Private Tour
Rise Against the Soviet: The 1956 Revolution - Private Tour
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
Historians still argue what to call the events that were triggered by a peaceful solidarity rally of Hungarian students with the Polish people on October 23rd, 1956: a rebellion, revolt, uprising, popular uprising, revolution, counter-revolution, or War of Independence.
The best definition comes from Sándor Márai’s poem, Angel from heaven, written for the Christmas of 1956: “A nation said: Enough!”.
The events of 1956 shook not only the communist world, but had lasting effects on world politics. The brief period of breathing “freedom at last” gave courage and strength to Hungarians to survive the rest of foreign tyranny until it finally collapsed in 1989.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Handouts
A communism-related souvenir
Other drinks or food, public transportation tickets or pass
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
Kossuth Lajos Square
We will visit Kossuth Square where the Hungarian parliament stands. Aside from several other impressive buildings on the square, we will see where, following a mass demonstration in 1956, dozens were massacred by the government.
Margaret Bridge
On the banks of the Danube, close to Margit Bridge, stands a building which in communist times was dubbed The White House. It was the Party HQ of the Hungarian communist government. We will visit this and also take a look at the statue of Imre Nagy, Prime Minister in 1956 who was later murdered.
Options
Rise Against the Soviet: The 1956 Revolution - Private Tour
City tour without any visit
Duration: 3 hours
Pickup included
House of Terror Visit
House of Terror Museum: The admission fee also includes the entrance ticket to the House of Terror Museum.
Duration: 4 hours
Pickup included
Reviews
11 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
A tour perfect for mid 20th century history buffs
Susan O,
Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Excellent tour for those who really want to immerse themselves in the communist history of Hungary. It does not treat the 1956 revolution in a vacuum. You get an understanding of the seeds sown back in the mid 1800s through the fall if communism in 1990. A lot of Budapest territory covered through public transportation starting in Buda. And ending in Corbin Sq. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and provided a lot of personal insights into what life was like before and after 1956. Highly recommend.
In-depth and engaging overview of the 1956 revolution
Anthony S,
Sep 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Peter has a library of Budapest history in his mind and excels at making the topics easy to understand while offering in-depth coverage of Budapest's long history. We were visiting with our 91 year old father, who'd escaped from Hungary during the 1956 revolution. Peter slowed his pace to allow our father to keep up plus ensured the topics covered were those most relevant to him. He also took us to places that we hadn't heard about like the cemetary where we those killed during the 1956 revolution were buried.
Sobering, informative and enlightening.
Lauranne J,
Oct 14, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00The in-depth information from our guide. Beside which, he was so personable and really drew us into the whole culture of the time. We felt we could have easily spent at least another day exploring the sites and discussing the outcomes.
Increasing Knowledge of Budapest History
davidgF2601AS,
Sep 24, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Such a helpful, inspiring tour! Barna was incredibly courteous and full of stories about his unique native country. I wanted to know about Budapest’s history in regards to the Cold War. Any question I asked about the USSR, he had an answer or a tale to tell. He showed me spots where the ‘56 Revolution went down. He explained what was happening and why. He provided me a variety of films to check out. Plenty of good restaurant options, as well! We started in Pest, walked across the bridge to Buda, took the metro back to Pest. I learned a lot and was overly intrigued! Thanks again!
Very interesting sites of...
Brenda G,
May 3, 2022
- Review from Viator
4.00Very interesting sites of the 1956 uprising. Guide chronicled the narrative ell with stories and sites. Little short for $99.
Interesting, smart, fun, recommended
eileenkay2016,
Oct 27, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I enjoyed it very much. It was especially good to learn the dramatic events of that day, on the very day - now a national holiday, so the whole city was shut down for parades, flags were everywhere, and everyone was celebrating what you’re about to learn. Miklos Molnar is an experienced historian with the dry irony typical of the Hungarian view of their more than bumpy history. His catalogue of before-and-after photos was excellent if shocking. Interesting, smart, fun, recommended.
Revolution
Nez R,
Oct 25, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I always wanted to hear about Hungarian revolution from someone local. Thank you for the chance. I got a total view about that history and got a lot of new info. Thank you.
Tour guide was very polite...
Michael P,
Oct 30, 2017
- Review from Viator
3.00Tour guide was very polite professional and Knowledgeable.
Spent time explaining key areas and events in Hungarian History.
However, The tour was too general, with not enough time or information devoted to the 1956 Revolution. the reason why we had booked this tour. we had studied the Revolution before and a lot of key areas where missed, even though we walked past them.
With that, we did learn about other areas of Hungarian History and visited places we had not been Before.
The tour guide did admit that this was the first time he had taken this tour.Mikolos was great. Very interesting...
Chali H,
Jul 19, 2017
- Review from Viator
5.00Mikolos was great. Very interesting tour very informative. Highly recommend
The tour takes you to the important...
Rebekah P,
Jan 8, 2017
- Review from Viator
5.00The tour takes you to the important sites of the revolution. My guide was able to answer all my questions and provide valuable information of each location and its relevance to the revolution. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Hungarian history.
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