Buda Castle Caves

Explore a part of the network of underground tunnels under Castle Hill with your guide. Learn more about the history and role of the cave tunnels and their geology. Admire the natural limestone and the manpower that went into creating this labyrinth cave system. Meet for the cave tour either at Trinity Square (Szentháromság tér) or for the shorter tour option at Dárda Street, where you enter the Buda Castle underground cave system. After a short introduction, you will start your tour and learn about the history of the labyrinth-like of the cave system which once served as wine cellars, bomb shelters, and even a medieval prison. Admire the natural limestone caverns and the 800-year-old man-made cellars in one of the most unique caves of Hungary. The tour is a journey through time during where you will be able to learn a lot about not only the geology of the Buda Castle but also about the combined work of man and nature throughout many centuries.

Take a walk with us on Castle Hill, above the ground and under the ground, as we visit a cellar and an original bomb shelter in the cave system stretching beneath this historic district. On Christmas Eve 1944, the Soviet Red Army encircled German-occupied Budapest, and the 52-day siege of the Hungarian capital began. Tens of thousands sought shelter in Buda Castle, including German and Hungarian soldiers, the wounded, and civilians. During these hellish weeks — completely unfathomable to us today — they all experienced the common terror of death, but also an instinctive desire for survival in the underground spaces of the Royal Palace and the unique cave and cellar system of the historic residential quarter. They suffered immensely from the cold, lack of water and food, darkness, overcrowding, and diseases, while trying to salvage their lives, possessions, and the treasures of the Royal Palace. During our tour, we will recount the horrors of the siege of Buda based on diaries and memoirs as we walk through an underground labyrinth, visiting the cellar of an old dwelling house and an authentic Second World War bomb shelter. By the end of the tour, you will understand why the siege of Budapest has often been compared to that of Stalingrad, which was one of the most brutal and devastating encirclement battles in world history.

Visit the Buda Castle District on a guided walking tour in Budapest. Learn about the history of this district and see popular sights including the Mary Magdalene Tower, Sándor Palace, and more. Meet your guide near the Vienna Gate, in the heart of the Castle District. Then, set out to explore the Old Town, passing by important historical buildings as you go. See the Mary Magdalene Tower, Matthias Church, the Fisherman's Bastion, and the old Café Ruszwurm, one of Europe's oldest pastry shops, and learn about each of these sights from your guide. Your walking tour continues to the old buildings of Buda Castle which once housed government offices and ministries. Admire the Royal Stables, Sándor Palace, and the Royal Castle, and glimpse the Castle Funicular. Your tour comes to an end outside the Budapest Castle Bazaar. Feel free to keep exploring on your own from here, visiting the nearby Chain Bridge or the Royal Gardens. 

In this 2-hour long walking tour you will get deep insight into the history of the Castle Hill, its amazing monuments and the life of its inhabitants during the centuries and today. First I will show you the marvellous Matthias Church together with Fisherman’s Bastion, two must-see attractions of the Buda Castle District. We will see a unique street where you can discover most of the architectural styles found in the historical Hungary till the end of the 19th century with nearly five hundred years old building parts. We will have a look on two major governmental buildings of Hungary and I will take you to a spot from where you can have breathtaking views on the Pest side of the city. We visit the Royal Buda Palace – also known as Buda Castle – which served as the royal seat of Hungarian rulers throughout the centuries. I will talk about King Matthias who made Buda Palace one of the centres for Renaissance culture in Europe and whose granite fountains bubbled with wine. I will also show you Budapest’s oldest confectioner’s which was visited by even Queen Elisabeth ’Sisi’, the Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary. At the end of the tour I will entertain you with a special music performance of the most beautiful Hungarian folk songs.

I will meet you at your hotel or appartment in an agreed time. This private experience will intoduce you to the the hidden treasures and place in the Pest and the Buda side. I will show you the main sights in Pest, such as the City Park, the Heroes Square, the Andrássy Avenue. You will have the chance to see and get to know the Franz Liszt Music Academy, the Broadway of Pest, the State Opera House. You will feel like you lived your life in the city as a local after seeing the House of Parlament, the St Stephens Cathedral, the Liberty square, the shoes along the river bank of the Danube. After the introduction of Pest I will take you to the Buda side to see the outstanding view and the Castle District, with the Matthias Church, the Fischerman’s Bastion, the Fortuna Street, the Holy Trinity Square, and the Castle Labyrinth. You will have the chance anytime to take a break or have a lunch. I will also drive you up during the day to the Gellért hill, to see the Liberty statue, the outstanding panorama and get to know the history of the hill. This tour is tailor made to your needs and intrest.