Private Tour
Private Café Wandering: Excursion through Budapest’s Belle Epoque
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
In the company of a historian, take in the masterpieces of Hungarian architecture from the golden age of 19th and early 20th century café house culture as well as poets, artists and writers who created the most remarkable pieces of Hungarian literature.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
3 hour private walk in the company of an art historian through Budapest’s iconic 19th century and early 20th century café houses
Price of refreshments, cakes and coffees selected at various cafes
Gratuities
What To Expect
Our 3 hour walk starts at Vorosmarthy square, in the heart of the city. Our first cafe already gives us a deeper insight into the ambiance of Imperial Budapest. The Gerbaud with its exquisite interior, and more than 100 years of history, served as a central social hub for both tourists and locals during the late 19th century. From Gerbaud we take the tram by the Danube to the Central Cafe, a space so dignified that it epitomizes what the cafe house culture really meant during the 19th century pinnacle of the Habsburg Empire’s economic and cultural power. The “scenery”, the delicate decor, the delicious meals, the delightful desserts and refreshing drinks give us a full taste of the atmosphere of a bygone culture’s social rituals. Next (and within walking distance), we move the Museum Café, in operation since 1885. Prominent clientèle were regularly entered in the guest book, now a historical document, including the names of many Members of Parliament, distinguished writers, and famous Hungarian actors. The lavish walls are covered in tiles from the world-famous Zsolnay porcelain works. Another unique feature is the grand 19th century Venetian mirror. After yet another short walk, we come to the Urania Cafe on Rakoczi street, which houses the oldest Film Theatre in the city, and which is famous for its lectures given by prominent intellectuals before large audiences of Budapest cosmopolitans. From here we will walk towards Blaha Lujza tér, on the big boulevard to reach our next sight, the elegant New York Cafe, one of the most beautiful Cafe Houses in the world. We end our walking tour sitting down for a coffee and cake in the Muvesz Cafe on Andrassy Boulevard, near the Opera House, hoping to catch a glimpse of the city’s celebrity actors and actresses, who regularly patronize the venue during their rehearsal breaks from the nearby Budapest Broadway.
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Start Times
Reviews
5 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Budapest Cafe Experience
Ralph P,
Oct 28, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Kata was very informative and generous with her time. Good mix of cafes and other Budapest sites. Very enjoyable. Highly recommend.
Hidasi Kata the best Gide
V6294WA ,
Oct 18, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A very useful excursion. The wonderful guide Hidasi Kata inspired me to read books by Hungarian writers. I also bought some quality, delicious chocolate. The history of Café Gerbeau is impressive. The next day we went there with the children for breakfast. The children ate their omelettes, and I read to them about the family of pastry chefs
Bring your appetite
Kathy G,
Sep 14, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Andras was a fantastic guide. Insight Cities is the best. Andras shared so much information about Budapest and Hungarian history. We even got into linguistics. He is incredibly knowledgable and a great conversationalist. We started Gerbaud and ended in a little cafe in the Jewish quarter.
Best tour in Budapest, exciting history of Hungary with coffee, cakes and the best guide
eii2019,
Feb 4, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was the best tour we had in Budapest. Our wonderful guide Kata took us to amazing historic places, told the stories behind each cafe and also shared a lot of exciting history of Hungary and Budapest, from ancient history to our days. Kata is a very knowledgeable, friendly, lively and positive, engaging story teller. We learned a lot and will definitely come back for another tour. Deserts and coffee were excellent as expected but the content and company just outstanding. Highly recommended!
Kata Was An Excellent, Knowledgeable, Intelligent, Enthusiastic, Friendly and Fun Tour Guide
Adventurer240773,
Nov 21, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The tour with Kata was much better than I could have imagined. My Wife and I learned so much because Kata was extremely knowledgeable about not only the cafes, but also the different neighborhoods and the architecture of the different buildings in Budapest. She walked us around to many interesting areas and enthusiastically informed us of the history behind so many things. Kata was an excellent guide who clearly knows Her stuff, explained things in detail and made everything interesting. She did not try to rush us and her tour lasted more than an hour after it was scheduled to end. It was clear that Kata loves Budapest as we could hear and see how excited She was to share Her valuable knowledge about Budapest with us. We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be guided around Budapest by Kata and we wish all tour guides had Her wonderful qualities. Kata also recommended some excellent restaurants and even gave us information about a reliable company that gave prompt PCR Tests. We plan to highly recommend Kata to our friends who will be visiting Budapest. Sincerely, Paul & Cynthia Hargrove
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