Budapest Alternative Culture Walking Tour

Badge of ExcellenceBudapest, Hungary

Small Group Budapest Art and Culture Walking Tour

2 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover a behind-the-scenes look at Budapest’s art culture on this walking tour. Explore the architecture, graffiti, and street art with a local guide for a more intimate experience of this vibrant capital city. Along the way, make additional stops at cool coffee shops, street art galleries, and bars and take a jaunt through the Jewish Quarter to spot hidden synagogues.

Introduction to Budapest’s established and expanding alternative culture
Visit a local artist’s studio and gallery
Learn about Budapest’s street art and graffiti scene
Explore districts rarely visited by tourists

What's Included

English speaking guide

Entry fees to sights and museums
Pick-up and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Budapest, Deák Ferenc tér 4, 1052 Hungary
In front of the Lutheran Church (pale yellow), on the church steps

Start time

03:00 PM

End point

Budapest, Józsefváros, Hungary
Tour ends in downtown close to transport links

What To Expect

Shy away from the usual tourist stops on this walking experience with a local guide, and get an inside look at Budapest’s alternative culture. First scout out the synagogues in the Jewish Quarter, hidden slightly from view. Next, head to some of Budapest’s most impressive street art galleries to immerse yourself in the underground art scene, before making a quick stop at a cool coffeehouse (own expense) and photo gallery.

Then travel to the place where the underground scene started, the former working-class districts that have since become the pulse of arts and culture. Learn the stories of how the art world kept alive under communist leadership.

Please note: In an effort to visit the most up-to-date and exciting artistic venues, the itinerary details are subject to change.

Alternative Budapest

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Rumbach Street Synagogue

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Jewish Quarter

1 hour 40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Józsefváros

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
You will need to be fit for light continuous walking, for up to 2.5 hours
Tour goes in all weather conditions so please dress appropriately.
Not wheelchair accessible

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

53 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 53 reviews

Must Do Tour!

Catherine_B, Feb 2024

Loved this tour. Our guide was a fabulous young woman (whose name escapes me). She was both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her subject matter. The tour was completely unique. She brought us to an amazing Ruin bar, showed us moving and emotive sites, showed us around craft shops, introduced us to murals, and advised us where to dine. You must do this tour is you want the inside scoop on Budapest

Fantastic tour

Amie_R, Feb 2020

Absolutely fantastic tour. We learned so much and it gave us some great insights on places to go. We really recommend it

Response from Host, Jul 2020

Thank you for joining us on this walk and share your review on the platform. Hope to see you again. All the best, Eszter

Great walking tour. Our guide was...

Simon C, Aug 2017

Great walking tour. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and very engaging. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to see some of the local art and learn things about the city that you won't find in a conventional guide book.

A very interesting and worthwhile...

Jacqueline K, Mar 2017

A very interesting and worthwhile tour. A great opportunity to learn about street art, design, politics and local history as you walk through the 7th district. Our guide Anita Kurti, was excellent, knowledgeable and open to answering the many questions that came up as we went along. I learned a lot, met some interesting people and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. I highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in learning how art, history and politics intersect here in Budapest. A huge thank you to Anita!

Not really what expected. Not enough...

Susan_M, Jan 2017

Not really what expected. Not enough content on subject.

Awesome tour. We were so lucky to...

BettyJean_S, Nov 2016

Awesome tour. We were so lucky to be the only ones on the tour with Darius. We saw things that would have been difficult to do on our own. So informative and fun. Thanks Darius for sharing your knowledge of culture and art in Budapest and for the amazing conversations. Best tour I've ever taken anywhere. Very highly recommended.

Loved this tour and tour leader was...

David N, Oct 2016

Loved this tour and tour leader was great. Off the beaten tourist circuit and maybe not for everyone but we really enjoyed it.

Awesome tour, our guide was really...

Jason N, Jul 2016

Awesome tour, our guide was really experienced and happy to share many personal stories as well about the culture and history of the city. I loved in Budapest for a while years earlier and I found myself exploring parts I had never seen before.

I liked how relaxing and informal...

Isabella W, Jul 2016

I liked how relaxing and informal the tour was. Very interesting in some interesting neighborhoods:

Fabulous tour with charming Bogata...

