The Imagine team lines up themed city walks across Buda and Pest on guaranteed dates, mixing architecture, food, urban legends, and behind-the-scenes access. Think exclusive after-hours tours, time-travel city tales, palace decoding, synagogue-district stories, and even quiz nights. The vibe is relaxed, the routes are family-friendly, and they also welcome team-building groups. All events below take place in Budapest, and the organizers reserve the right to change dates and programs.
After-hours, hidden corners, and grand old stations
One for the history-curious: Once Upon a Yellow House traces the story of the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, a landmark many locals still call the Yellow House. Fans of sacred spaces can step inside Matthias Church for exclusive after-hours tours on multiple nights, with guides taking you beyond the usual visitor route. Rail nerds and architecture lovers get their fix at Keleti Railway Station, with roof-to-platform access, and at Nyugati Railway Station, where the legendary Royal Waiting Room is the main event across several time slots.
Luxury fever dreams and palace decoders
Párisi Udvar álom luxuskivitelben (Párisi Udvar, a Luxury Dream) runs frequently, diving into the glittering arcade’s past lives and jaw-dropping design. There’s also Adria-palota Atlantisz a föld felett (Adria Palace, Atlantis Above Ground), where a story-laden façade meets maritime myths. Városi kódfejtés palotasztorik az Andrássy útról (Urban Codebreaking: Palace Stories on Andrássy Avenue) turns Budapest’s grand boulevard into a live puzzle, unpacking aristocrats, architects, and codes hidden in stone.
Food with a backstory
Sercli is a gastro walk that kneads together the city’s milling heritage and the rise of artisan bakeries. Édes élet follows Budapest’s sweet tooth from classic confectioners to new-school desserts. Irodalmi gasztroséta a Lágymányosi pampákon (Literary Gastro Walk on the Lágymányos Pampas) pairs bites with bookish lore. Séta Fortunával (A Walk with Fortuna) serves up luck-bringing spots and snacks around Víziváros, while A nagy Gundel-sztori (The Great Gundel Story) lays out the ingredients of Hungarian hospitality at its most iconic.
City gossip, crimes, and secrets
Azt beszélik a városban… (Word on the Street) gathers crime tales and juicy gossip from Budapest’s back alleys. Intim titkok a századfordulón (Intimate Secrets at the Turn of the Century) peeks into women’s daily lives in old Budapest with empathy and detail. Díva és csalogány (Diva and Nightingale) asks, “What is a woman worth, if…?” weaving music, stardom, and social norms. Stories from the synagogue triangle map the Jewish Quarter’s layered memory, while A nagy Saxlehner-titok (The Great Saxlehner Secret) invites you to “Become a Millionaire!” with a playful, money-by-mineral-water twist.
Time travel and festive bells
Csilingelő karácsonyok (Jingling Christmases) dials up the yuletide mood in a time-travel city tale led by Morcsányi Elza—expect twinkly nostalgia with sharp historical edges. Once Upon a Millennium offers an evening with historian Csaba Katona, revisiting Budapest’s golden-age swagger as a living, breathing chapter rather than a museum piece.
Inside icons reborn
B, mint balett, W, mint W Budapest (B for Ballet, W for W Budapest) charts the rebirth of an iconic building: marble, mirrors, and the choreography of restoration. Látogatás a Csekonics-palotában (Visit to Csekonics Palace) opens doors to aristocratic lifestyles—tables set, etiquette decoded, histories aired—across a whole series of closely spaced time slots for small-group access. There’s also a compact downtown organ tour, Randevú a hangszerek királynőjével (Rendezvous with the Queen of Instruments), crowned with a mini-concert.
Párisi Udvar takes center stage
If you only pick one, Párisi Udvar’s luxury dream runs like a spine through the calendar, with morning, afternoon, and late-day entries. The tour stitches together Art Nouveau flourishes, Moorish whispers, and Paris arcade vibes, under stained-glass light made for dramatic photos and better stories.
Dates to circle
– Nov 4, 18:00: Once Upon a Yellow House (National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology)
– Nov 5, 12, 13, 19:00; Nov 25, 19:00: Matthias Church exclusive after-hours tours
– Nov 6, 7, 8, 11, 15, 16, 22, 23, 27, 29, 30; Dec 4, 6: Párisi Udvar, multiple times daily
– Nov 8, 29, 30; Dec 6: Édes élet and Sercli gastro walks
– Nov 8, 22: City gossip and crime tales
– Nov 9, 22, 23, 30: Adria Palace, Andrássy palace codebreaking, synagogue triangle stories
– Nov 9, 20, 25: Intimate Secrets at the Turn of the Century
– Nov 9: Keleti Railway Station roof-to-platform tour
– Nov 16: Literary gastro walk in Lágymányos
– Nov 16: Nyugati Railway Station Royal Waiting Room, many slots 12:30–17:30
– Nov 12, 26: Diva and Nightingale
– Nov 13: Budapest Quiz Stop, plus another Matthias Church night
– Nov 15–16, 22–23, 29–30; Dec 6: B for Ballet, W for W Budapest, multiple slots
– Nov 15, 17, 29: Csekonics Palace visits in dense, small-group waves
– Nov 17, 29: Jingling Christmases with Morcsányi Elza
– Nov 19, 23: Once Upon a Millennium, with Csaba Katona
– Nov 22: The Great Gundel Story
– Nov 23, 30: The Great Saxlehner Secret, multiple times
– Nov 29: Downtown organ tour with mini-concert
How to pick your route
– Love grand architecture? Choose Párisi Udvar, Adria Palace, the Andrássy codebreaking walk, or the reborn W Budapest.
– Into social history? Go for Intimate Secrets, Diva and Nightingale, or the synagogue triangle.
– Hungry? Book Sercli, Édes élet, the Lágymányos literary gastro tour, or the Fortuna walk.
– Crave access? Line up Keleti and Nyugati station tours, Matthias Church after-hours, or Csekonics Palace.
– Feeling festive? Jingling Christmases has your name on it.
All programs are guided, playful without dumbing down, and designed to make the city feel both bigger and more intimate. Bring comfy shoes, an open mind, and a battery pack—Budapest’s stories don’t fit into a single snapshot. Dates and programs may change.
