Lives of Hungarians Under Communist and Capitalist system
Description
Explore Hungary's complex past with our unique Communism tour. Led by guides who lived through this era, we offer a balanced explanation of Hungarian Communism and post-Communism. Gain personal insights into life under Communist rule and its aftermath, from everyday experiences to significant societal aspects like travel, housing, education, and more. Understand the local perspective beyond the tourist viewpoint, and unravel the undercover stories of average Hungarians. Join us for a thought-provoking journey through history and its lasting effects on Hungarian society. Join as a Traveller, leave as a Friend! The small booking fee you have paid to Viator is an administrative and marketing fee to guarantee your spot on the tour. You are encouraged to tip your guide what you feel the tour was worth at the end. Most guests tip €10 per person, some even more. Our guides work very hard for tips, and you are guaranteed to have a great tour!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our fully licensed tour guide will meet you in 20 meters from Budapest Eye. We tell you more information about the following 2 hour tour itinerary, the major sights along the way. Your tour guide will provide a 15 minute interactive history lesson about Hungarian and Central European Communism.
You will hear stories about incoming and outgoing travelling from Hungary, see the basic travel documents and learn about the fabolous Communist car types and other means of transportation in depth.
You will learn here about the difficulties of each denominations during the Communism and how religious life varied family by family.
We speak about housing, health care, education, media culture and propaganda, sport and the Olympic Games in Communism and post - Communism and explain you why some people have nostalgy for Communism.
We show you both controversial monuments together with the emergency exit of F4 military nuclear bunker, some urban art guerilla statues, the second most guarded building in Budapest that gave shelter for a prominent Hungarian person over 15 years.
You will learn about 1956 uprising in depth, see the bullet holes on the facade of some residential buildings around the Parliament. You will learn about the heroes of 1956 and stories about experiencing the Revolution of 1956 and the Communism as a child.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(62)
A fun, informative, whirlwind walking history lesson. Geri shared historic context and personal stories for a better understanding of Budapest and Hungary during the communist era. Highly recommend this unique tour!
Dear 398erini, Thank you so much for this wonderful review. Geri's communist era tour is truly one of a kind — blending historic facts with personal stories makes the whole experience so much more real and human than a typical history lesson. We're thrilled it hit the mark! This is one of our most unique Budapest walking tours and it's brilliant to see it getting the recognition it deserves. Warm regards, Agnes & the TripToBudapest Team
Gerie (Gary) was a great tour leader giving an in depth history of Hungary & the recent history of the communist regime. He was interesting, engaging & was never boring. Not much walking involved & the tour lasted just over 2 hours. Highly recommended for history buffs.
Dear Gayletee, "Never boring" — high praise for a history tour and so well deserved! Geri (or Gary as some call him!) has a real gift for making Hungary's communist era feel vivid and relevant — not just dates and facts, but the actual human experience of living through it. We're so glad it landed that way for you. And great point about the walking — this is definitely one for those who want to go deep on history without covering too many kilometres! A perfect 2 hours for any history buff visiting Budapest. Warm regards, Agnes & the TripToBudapest Team
Gabor was a fantastic guide, feeling personal experiences from his own life and a good deal of history about communist Hungary. He was energetic and knowledgeable and really made the tour enjoyable for the whole group.
Dear Mitchell, Thank you for this truly wonderful review! Gabor's personal connection to this period of Hungarian history is what makes the Lives of Hungarians Under Communist and Capitalist System tour unlike anything else in Budapest. When a guide speaks from lived experience, history stops being a lesson and becomes a conversation — and we're so glad that came through for your whole group. His energy, warmth and depth of knowledge are something we are immensely proud of. We will make sure he reads every word of this! We hope to welcome you back to Budapest soon. Warm regards, Agnes & the TripToBudapest Team
This offered a good insight into communism in Hungary and was a real eye opener for this “middle ground”. It was good to hear this from someone who had a living memory of what it was like. Edith was very informative and it was her anecdotes that made the trip. She was very knowledgeable and we went off piste a bit as it was free to get into St Stephens church as it was a public holiday. She was also able to speak fluently about the church. Her English was excellent. I would thoroughly recommend this company.
Dear Sightseeing, Thank you for this thoughtful review about our Communism walking tour! We're so glad to hear you enjoyed learning about Hungary’s history with Edith. Her firsthand stories and deep knowledge really bring these experiences to life, and it's great that you could explore St. Stephen's on the holiday, too—what perfect timing! We’re thrilled that you found the tour insightful and engaging. Thank you for recommending us, and we hope to see you on another tour soon! Kind regards, Triptobudapest.hu - Free Budapest Walking Tours Team
Agi was incredibly informative and a great guide. She gave lots of information on Communism and told stories of her experiences growing up in communist Hungary. Definitely recommended the tour to people in my hostel and would do again.
