Budapest Hammer & Sickle Communist Times Tour

Greg gave us a great overview of Hungary under Soviet occupation. Because he spent part of his life under communism, and because he saw effects on his family, he could discuss his experiences, and how the occupation has after effects to this day. A very interesting and informative tour.

We really enjoyed this tour and especially our guide, Anna, who is extremely knowledgeable and engaging. Anna explained the communist past of both the city and the country in a very clear, thoughtful, and neutral way, focusing on historical context rather than pushing any bias, but added lots of personal and family stories from the era. The tour ended at the Retro Museum, which added a great touch and helped bring everyday life under communism to life. It was a very good introduction to Budapest and its history, and we’d highly recommend it, especially early in your stay.

This was the best tour we took on our trip to Budapest. Greg was very knowledgable and equally entertaining, telling us about both experiences under Communism and the city around us. I’m still talking about it now I’m back home, a few hours very well spent.

I truly had a personal guide experience. My guide lived through communism and the Liberation. He had first had experience and could Speak to all with full knowledge

Celeste did a very good job of educating us on life in Hungary during the Communist rule. She gave us a a knowledge of the history of the region leading up to communism and the time since. We had a good walk around town ending with a visit to a museum dedicated to every day life during the communist era. Her knowledge of history was appreciated and the stops we made informative. On our trip down the Rhine-Main-Danube, this tour was different than any other tour we had and helped us understand life in a different time.

Greg was wonderful. He gave a quick summary of Hungarian history at the beginning of the tour which was important to understand how Hungary is where it is now. Hearing stories of life under communist government was very interesting. Highly recommend

This was an excellent tour, and Andrea did a wonderful job. She was exceptionally knowledgeable about every aspect of the history of Communism in Hungary, and we were very, very impressed with every aspect of this tour. Highly recommended.

I took this tour 10 years ago and found it memorable. While I was hoping for a similar experience, the tour has changed, with no "feel and touch" items (games, passports) that brought the experience to life (this because of the costs of maintaining an office for teaching face to face). This tour is a walking tour to places that highlight Budapest's experience under the Soviets, winding up at a museum of "retro" items -- a 1950s kitchen and appliances, the opportunity to record yourself as announcer on a radio or TV show. Andrea was our guide -- and gave us information that made the tour superb; we got everything from the tour (and Andrea) that we had hoped to. We were interested in knowing about Hungary's social and political climate today, and the historical roots of these issues. Andrea offered us a comprehensive and nuanced picture of Hungary today, touching on issues that go back decades, and a picture of where the country is now. The museum is an add-on -- and something we've seen elsewhere that didn't add to our knowledge, so we chose not to stay. It's interactive activities may be of interest to some, and you have the option of staying and exploring the museum after your time with the tour is officially over.) However, this is a quibble. If you're interested in these issues, I'd definitely recommend this tour.

Great tour that lived up to all expectations. Andrea was knowledgeable and the content of the tour was so interesting. The two museums (1956 memorial and retro museums) were additive. It was fantastic to learn more about such a historical city with a guide that had so much to add.

Zsolt was a terrific guide and a fount of information! We really enjoyed our tour and learned so much from him. He made it easy to absorb the history and told us personal anecdotes from his family. We highly recommend this tour with Zsolt!

This is a great tour for anyone who really wants to dive into the history of what communism life was like in Hungary and other eastern bloc countries during USSR control. Tamas was our tour guide and did a fantastic job breaking down key events and answering any follow up questions you may have. You really feel and see the experience of what communist life was like as he brings you to a room filled with memorabilia and propaganda from that era. I really appreciated the tour for this side of history that was not always highlighted or focused on during my education. The people of Hungary and all eastern bloc countries truly suffered a tremendous amount but courageously continued to fight for what their freedom. I highly recommend the tour for anyone that wants to learn more about this time period in history.

We absolutely loved our walking tour!! The value of what we paid for what we learned and saw was amazing. She asked us what we knew and what we were looking for and she catered the tour around us. The basement of the tour studio was incredible. We loved the stop for coffee and snacks, awesome sight to see. She was also VERY funny and brought life to everything we saw 10/10 would recommend for everyone that visits!!!!

