Little known places: the hidden treasures of Budapest

If you would ask me how to get a deeper knowledge about Budapest, I would definately give you the advice to go and see some places most tourist never get to see.

Most cities have castles, palaces, big churches, some have bridges and rivers too. My strong suspicion is that these are not necesarrily the attractions a conscious tourist would remember the most. Even though Budapest has some really beautiful and memorable of these. Well travelled and conscious travelers much more appreciate the local places: places where they can get a deeper understanding for the city, places where the real Budapest can be found. These hidden treasures characterize Budapest probably even more than the major attractions.

I believe that the city’s heart beats at these kind of sights. The hidden treasures tour of Budapest offered by MypersonalBudapest includes rarities which are known only by a few locals. 

The covered places are simply some of the favourite hidden spots of the company’s founder András. At some point of his life he has discovered the beauty and the attractive features of these attractions.
(Obviously, there is not an official list of interesting hidden buildings, squares, gardens, pubs…)
So what can you expect? A guided tour including…

• A charming and little known neighborhood in the inner city… 
• An unusual but ornate facade of a secessionist building… 

• A unique ruined pub in the jewish district… 
• A hidden passage… 
• A small museum with beautiful and rare art nouveau furniture…. 
• A hidden coffee house with incredible frescos… 
• A retro/communist pub… 
• Remains of the former jewish ghetto walls... 
• The most important of the 19th-century aristocratic palaces in Pest, where the rooms and salons evoke former noble splendour of the Hungarian aristocracy.  

So, the solution is quite simple: leave the beaten track, join the Hidden treasures tour and find the gems where Budapest shows its most interesting side!

Book here: www.mypersonalbudapest.com

E-mail: contact@mypersonalbudapest.com

Budapest, the inspiring city

"Thank you András, for such a heartfelt and beautiful depiction of your city. I'm planning a European trip this summer, and in all seriousness, you've inspired me to add Budapest to the itinerary. "

These are sentences quoted from a colleague of ToursbyLocals, an internationally known company working with hundreds of professional and creative guides worldwide. She has commented on one of my articles on Budapest. Therefore I share this article again. Hope it can inspire you as well:)

Budapest now is among the top destinations for Central European city breaks. I hear from more and more tourists that this is the city most first-time travelers to Central Europe want to see.

However, Budapest and Hungary are not among the must-do European destinations yet. As a post-Communist country, Hungary needed a long time to convince the global tourist market to think about the country as an attractive destination with quality services. But now we, people from Hungary, hope our time has come! This hope is just confirmed by the stronger dollar or euro vs Hungarian Forint. The current exchange rates make your stay in Budapest extremely affordable. According to Forbes' list Fifteen Cheap Countries to see in the Recession, Hungary is ranked number one!

Budapest looks its most beautiful at dawn . As the sun slowly rises over the eastern plains, bathing Pest in soft pastel hues, it radiates back from the buildings of Buda as if they were a giant mirror; the windows on Castle Hill positively glisten in golden jubilation.

But Budapest is also spectacularly appealing at night (see more photos). The Chain Bridge is festooned with white lights, and the main public buildings like the Parliament, the Opera and the Royal Palace, as well as the entire panorama of the Castle District, are imaginatively and sensitively floodlit.

There are plenty of other capital cities built on the banks of a river, and in many cases the river runs through the historic centre. But such a wide and majestic river, such as the Danube in Budapest, is more of a rarity. Even more exceptional is the perfect contrast between the right and left banks. Buda is built upon hills, and the feet of two of them - Castle Hill and Gellért Hill - almost stand in the water. Facing it is Pest, as flat as a pancake (or, as a Hungarian might say, as flat as a "lángos", a pita-type bread popular for many centuries. You can get aquainted with Hungarian cuisine if you include a home made lunch in your Budapest tour itinerary. The program is available with MypersonalBudapest).

It's no exaggeration to say that Budapest is one of the finest capital cities in Europe, and also one of the best situated.

Budapest, now home to two million inhabitants, would appear countless times on any list of superlatives. The Continent's first underground railway was built here. From here originated more pioneering Hollywood film makers than from any other European city.

Budapest is built above a labyrinth of caves filled with warm thermal water and many have only partially been explored. You will find in Budapest the biggest active, water-filled underground thermal water cave and hall in the world. There are no other cities of comparable size anywhere where visitors can explore drip-stone (stalactite) caves in the middle of the residential districts. Budapest is known around the world as The City of Spas. It is the only capital city in the world where there are more than 118 hot thermal springs. The richness of the city in thermal water is absolutely unrivaled.

Budapest is home to the third largest Parliament building in the world, once the largest in the world. It is also home to Europe's largest synagogue. The success of modern Budapest was significantly due to the diligence and organizational skills of Jewish industrialists. The city has the most populous active Jewish community in Central Europe, who cherish their religious, artistic and historical heritage.

