Vive Tours de Arte y Cultura en lo mejor de
Budapest con Withlocals

"My Tour with Ivan could not have been better and definitely made a difference in my first visit to Budapest. He was warm, engaging, authentic and knowledgeable, but most importantly he was passionate about history. The tour I booked was for three hours and he ended up spending nearly 5 hours with me. I highly recommend!"

"Our very knowledgeable guide provides great walking tour around central Pest and taught us to “look up”. Such a remarkably beautiful city. Not bad Strudel either!!"

"Highly recommend the tour with Ivan. Learned a lot about history and how the cold war has impacted contemporary Hungarian history. Ivan has also shared comprehensive research and privately-held pictures from the 1956 uprising. "

"If you are fortunate enough to engage Ivan for the Budapest Cold War Tour you will certainly be delighted. Our intention during our visit to Budapest was to develop a better understanding of the life of the average Budapest resident through the changes of WWII, Soviet occupation, the 1956 uprising and the subsequent 'cold war'. Our guide, Ivan, brought so many insights that can only be brought by a local. He customized our tour to include the topics we were most interested in. The city's monuments and buildings took on a greater meaning as we added history to each site. We left the tour feeling truly educated. Highly recommended for anyone who would like to be transported to the not so distant past of Budapest's darker history as well as Hungary's relationship to the modern world."

"This tour with Ivan far exceeded our expectations for learning about the untold cold war history of Budapest. We came away with a far deeper understanding of not only the uprising but the previously unknown American involvement in it. Ivan was an engaging and highly informative host whose passion for this subject and for his city was evident. Highly recommend this tour."

"Ivan was absolutely wonderful and had so much information and answered all our questions. He showed us so many hidden gems in Budapest! Ivan is writing a book and so he has done an amazing amount of research so get ready to learn a lot. Thanks for everything, we highly recommend!"

"We had a really interesting trip with Ivan. He is very knowledgeable and has conducted extensive research into the history of Cold War espionage in Budapest. Our tour took in a number of easily overlooked but pivotal sites during the period from the end of WWII to the fall of communism in Europe. Our afternoon really couldn’t have been better. Thank you Ivan. "

"Ivan is not only an absolute expert on the subject.. he's also a great guy! Everything you ever wanted to know on the cold war and MORE! Pictures and personal stories make you live this from the inside. We highly recommend."

"My tour of Budapest with Ivan was the intellectual highlight of my two weeks in Central Europe. He was cordial, entertaining, smart and informative. The sights within the city were definitely among the hidden treasures, and as we stood on the Danube and looked at the former American Residence, others walked by not knowing the significance of that building, or observant of the still evident damage from Soviet tanks. Ivan customized my tour to include Memento Park (well outside the city) and it exceeded my expectations. The remnants of the communist era are erie and evocative. I highly recommend Ivan. He is extremely knowledge and admirably articulate: The Perfect Teacher!"

"Ivan is an astute and engaging host that weaves in historical facts and primary sources to enhance one’s experience and understanding of mid 20th century Hungary. As a gracious and friendly host, he’s keen to answer questions and it’s clear that he has put much thought and care into curating and refining an interesting, engaging tour. "