Lesley S, Mar 2016

Fabulous tour with charming Bogata who is knowledgeable on all Budapest street art and funky venues offering a stylish insight of evolving Budapest contemporary culture. I loved the visit to Massolit book store and cafe, the visit to Corvina and fab trendy cafe enjoying great company. Thankyou Bogata, wishing you well in future ventures. Lesley Portsmouth. UK

Informative, entertaining and...

Mr R C M, Feb 2016

Informative, entertaining and relaxed from the start, this tour was exactly the combination of artsy insights into today's city life and welcoming orientation exercise on new and exotic streets I was looking for. And my guide, media designer Dareios brought massive charm, wry humour and jaw-droopingly good English to the mix. His smart commentary added an authentic, young-local-artist perspective to the more official line about contemporary culture and its commercial successes, and as I was lucky enough to be the only customer on the freezing January afternoon I took the tour, he asked how he could tailor it my interests, and even invited me for an excellent Hungarian craft beer afterwards in a deeply cool bar in District 8 I'll probably never be able to find again. 11 out of 10 for customer service and canny chat. Thanks D.

I think calling calling this tour...

Caroline P, Jan 2016

I think calling calling this tour 'Art and Culture' is misleading. It certainly gives you an insight into an emerging and edgy side of the city and you'll see examples of graffiti and learn about how young Hungarians view their present leader. I was however expecting more culture as the title suggests. We did visit two small galleries, but I was disappointed not to see more established galleries and exhibitions.I also felt that the tone of the tour was geared to a younger audience which was a shame.

My tour guide became a friend, ended up...

Miriam S, Dec 2015

My tour guide became a friend, ended up going to one of her gigs. highly recommended

Clear stories, very good languages and...

Bader A, Aug 2015

Clear stories, very good languages and funny presenter with full knowledge of Budapest

I really enjoyed this tour. Agnes...

Desiree G, Aug 2015

I really enjoyed this tour. Agnes was a very charming and knowledgeable guide. I liked that the stops showed various aspects of Budapest culture, providing us with places to revisit at a later date (which I did!). If you want to get a taste of cool places to see in Budapest then this is the tour!

It was a fascinating look at the...

Shaun W, Jun 2015

It was a fascinating look at the alternative art scene in Budapest. Although the tour itself was pretty disorganized, I would still recommend this tour to explore the non-touristy parts of Budapest.

Very nice. Guide was friendly and new...

Maram A, Jun 2015

Very nice. Guide was friendly and new her information. Very lovely lady and beautiful sites.

My boyfreind and I booked this a...

Macarena W, Mar 2015

My boyfreind and I booked this a mere 24hours before and we received our confirmation quickly. Antonia was our guide and is very much a local who doesn't only know Budapest art and culture, it is her lifestyle. You know this as during the tour she'll acknowledge local acquaintances and discus how she herself discovered the things she will show you. I really wouldn't of understood/ noticed the significance of the things pointed out and really aren't in any guide books Trust me I bought 3 before my trip. The tour is based mostly in 7th district, the modern young hub of the city with a complex past.It is a walking tour and you'll stop for a drink on route which allows you a little time to explore the venue alone at your pace. You must be into arts in some form to enjoy it,history and politics of course plays a part of the tour but you don't need to be well versed in it as she explains well and it is only really discussed in context of what is being shown. If you are interested in 'Hungarians opinion about ...' she's happy to oblige you. Her english is fantastic and was well understood by all the nationalities on the tour. The tone is friendly, relaxed and light hearted. Expect hipster havens, peeping in on local artists at work and the products of community projects. At the end of the tour she was very accommodating in offering us tips during our stay of events going on and places we might like based on our tastes. The Tour will take your afternoon but you leave the guide with a feeling of understanding the modern Budapest and its arty inhabitants. More than worth the time and money. Antonia Vai is also a fantastic musician and we were fortunate to be able to pop in on a gig which we thoroughly enjoyed. - Mac

A really interesting tour, with a...

Rachele P, Dec 2014

A really interesting tour, with a very welcoming and knowledgeable guide who clearly loved the city and wanted us, as visitors, to know more about its recent artistic history. A couple of pit-stops for coffee and mulled cider were much appreciated on a cold November afternoon! Would highly recommend.

Great guide. Took her time to...

Patricia L, Jun 2014

Great guide. Took her time to explain the street art we saw and really enjoyed our stop at a ruin bar and coffee shop. In addition, our guide made many suggestions for restaurants and other sights we might be interested in.