Guided tour

Budapest: Communist History Tour with House of Terror Option

4.6 / 5

32 reviews

Activity provider:Tourist Angel
Guided tour

Budapest: Communist History Tour with House of Terror Option

Activity provider:Tourist Angel
Likely to sell out

From US$ 48.25 per person

Likely to sell out

Discover the Communist past of Budapest on this guided tour. Choose to join a guided walk with a visit to the more lighthearted Budapest Retro Center or visit the shocking House of Terror Museum.

About this activity

Free cancellation
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Covid-19 precautions
Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
Duration 2 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Skip the ticket line
Live tour guide
English
Small group
Limited to 10 participants

Experience

Highlights
  • Visit any of two breathtaking museums to revive a dramatic past
  • Learn about the Communist regime from a local tour guide trained in history
  • Gain insight into the unspoken secrets of the youth of the present day elderly Hungarians
Full description

Travel back in time to the 45-year long Communist period in Hungary under Soviet military occupation with one of these exciting guided tour options.

Choose the morning or the afternoon walking tour options which are identical for their first part as both tours start as a Communism-themed walking tour accross central Budapest. Meet your tour guide and begin a historical walk from the magnificent Hungarian Parliament, where you will see dramatic monuments, including the one commemorating the many victims of the red dictatorship. Continue to Liberty Square, where you will find the Soviet Liberation Memorial, the last Communist monument of the city in its original place. See the famous windows of Budapest, where Hungary's anti-Communist Catholic Church leader Cardinal Mindszenty spent the many years of his exile. Explore the ventilation channels of a secret underground nuclear bunker built in the years of the Cold War. Hear about and see sites of the Hungarian anti-Soviet revolution of 1956. 

Choosing the morning walking tour option, after the walk be invited to a 1-hour guided visit in Budapest Retro Center. This unique collection displays street views, typical vehicles, the astronauts of the Soviet-Hungarian space flight, real interior home designs, and thousands of objects from the period of the 1960-1980. The exhibition is arranged over 3 floors in a fun and interactive way. Dress as a Communist comrade, or you can try to be a TV news presenter of the time.

Choosing the afternoon walking tour option, enhance your experience with an additional ticket to the House of Terror Museum and uncover the secrets of the former seat of AVO State Protection Police (the local version of the Soviet KGB) as you visit the site on your own. See how it was faithfully restored to commemorate the many victims of the most brutal period of Communist dictatorship of the 1940s and 50s. 

As a third option, select a guided tour in the House of Terror Museum. Follow your tour guide to learn about Hungary from WWII through Nazi rule to Soviet Communist occupation. You will be guided around the life and economy of the 1950s, interrogation and torture cells, the office room of the dreaded director, hear the stories and see the memories of mass deportations, labor camps and political trials, the brave 1956 revolution and its consequences, leading to the end of Communism in 1989.

Includes
  • Professional tour guide
  • Communist-themed walking tour (if the Communist History Walking Tour option is selected)
  • Entry ticket to Budapest Retro Experience Center or House of Terror Museum (depending on option selected)

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

Meeting point may vary depending on the option booked.

Important information

Know before you go

  •  The tour is not provided by the museum. The tour guide is an autonomous professional, not an employee of the museum
  • Please do not look for your ticket in the ticket office. You will receive it from your tour guide
Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.6 /5

based on 32 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.7/5
  • Value for money
    3.9/5

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Star rating:

Adam was a wonderful guide - informative and had a great historical knowledge. He very generously shared his personal experiences of growing up under a Communist regime. We went to the Communist retro museum afterwards, which was so interesting and so much fun! Highly recommended.

April 7, 2023

Overall it was a good experience. The museum has very interesting historical information in connection with WW II and communism era in connection with Hungary. The guide was very young and her English was not great which made it very difficult to understand her explanations. You could tell she was passionate about this issue and that it was close to her heart as apparently it affected her family directly. However, because of the language barrier her explanations were longer than necessary so the tour took a very long time. Also, her explanations were so thorough at times that it prevented us from looking at the exhibitions because we were listening to her . This is not a bad thing. My main comment really addresses the language issue. She was very knowledgeable .

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December 19, 2022

A haunting memorial to the horrific nazi and communist era in Hungary. Our guide was fantastic at explaining the history and recounting the experiences of Hungarians. The displays show the buildings uses under both regimes. We learnt a lot from our experience and would definitely recommend going.

January 16, 2022

Product ID: 389878