Dear GavinM, Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that Agi provided such an authentic and informative experience for you. It's fantastic that her insights into Communism, along with her personal stories, made the tour memorable. We're grateful for your recommendation and look forward to welcoming you back for another enlightening tour in the future! Kind regards, Triptobudapest.hu - Free Budapest Walking Tours Team
Excellent tour. Gary is very informative and adds his own family stories to the tour which is a nice touch. 100% reccomend!
Dear Hollyc8, Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Gary and appreciated his informative commentary, as well as the personal touch of sharing his own family stories. It's fantastic to know that his unique approach resonated with you. We truly appreciate your recommendation and look forward to welcoming you back for more memorable experiences in the future. Kind regards, Triptobudapest.hu - Free Budapest Walking Tours Team
We went on 2 tours during our trip to Budapest - one of the sights of Pest with Judy and a communism one with Aggie. Both guides were excellent! Both were very friendly, engaging and they really knew their stuff. I would absolutely recommend a tour with Free Budapest Walking Tours. We had a lovely time on both tours and learned so much! Thank you both Judy and Aggie!
Dear Tammy, Thank you immensely for taking the time to share your experience with us on TripAdvisor! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed not just one, but two of our tours during your time in Budapest.:-) Judy and Agi are indeed exceptional guides, and we are thrilled to know that their passion for sharing knowledge and engaging with guests shone through during your tours. Your kind words about their friendliness and expertise truly mean the world to us. It brings us immense joy to hear that you had a lovely time on both tours and that you found them educational. Thank you for recommending our tours to fellow travelers. Your endorsement is the highest compliment we could receive, and we are grateful for your support. Kind regards, Triptobudapest.hu - Free Budapest Walking Tours Team
Honestly this was the best tour I’ve ever done. Agi did our communism tour and Judit did the tour around the city. They were so knowledgeable about Hungarian history. But more importantly you could see their passion come through, driven by their own experiences too. This really came through with how they explained everything and I just wanted to sit down for hours and ask more about Hungarian history. Would HIGHLY recommend to anyone going to Budapest
Dear Wadier, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wonderful experience with our Welcome to Budapest and Communism tours on Tripadvisor! We are thrilled to hear that you found our both tours and tour guides excellent. Our guides, Judit and Agi, are indeed passionate about Hungarian history, and we're delighted that their knowledge and enthusiasm resonated with you:-) It's always our goal to not only provide insightful tours but to create an engaging and memorable experience for our guests. Your words truly inspire us, and we appreciate the recommendation. If you ever find yourself back in Budapest, we would love the opportunity to share even more fascinating stories about Hungarian history with you. Thank you again for choosing our tours! Kind regards, Triptobudapest.hu - Free Budapest Walking Tours Team
About the (anti) Communist tour: Just want to leave here a comradely reminder in case any other communist is interested in going on the Communist tour. It's a tour full of the common sense anti communist talk and the critic is actually very superficial as well. So if you are looking for something insightful from the communism perspective the tour won't do much, but if you dislike communism then it might be good for you haha. Ps: it was really hard to hear that Karl Marx was against religions using erroneously and distorting the quote "religion is the opium of the people" and not say anything hahaha The guide was really nice, the bit about the Hungarian history/foundation was really the strength of the tour.
Hello F8003W, We appreciate your enthusiasm for joining our tour and would like to provide some insight into our approach and objectives. Our goal is not to convince or sway individuals towards any particular political ideology, including anti-communism, during our tours. Instead, our aim is to foster an environment where participants can engage in a thoughtful exploration of both communism and post-communism, understanding the merits and drawbacks of each system. Our tours are designed to present historical facts and personal experiences, offering a balanced perspective on the impact of communism and its transition to post-communism. We strive to create a platform where participants can critically analyze the information provided, drawing their own conclusions based on the presented facts. By sharing the lived experiences of our guides and presenting factual information, our intention is to stimulate thoughtful discussions and promote a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding political ideologies. Each guide leaves time for questions and concerns during the tour and at its conclusion. All in all Communism is no longer an economic theory. It has failed utterly at that. It’s now a religion for some who have never experienced it before.. If you wish to continue the discussion, please feel free to use the email address provided below: agnes@triptobudapest.hu Best, Agnes Triptobudapest.hu - Free Budapest Walking Tours Team
I took the tour recently and loved it. A great way to learn more. The guide Gary was completely incredible, I recommend it to everyone.
Dear 292edu, Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with our Communism Walking Tour, and we're thrilled to hear that you loved it! We're especially grateful for your kind words about our guide, Gary. It's fantastic that you found him to be completely incredible. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we're grateful for your support. Thank you for choosing our tour, and we look forward to welcoming you again! Kind regards, Triptobudapest.hu - Free Budapest Walking Tours Team