Whoever comes to Hungary today arrives to the one of the smallest countries in the world. But the world that opens up for you here in this small country is something you have most probably not counted on.Hungary awaits everybody with a vibrant intellectual and cultural life, a capital with one of the finest panoramas, awesome architectural heritage, great bath houses, beautiful people, dishes full of character, quality wines, emotional musical heritage and fascinating gypsy music.Hungary awaits everybody who is open-minded about surprises, novelty and exploration.

As a guide it is a real privilege to provide travelers with quality insight into this world.

Please read more about how can you get a personalized travel experience in Budapest with MypersonalBudapest here:

Private tours in Budapest: www.mypersonalbudapest.com

A personal culinary adventure: Home made lunch in a Hungarian home

This post is about a unique program we gladly organize for everyone who is interested in a very personal travel experience. This is the home made lunch in a Hungarian home.

To my surprise it is one of the most beloved programs in our tour selection.

Mostly I take my guests to my parent’s home. And I just watch how much my guests like my parents. The athmosphere and the greeting is more important to our guests than the food itself. Although food is very-very good in my mother’s house…Real home made food. I think this is what made me this tall:)

My mother is a hero. She has a job, she runs a store. And besides doing that she finds time to stay at home and to cook for my guests. Together with my father they give travelers pure culinary experience and await them with a warm ambiance. All this under restaurant prices…

It is so interesting to witness how much tourists desire and appreciate personal experiences, meetings with locals and a good word. They say they get more from these things than from seeing the main attractions of the city. 

Home made lunch in Budapest

"The highlight of our day (actually our trip) was stopping at the home of Andras' parents for a traditional Hungarian lunch. Again, this was no ordinary tourist stop. Andras' parents graciously invited us into their home (on New Year's Eve, no less) with a warm greeting to go along with a few glasses of palinka. Think of it as a Hungarian grappa....burns going down but warms you all over! After this, we settled in for our lunch. My wife and I loved the restaurants in Budapest, but this was BY FAR the best meal we had during our stay, made all the more pleasurable by the warmth and kindness of Andras and his parents. We were told that it is different each time, so the only thing you need to know is that it was all delicious!

”Dennis Potter, New York”

  www.mypersonalbudapest.com

Video:

www.mypersonalbudapest.com

Hungary, my country

I am not willing to convince you by using pure sales-talk that Hungary is the most beautiful country in the world. Neither do I state Budapest is the most amazing city on the planet for everybody. But one thing I know: This country is very much worth a visit.

The following thougths are on my heart now.

I love my country and I love my city.
I love them, because I was born and raised here. 

I love Hungary, because I know and understand all the struggles Hungary has gone through.
I love how the sun slowly rises over the eastern plains, bathing Pest in soft pastel hues.
I love the Hungarians for their hearts.

The world is full of places worth to visit. But how can raise exactly Budapest – a city of impressive history and of beautiful sites – your attention? I know many reasons, but I don’t know which one is going to catch your heart.

The impressive history?

The capital with one of the finest panoramas in the world?The awesome architectural heritage?

The great bath houses?

The beautiful people?

The vibrant cultural life?

The dishes full of character?

The quality wines?

The emotional musical heritage and fascinating gypsy music?

Your ancestry?

Your need for visiting a place which is not among places everybody in the world goes to?(like London, Paris, Rome…etc)

Your curiosity?

Would you come to Budapest for various reasons, we at MypersonalBudapest will make sure you will get the travel experience you are looking for. Our private Budapest tours were designed for the intellectually curious travelers who would like to experience what's beyond the surface here in Budapest and Hungary.

One more information about us: MypersonalBudapest’s heart beats especially for the unique places and activities (away from mass tourism) the guidebooks don't talk about.

www.mypersonalbudapest.com

Why Budapest?

Budapest now is among the top destinations for city breaks. I hear from more and more tourists that this is the city most first-time travelers to Central-Europe want to see.
However, Budapest and Hungary are still not among the must-do destinations yet. As a post communist country, Hungary needed long time to convince the global tourist market to think about the country as an attracktive destination with quality services. But now we, people from Hungary hope our time has come! This hope is just confirmed by the stronger dollar or euro vs Hungarian Forint. The current exchange rates make your stay in Budapest very-very affordable. According to Forbes' list "Fifteen cheap destinations to see in the recession" Hungary is ranked number one! 

Appetizing video (awarded) on Hungary: watch here!

Budapest looks its most beautiful at dawn. As the sun slowly rises over the eastern plains, bathing Pest in soft pastel hues, it radiates back from the buildings of Buda as if they were a giant mirror; the windows on Castle Hill positively glisten in golden jubilation. 

Sunrise

But Budapest is also spectacularly appealing at night. The Chain Bridge is festooned with white lights, and the main public buildings like the Parliament, the Opera and the Royal Palace, as well as the entire panorama of the Castle District, are imaginatively and sensitively floodlit.

The Chain bridge and its lions

Buda castle at night

There are plenty of other capital cities built on the banks of a river, and in many cases the river runs through the historic centre. But such a wide and majestic river, as is the Danube at Budapest, is more of a rarity. Even more exceptional is the perfect contrast between the right and left banks. Buda is built upon hills, the feet of two of them - Castle Hill and Gellért Hill - almost stand in the water. Facing it is Pest, as flat as a pancake (or, as a Hungarian might say, as flat as a "lángos", a pita-type bread opular for many a century). 

