Best Budapest Tours
Budapest has endless architectural delights, historic streets, and epic monuments. There is so much to see and it can feel a little daunting to plan where to start. Especially if you are just hopping over for 1 day or a weekend. You want to catch as much as possible without overloading your schedule. So where do you start?
We can help you there. From this Tours hub, you can find all our articles on the highest rated tours in Budapest. Check out walking tours, or browse the Segway tours – there you will get details like what they entail, how long they take, and whether there are any upgradable extras or combination packages.
Save money, save the hassle. Here, you can plan a Budapest sightseeing itinerary on your terms.
Browse Budapest Tours
There’s no better place than to jump straight in. Check out the top tour categories below to explore the various tours and routes you can take (with value for money analysis and important insights).
Click on any of the tiles to explore the best Budapest tours by category. Each of the tours that I list in these comparisons is 100% legit, either run by local independent companies or by bigger international firms. For each category, like Bus Tours, for example, you can read about all the main bus tours and compare starting times, prices, duration, areas in Budapest covered, and check which company runs the tour.
Then, within the mini reviews, an overview on the pros and cons, and an overall impression on what the tour has to offer.
Best Selling Budapest Tours
Straight off the bat, the best place to start is by looking at what tours sell the most. The boat tours are easily the most popular in Budapest, as they are short and run regularly – thus can fit into any schedule. It doesn’t matter whether you have 1 day or 1 week to spend in Budapest, boat tours are an absolute must. Then, there are the bus tours and walking tours, which give you more of an orientation around the city, and take you to all the sights.
The 3-hour Orientation Walk of Budapest by Tourist Angel is a prime example of a premium walking tour. Sure, there are free tours out there, but this is a professional setup with an expert guide, multilingual options, and group sizes capped at 15 people.
A bus tour company that operates in nearly 30 cities around the world, Big Bus offers reliability and comfort. The Big Bus hop on hop off tour is the one bus tour you want to take in Budapest, that actually goes up to the Citadel (where the city sightseeing doesn’t), and the 10 – 25 minute Big Bus schedule is nearly always on point.
It speaks volumes that most people pick the Unlimited Prosecco Cruise by Duna-Weser over the standard Mahart and Purpleliner budget cruises. Sure, it has unlimited prosecco to enjoy your time aboard the boat, but it also goes for an extended 75 minutes instead of the standard 60, and promises a vibrant, yet not overly loud, cruise on the Danube River.
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Undecided? Check Types of Tours
It seems like every year there are new tours in Budapest, and tour providers keep adding to that palette with different modes of transport, tour themes, and storytelling approaches. I want to focus on modes of transport here, because that is the easiest to analyse, and cross off a few types that you absolutely don’t want. We are after those tours that suit your style and check off the sites that you want to explore.
| Tour Type | Typical Length | Average Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus Tours | 1 to 3 hours | Approx €30 to €45 | City Orientation: checking off lots of sights in a few hours. Good for families, groups, and people who don’t want a physically strenuous tour |
| Boat Tours | 1 to 1.5 hours | Approx €10 to €30 | Scenic Tour: see some of the most iconic sights in Budapest. It is just as much about the cruise experience |
| Walking Tours | 1.5 to 3 hours | “Free”, approx €20 to €30 (open groups). €50 to €100+ (private) | Deeply insightful: Get up and out, and walk the streets with a local, learning about the history in more detail |
| Segway Tours | 1 to 3 hours | Approx €35 to €90 (open groups) | Active Yet Easy: Effectively a sped up walking tour, great fun for the family, and gets a lot of ground covered in short bursts |
| Bike and eBike Tours | 1.5 to 3.5 hours | Approx €30 to €60 (open groups) | Physically Rewarding: Guided cycling tours are safe and a great option for avid cyclists. There are eBike versions to make it easier |
| Scooter and Roller Tours | 1 to 3 hours | Approx €40 to €75 (open groups) | Exciting and Unique: You don’t need a licence for most rollers, just drive in pods along scenic routes. Seated, comfortable, and covers lots of ground |
You don’t need to stick to just one tour either, you can look for options that only cover smaller areas and then mix it up. For example:
- Pest by Scooter, Buda by Walking Tour
- Riverbanks by Segway, Buda and Pest by Coach
- Riverbanks by Boat, Buda Castle by eBike, Pest by Walking
These are just a few examples, but you get the gist of it. Given the time you have, your budget, and what sights you are interested in, you can do as many variations as you like.
