Private Budapest Hammer & Sickle Communist Times Tour

Descripción

Join us for a comprehensive look at Hungary's communist era behind the Iron Curtain—from how children were raised to family life, travel restrictions, black markets, and banana lines.

Meet your guide at your accommodation and head toward the center of Budapest. Visit the area around St. Stephen's Basilica, where your guide will explain how churches operated and whether people could practice their faith under a faithless regime. You'll walk to the green Liberty Square and learn about the secret Cold War bunker beneath it. The square also houses the last remaining Soviet WWII monument in Budapest, glorifying the Red Army's liberation. Your guide will share stories about the dark years of the Stalinist era and how the communist party seized power after 1945—policies that sparked the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

A short walk leads to the Hungarian House of Parliament. On the second day of the uprising, a volley of shots killed several people, triggering the revolution and inspiring more citizens to join the fight against the occupying Soviets. A commemorative exhibition of archives is displayed for a brief visit.

A leisurely walk along the Danube promenade provides excellent views of the Buda side and Margaret Bridge. On the way, your guide will show you statues of people who fought against the communist government and tell you about their lives and the challenges they faced.

You'll pass the Hungarian "White House," which served as the headquarters of the State Defence Unit from the 1950s and later housed the Communist Party until the transition.

Near Margaret Bridge, you will find the statue of Prime Minister Imre Nagy, who led Hungary during the 1956 revolution. Following the uprising, he was captured and imprisoned, and in 1958, he was put on trial with hundreds of other people and executed. His reburial in 1989 marked a milestone in the collapse of communist rule in Hungary.

Your guide will accompany you on a tram ride along the Danube embankment to the Chain Bridge, where the tour will conclude with a refreshment stop at a retro-style café.