Learned a great deal about the history and the experience the people had during WWII and after. How life changed for the people and country. Our tour guide, Balint Alkonri, did an excellent job. Would highly recommend this tour.

Our lovely guide Rebekah was extremely knowledgeable and engaging. The passionate way she told the history of communist and socialist era Hungary really brought it to life. We only had a general knowledge of Hungarian history going into the tour, so it was fascinating to learn about daily life during this era, the history leading up to and the lasting social impact of communist & socialist rule. Would recommend for anyone with a keen interest in history or interest in learning about Hungarian history & culture.

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and it was an afternoon well spent. Our guide was very passionate about his subject matter and had very in-depth knowledge. The late lunch provided was delicious and we had it at this very interesting venue. This is not a cheap tour but we thought it was worth it.

Our guide, Zsolt, was very good. We enjoyed seeing the era apartment and artifacts. He outlined the history of Hungary very well. We also enjoyed the personal stories of his family's experiences. The Hungarian snacks during the rest was very nice.

Rebecca was a perfect guide. She knew a lot, brought it very lively and also showed some personal stuff. Really really nice. I recommend it strongly. The 3 hour walk turned out to be far less walking than feared in the beginning. The only recommendation I could make, is to maybe make that a bit more clear in the description of the tour.

Our guide, Balint, was marvelous. He is a content expert with an active ear and a contemporary sense of humor. My wife and I found this one of the most educational and authentytours of our recent trip to Budapest. I came away with a much deeper understanding of what the Hungarian people had to live with,and their resilience. Not to be missed...

Way more than we expected. Rebeca did an awesome job by first starting in the basement and giving real life experiences that gave this tour a informative foundation on which to start moving about the city. The walking part of the tour was well paced and Rebecca's passionate explanation about life during occupation, the 56 revolution, and the eventual Soviet exit was so engaging. She answered questions without hesitation which indicated to us that she knew her subject inside and out. My wife, brother and I; thoroughly enjoyed this tour and highly recommend it.... and if you're lucky enough to get Rebecca as your guide.... you've landed one of the best.

The Hammer and Sickle tour was hands down the best thing we did in Budapest! Kopp was our guide and he was excellent, very knowledgeable and allowed plenty of time for questions/dialogue. We started the tour on site in a replica of a communist apartment where we got a ~30 intro lecture on Hungarian communism and how it compared to other nearby regimes in the same era. We walked for about an hour with plenty of time to linger at each site before moving on. Finally, we finished our tour at a café with complimentary coffee and meat/cheese tray which was delicious and a nice finishing touch. Highly recommend this tour!

Rebecca was a wonderful guide. We learned a lot of history and really appreciated all the knowledge Rebecca has and the interesting and entertaining and way it was presented. I would thoroughly recommend this tour.

Zsolt Jenei was our guide. History is his passion and profession. He is a history teacher when he is not giving tours. The tour starts with a brief history of Hungary, Budapest and their people. Zsolt then tells the story of Budapest under fascist rule by the Nazi’s immediately followed by communist rule by the Soviet Union. Zsolt brings the history to life with artifacts from the time. After the 30 minute engaging discussion, Zsolt leads a walking tour of the significant sights and locations around the city. A surprise treat was a stop for tea and a traditional Hungarian snack at a retro cafe featuring a Trabant and other classic Soviet era products. My two sons, a junior in college and senior in high school, were engaged throughout the tour and both commented about how much they learned. If you have an interest in history and what it was like to live under Soviet rule, this tour is a must.

This tour was one of the best we have done anywhere. Our guide was not only passionate about her country she had university qualifications in history. The tour gave us a real insight into what life was like during the Communists because Victoria was able to talk to us about her parent's life and her grandparent's life and their experiences after communist. We would highly recommend Victoria as your guide but if you can't get the best still do the tour.

