Budapest is made for walking, and Imagine’s guaranteed-date city tours lean all the way in. These themed routes open doors to Art Nouveau passageways, fin-de-siècle scandals, lavish palaces, spa legends, stock-exchange vaults turned TV studios, and sugar-dusted gastro strolls. The guides are equal parts storyteller and insider, the itineraries roam both Buda and Pest, and the roster is big enough to fill your calendar—family-friendly strolls, trivia nights, and team-building experiences included. Organizers reserve the right to change programs and times, but the lineup is stacked with options right now—310 entries and counting.
Hidden Lives, Divas, and the Gilded Age
The intimacy of old Budapest comes to life on Intimate Secrets at the Turn of the Century, exploring women’s everyday realities in a city remaking itself around 1900. The tour returns on January 14 at 6:00 p.m. and again on February 4 at 6:00 p.m., roaming the streets where modernity clashed with strict social codes. A different spotlight falls on Diva and Nightingale — What Is a Woman Worth…?, a performance-laced walk on January 14 at 6:00 p.m., riffing on stage legends and the price of fame. If you like your glamour in glass and tile, The Párisi Passage (Párisi Udvar) — Luxury in Dream Form revisits the city’s fairytale arcade again and again: January 15 at 5:30 p.m., January 17 at 3:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., January 18 at 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m., January 22 at 5:30 p.m., January 24 at 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m., January 25 at 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m., January 31 at 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m., and February 1 at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., then February 7 at 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m., and February 8 at 11:00 a.m. The itinerary dives into the arcade’s opulent rebirth and the myths stitched into its mosaics.
Gellért, Gossip, and Crime Stories
Blending spa lore and hotel prestige, Legendary Gellért unpacks tales from the Danube-side icon on January 15 at 6:00 p.m. and again on January 17 at 3:00 p.m., then on February 5 at 6:00 p.m. For those who prefer whispers and cold cases, They Say in the City… Crime Stories and Gossip in Budapest runs January 17 at 10:00 a.m., pulling threads from newspapers, footnotes, and street corners where rumors once ran wild.
Inside Palaces: Csekonics, Adria, Andrássy
Csekonics Palace opens repeatedly on January 17 for a crash course in aristocratic lifestyle, with time slots at 9:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. The focus: protocol, possessions, and habits that defined a noble address. Adria Palace — Atlantis Above Ground surfaces January 18 at 2:00 p.m. and January 24 at 10:00 a.m., then January 31 at 2:00 p.m., spotlighting a historic headquarters with sea-blue dreams in its bones. For codebreakers and architecture lovers, Urban Codebreaking — Palace Stories of Andrássy Avenue appears January 31 at 10:00 a.m. and February 8 at 10:00 a.m., reading facades and family crests like a puzzle.
Stock Exchange to TV: The Liberty Square Insider Tour
One building, many lives: From Stock Exchange to TV Headquarters — Touring Liberty Square (Szabadság tér) 17 gets deep access to one of the city’s grandest addresses. It runs often: January 17 at 12:45 p.m., January 18 at 9:00 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m., January 24 at 9:00 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 1:30 p.m., January 25 at 10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:30 p.m., January 31 at 9:00 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:30 p.m., February 1 at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:30 p.m., February 7 at 9:00 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 12:45 p.m., and February 8 at 9:45 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 12:45 p.m. Expect a century-spanning makeover from trading floor to studios, with a front-row look at monumental interiors.
Sweet Tooth, Jewish Quarter, and W Budapest
Dolce Vita (Édes élet) — A Dessert-Driven Gastro Walk pops up January 17 at 10:30 a.m. and January 31 at 10:30 a.m., nibbling through confectionery classics and new-wave patisserie. Stories from the Synagogue Triangle explores the Pest Jewish Quarter on January 18 at 10:00 a.m., threading together courtyards, memorials, and café culture. B as in Ballet, W as in W Budapest — The Rebirth of an Iconic Building is scheduled January 17 at 12:30 p.m., January 18 at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., January 24 at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., January 25 at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., January 31 at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and February 1 at 12:45 p.m., February 8 at 10:00 a.m. The tour maps star turns from palace to performance to luxury hotel.
Literary Plates, Gundel, and Italian Tastes
Literary Gastro Walk on the Lágymányos Pampas arrives January 18 at 2:00 p.m., mixing bites with bookish lore along the university quarter. The Big Gundel Story — Ingredients of Hospitality sets the table January 25 at 3:00 p.m., tracing the house that shaped Hungarian service and menus. There’s also a tasting detour: A Taster from Italy — Flavors from Pomo D’Oro, Stories from the Past on February 3 at 5:30 p.m., pairing plates with anecdotes.
Millennium Nights and the Yellow House
Once Upon a Millennium — An Evening with Csaba Katona revisits the feverish 1896 boom on January 20 at 6:00 p.m. and again on January 31 at 4:00 p.m., decoding grand projects and national pride. Once There Was a Yellow House — History of the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, a cult subject for locals, runs January 28 at 6:00 p.m. and February 3 at 6:00 p.m., entering the lore of a monumental, now-closed medical campus that still haunts Budapest’s imagination.
Quiz Night and More January–February Dates
Budapest Quiz Station hits on January 22 at 6:00 p.m., a pub-style challenge for urban geeks and curious first-timers. The calendar keeps rolling into February with repeat favorites: more Párisi Passage (Párisi Udvar) tours, another Gellért evening (February 5, 6:00 p.m.), and back-to-back deep dives at Liberty Square (Szabadság tér) 17 throughout the month. Many tours offer multiple time slots on the same day, so you can stack experiences: thief tales in the morning, palace corridors after lunch, parquet and marble at sunset.
Whether you’re new in town or you’ve walked these streets for years, Imagine’s schedule makes a case for swapping the metro for a stroll. Lace up, pick a theme, and let Budapest tell you a different story each time. Organizers may change dates and programs; check availability before you go.