Budapest By Bus
Bus tours are a good way to cover lots of ground and check off all the important sights. Plus, you don’t exhaust yourself by walking or cycling the 20+ or 30+ kilometres that the buses cover in a day. There are shorter tours that give you an orientation of Buda or Pest (or both), and longer ones that include designated stops, for stretching your legs and doing a little exploration on foot.
The hop on hop off bus tours attract a lot of attention because of their versatility. They run on loops, and you can just get off whenever you feel like it, and jump back onto the bus. It can double as a chauffeur service as well if you find your way around town. But you need to think of all the factors when choosing a Budapest bus tour for your trip. All have their special routes, and there are lots of tours out there.
The Big Bus hop on hop off sightseeing tour does a 2+ hour loop of the whole city, covering virtually all the main landmarks in Buda and Pest, using the buses continuously for 24, 48 or 72 hours.
It’s not for everyone, but the BeerBus Sightseeing Tour is great fun. The BeerBus tour takes you all over Pest and Buda, with no stops, but continuous beer drinking. Mercifully, there is no morning tour, the tours start after lunch and last a good 1 hour.
The Cityrama Grand City Tour of Budapest with Parliament Visit is a great combination package. A 3 hour extensive tour of Budapest, with convenient morning or afternoon start times, you also get a live guide to take you through the history. The tour incldues a 1 hour visit of the Parliament building at the end.
River Tours
A good Danube River Tour can easily become the highlight of your trip. It is a unique way to experience Budapest, and the scenic route that most standard 1-hour tours take you past many of the key monuments on the Buda and Pest riverfront. There is no shortage of boat tour companies that provide these cruises, so you have loads to choose from.
Practically all check off the various landmarks between the Chain Bridge and Elisabeth Bridge. But starting time, crowd size, lower deck seating vs upper deck space, and extra amenities are what make up the difference. Oh, and price, that is also important, the price must reflect the quality of what you are getting.
One of the tours that ritually sells out is the Kisfaludy Paddle Steamer, a replica of a 19th century boutique boat that pumps steam as it paddles up and down the Danube. It is surprisingly well-priced for such a unique experience, and runs regularly throughout the day.
The Parliament Panorama Cruise is run by Purpleliner, and this is a hugely popular option for its price and the fact that it sets off from Buda, in full view of the Parliament. Purpleliner’s tour has daytime and nighttime starts, and can get pretty crowded, but it covers all the essentials.
Portum Lines is not one of the biggest boat touring operators in Budapest, but its City Highlights Sightseeing Cruise remains one of the tourist favourites. It is fairly priced, includes a welcome drink upon boarding, and runs at the key sunset and evening times.
A Walkable City
A city that is very walkable, the best Budapest walking tours take you around all the key sights and give you a much more extensive story about the city’s history. You aren’t whizzing past buildings and just acknowledging them. The expert guides can tell you the story beyond when it was built or what style it was made in, such as who lived in the building, what happened there, and whether it had any significance in important chapters of Hungary’s history.
That is exactly why Budapest walking tours are so popular. There are lots of walking tours, from the open group free walking tours up to the personalised privately booked programmes. When exploring your options, definitely check the max group size, starting times, and remember that with free walking tours the guides are not always paid – so they may ask for tips at the end.
Tourist Angels’ 3 Hour Orientation of Buda and Pest is one of the most comprehensive walking tours out there. It is the ideal introduction to the city for first-timers, with deep insights about Budapest’s turbulent history.
A popular option among families and anyone who likes a good scary tour – the Buda Castle District Vampires and Myths is hosted by actors and takes you up to the Castle at night. There are no jump scares, or any fake stories, just a story about darker characters in Hungarian history.
The Buda Castle is full of historical mysteries from various epochs, and you can learn all about it in Absolute Tours’ Castle District Walk with Entry to Matthias Church.
What to See in Budapest
A city tour is a tricky endeavour, especially in a city so rich with things to do, sights to see and steeped in culture as Budapest is. But for first timers, especially those who want to leave with some fun facts, pictures of iconic monuments, and an understanding of the local culture, we do recommend checking off the basics. To help you, here is a quick checklist for you.
Buda
- Buda Castle
- Fisherman's Bastion
- Matthias Church
- Gellért Hill
- Citadel
Pest
- Parliament
- Basilica
- Jewish Quarter
- Vörösmarty Square
- Andrássy Avenue
- Heroes' Square
- Liget City Park
- Central Market Hall
(Danube)
- Margaret Island
- Shoes on the Danube Bank
- Chain Bridge
- Margaret Bridge
- Liberty Bridge
- Elisabeth Bridge