Zsoct gave us a very good tour, full of snippets and showing his passion for history and Budapest. Highly recommend

Very interesting tour / history lesson / historical view of Hungary's more recent past. If you're not that interested in history, ask yourself why you booked the tour! The tour is an interesting 30 mins intro to where Hungary came from, then out to visit a few places, a stop to sample some light Hungarian food, and a few more sites along the way - plus a short tram ride. All-in, it gives you a good insight of Hungary's history, plus of course with a decent guide along the way you can ask all the questions you like - be that relevant to the tour or in general about Hungary.

This is a good tour but realize what you are getting is not a traditional walking tour. Of your 3 hrs, half is spent in a basement room learning about the history and events of the period and seeing photos and artifacts. The room where this is done is decorated completely from 1950-60 communist household items. This history lesson was very good and put a lot of things into perspective about the current Hungarian culture. You end up walking only about an hour around the Parliament area where the first shots of the uprising were fired and along the waterfront where the jews were killed in WII. The last 30 min are in an interesting cafe having soft drinks and asking any questions you might have on culture. It is not a 3 hr walking tour but it was still very interesting and informative.

<p>We learned a lot on this tour and felt that our tour guide was both extremely knowledgeable and focused on what we wanted to get out of the tour the most. Thank you for offering such an informative tour.</p>

This tour was really informative and provided a rich back ground on the rich and interesting history of not just Budapest but Hungry as well. Tour starts with some quick historical background, what life was like under Communism using their extensive library of materials. The walking portion brings to the locations of the momentous events, and has some surprises. Great use of your time - brings relevance to the rest of your stay

The beginning of the description is about a 3 hour "walking tour" which seems to indicate that at least most of the time we would be walking. As a result, I anticipated visiting historical sites in Budapest combined with history provided by our tour guide. What actually happened was, we were taken downstairs in the Absolute Tour Center and sat in a musty, windowless room for nearly 90 minutes, while a very knowledgeable and passionate Anna, explained the historical lineage of Budapest, and showed us the relics as described. After 90 minutes we left the building and visited historical sites and had an enjoyable stop at a retro lounge as described. Given that I was in Budapest for a very short time I wanted to be out and seeing as much as possible so the 90 minutes downstairs was about 75 minutes too much unfortunately. The remaining 1 1/2 hours we visited the sites as stated.

I was the only booking on a lovely afternoon (weather would have been a factor). My guide, Bogaita (sp?) did an excellent job providing a historical review of communist influence on the region from a local's perspective. She was able to answer all of my questions (English was very good) and provided excellent local tips about everything from dining to other tours, as we walked throughout the District V area. Tour included the apartment setup, a local restaurant with an interesting historical gallery, a walk through Liberty Square, Parliament/surrounding area, and an exhibit on the Danube. Definitely recommend.

<p>Our guide, Bogata, was super. She was very personable and extremely knowledgeable. She really cared that we had a great tour. Would highly recommend the tour and Bogata.</p>

The guides take you through the historic parts giving you a view of communist buildings and culture, sitting right beside the new more democratic culture. The statues and parks are very appealing, some of them exotic. The sculptures are beautiful. The tour length is great. It starts in the Jewish sector taking you all around.

I was one of three people on this tour. It started in the basement of the tour office where there was a room set up to resemble a typical appartment durring communist times. The guide gave us a thorough explanation of what life was like for the typical Hungarian. WE were also given a short history of the developement of Hungary. We left the office and headed for Liberty Square. The various statues were explained, the surrounding buildings were identified and more stories were shared. We then headed towards the Parliament building. After a tour of the statues around the building we moved to the shoe memorial. This was a very moving remembrance of an horrible occurance. From there we moved on to a cafe for refreshments and a question and answere session. After this we headed to the center of Budapest where the tour ended. This is not a stuctured tour, I believe this adds to the quality of the tour.