Budapest panorama: bridges, houses, the river plus Gellért Hill

It's no exaggeration to say that Budapest is one of the finest capital cities in Europe, and also one of the best situated.

                    The Blue Danube...

Superlatives

Budapest, now home to two million inhabitants, would appear countless times on any list of superlatives. The Continent's first underground railway was built here. From here originated more pioneering Hollywood film makers than from any other European city.

Budapest is built above a labyrinth of caves filled with warm thermal water and many have only partially been explored.  You will find in Budapest the biggest active, water-filled underground thermal water cave and hall in the world. There are no other cities of comparable size anywhere where visitors can explore dripstone (stalactite) caves in the middle of the residential districts.  (No wonder, that the world's largest thermal lake with a surface area of 4.4 hectares is to be found also in Hungary, Hévíz. The temperature of the lake itself varies between 34 and 36 degrees Centigrade in the summer, but even in winter it does not dip below 26-29 degrees Centigrade. The water is in continual motion and thus the entire volume of the spring-fed lake changes completely in three and a half days.)

Budapest is titled all around the world „The city of Spas”. It is the only capital city in the world where there are more than 118 hot thermal springs. The richness of the city in thermal water is absolutely unrivaled.

Budapest is home of the largest medicinal bath in Europe (Szechenyi) and the third largest Parliament buliding in the world, once the largest in the world.

Szechenyi baths

Clouds above the Hungarian Parlament

It would be difficult to find another city where visitors are faced with such a choice of transport: bus, tram, trolleybus, train, underground railway, cogwheel railway, funicular, forest railway, horse-and-trap, chair-lift, boat, bicycle and on Margaret Island "bringóhintó" family cycle cars - Budapest has them all! Let's choose one, and set off in the World Heritage streets.

Budapest is the  home of Europe's largest synagogue. It was finished in 1859, in Neo-Moorish style. The interior space has a flat ceiling and a capacity for nearly three thousand believers: there are 1497 seats for men on the groundfloor, while the two galleries on the upper floor have 1472 seats for women.
The success of modern Budapest was significantly due to the diligence and organizational skills of Jewish industrialists. After 1990, a real Jewish cultural Renaissance began in Budapest. The city has the most populous active Jewish community in Central Europe, who cherish their religious, artistic and historical heritage. 

But don't think that now you know everything about Budapest... For example, do you know where this next picture was taken?

If you think you would love to see hidden places and non-touristy spots, get in touch with us and let us proove you that Budapest has a lot more places and experiences to offer...

www.mypersonalbudapest.com

MypersonalBudapest's introduction article

Living in a big metropolis has many benefits, becasue you can always discover new treasures, unknown cafes, hidden pubs, small eateries, new beautiful buildings, and historical smelling courtyards.

Budapest is a lucky city in this aspect, even locals can always find countless restaurants, eateries, pubs, bars cafes where they haver never been before.

Honestly, I really do not feel comfortable at the very known and most-visited places. And I believe most of us thinks the same about this. At these crowded and noisy places you just feel uncomfortable and uptight. Even though these are the places that belong to the most famous sites in town due to their historical significance and architectural treasures.

Every city has these most famous places and must-do things.
But I know about myself, that until today I remember a lot better this cozy and fun tapas bar in Palma de Mallorca visited by almost only locals than how the famous catedral of the city.
I had a good feeling spending my money there, much more than spending my money at any of the famous and fancy restaurants.
These local places will stay in our memories, for the following simple reason: here, mixed up with average locals you feel like an explorer and not like a tourist. Here you feel you are part of the city and not a temporary item, or a stranger. Here you feel that you are going to take home what you’ve seen and experienced, the memories will stay forever with you. This is the experience that makes traveling personal and fun.

But: this experience can be only received from locals and among locals. International hotel chains, restaurants and service providers don’t offer anything similar.

They are way too big  for that. Just local providers can offer memories that will make you able to differenciate between the places you have visited on your trip.

Me, as founder of the local tour provider MypersonalBudapest can only encourage everybody – though I know here on this website I don’t even need to do this-: Leave the crowded touristy tracks and discover places as they are and seek what more the cities have to offer than how the guidebooks introduce them. You have the choice in your hand: do you stay just another tourist, or do you think you deserve to get an insider’s view of a place.

Use local service providers so you make sure you get your personal travel experience. And through this your contribution is big: you help local companies so they can furthermore be a colour addition on the domestic market.

Programs of MypersonalBudapest make it possible for travelers that they can get this personal travel experience.
I have started my small enterprise two years ago, ourt of nothing. No capital. MypersonalBudapest is a true local initiation, and today I can say it has a promising future. Now MypersonalBudapest is listed on Tripadvisor among the 10 best rated tour providers in Budapest. And this shows that travelers appreciate the effort helping them to get their own personal travel experience.

My intention has always been and will be furthermore to make Budapest and its people alive to my guests.