would be greatly appreciated!

-Nora

Budapest is very easy to do yourself if you want. The metro system is good for getting around but make sure you validate your ticket on the train as they fine people who don't. A good art gallery there and you can go inside the Parliament building on a tour.

noraeileen,

We did an 8 hr. Danube Bend tour, a 6 hour driving/walking tour which included the Castle District and then a 4 hr. walking tour which was primarily the Jewish Section. .

Realy useful. Bookmark!

I just returned from a 4 week home exchange in Vienna, where we did a 4 night/3 day side trip to Budapest. We had no trouble using public transport. I was there with a girlfriend. She did see one of the baths as part of a walking tour she took. I never saw the baths, but pretty much did everything else within the city.

One of my grandparents was Hungarian (Jewish) and spoke Magyar, so that was one reason for me choosing Budapest for a side trip.

We had a wonderful time.

We just returned from a motorcycle tour (Edelweiss Motorcycle Tours)through Hungary and southern Austria. In Budpaest we used a private guide, Gabrielle, who was excellent, and I would not hesitate to refer others to her. She made our one day in Budapest highly successful. - [email protected].