<p>This was great tour. We were the only two on our tour which was great as we could ask questions and really have an informative discussion on the topic. Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking to learn a bit about the modern history of Hungary.</p>

<p>Saw Liberty Square, the Parliament Buildings all three competition winners and the underground 1956 memorial museum. Also had a tram ride. Bogada gave a very informative view of Hungarian history from WWI and the implications today . There were just the two of us, and the tour ran 3 hours. I would highly recommend it.</p>

<p>It was Only me. I think he did his best, even spent more time with me. I feel bad I forgot to tip him.We didn't walk outside much, mostly in the tour agent office. I don't really recommend this tour, because you can find a free communism walking tour, and you will learn much more than in this one!</p>

<p>The start was a bit different started in the basement of the Segway office, but otherwise and informative tour</p>

<p>Very informative and worthwhile for the history buff. Recommended.</p>

<p>Tomas gave us a fascinating insight both into the dark elements of Hungarian communism and fascism, along with the gems of joy and hope under the regimes, such as board games and childhood scrapbooks. Despite at times freezing weather, Tomas was incredibly enthusiastic. He was superbly knowledgable about his subject. This is an outstanding tour.</p>

<p>George loves his job and his subject, We have left Budapest enlightened, only thing that would help is audio recording of the whole talk , so many details to bombard yourself with .Mix of a lot of historical details and elements of fun also. Great tour, great guide. Thank You.</p>

<p>Very knowledgeable guide as well as passionate about his topic.</p>

<p>We took this tour with Lazlo, who was simply GREAT. I highly recommend this tour. Well, WELL worth the time and money.</p>

<p>This was a very informative tour offering a very good overview of life in the Communist era.</p>

<p>A bit long in the 'Communist era apartment'.</p> <p>The tour leader was knowledgeable and had excellent English. Unfortunately our tour leader was competing with the noise of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft for the Red Bull show and it was often difficult to hear her over the noise.</p>

<p>George was an excellent tour guide. See Tripadvisor for my detailed review. Enjoy!</p>

<p>Our guide Laszlo was very knowledgeable about the subject and easy to understand. There were only 3 in the group. The tour started in the basement reviewing some artifacts, news articles, and photos from the time period very interesting. We then walked around Pest where he explained the historical significance of various buildings, statues, and monuments. Our tour ended at the Parliament building at the memorial for the 1956 Revolution. The memorial is extremely well done and emotionally moving a must-see. Very good tour over all.</p>

<p>This tour was excellent. Our guide spent time explaining everyday life from the communist era in a mock up living room reminiscent of that time. The living room included games, books and other items of the day. We then went on a walking tour of the city to see sights relevant to communism and George, our guide, explained everything in detail at each stop. We learned a lot about that period of time for Hungary. He answered all of our questions thoroughly. He was an expert on this time period and it showed through his knowledge and enthusiasm. A great tour!!!</p> <p>I would highly recommend this tour to everyone and the cost is very reasonable for what you get.</p>

<p>The second afternoon we were in Budapest, we did the Communism, Revolution, WWI, and WWII tour with Tomas. We were the only people signed up for the tour, so Tomas was happy to cater it to our personal interests. He took us back in time to Communist Budapest with photos, books, relics, soda, and other mementos of the past. Being huge history nerds, we monopolized his time and peppered him with questions. His passion for Budapest and history was palpable, and there wasn't a question that stumped him. When we finally emerged from communist Budapest, he took us on a walking tour of the city and shared more about the current events and modern-day Budapest. Our only regret was when we finished the tour and that we didn't have more time in Budapest. We will definitely be back though. </p> <p>George is a fantastic guide with a deep knowledge of his city and the events that have shaped current day Budapest. He knows a lot about history and politics and he is eager to share his passion. Take advantage of the amazing opportunity to learn everything you can from him.</p>

<p>The tour was outstanding and the young man who was our tour guide was excellent. He was extremely knowledgable and you coud see he loved his work. He was fun to be with. My wife and I thought this was one of our best Viator tours. We learned quite a lot about Hungary during World Wars I and II as well as during the communist occupation. And we saw a number of historical sites including a mock up of a home in the early 70's to feel what living under communism in Hungary was like.</p>