Budapest wears its stories on its streets, and Imagine’s themed city walks make sure you don’t miss a single one. Across Buda and Pest, guides open doors to iconic buildings, tell deliciously gossipy tales, and serve up architecture, gastronomy, and urban legends in equal measure. These guaranteed-date tours are designed for locals and visitors alike, and they’re family-friendly. Teams looking for an offbeat bonding session? They’re welcome, too. Here’s what January has in store—high drama, hidden courtyards, and lots of gold leaf.
Grand hotels, fresh lives
The city’s hotel legends are back in the spotlight. B, as in ballet; W, as in W Budapest – an iconic building reborn leads you inside the revived luxury landmark on Andrássy Avenue (Andrássy út), with multiple slots across the month including January 3 at 10:00; January 10 at 12:30; January 11 at 10:00 and 12:30; January 18 at 10:00 and 12:30; January 24 at 10:00 and 12:30; January 25 at 10:00 and 12:30; and January 31 at 10:00 and 12:30. Meanwhile, The legendary Gellért – tales from the hotel and bath’s past returns January 3 at 15:00 and January 17 at 15:00, tracing the Art Nouveau icon’s glamorous years and wartime scars.
Palaces and power
The Adria Palace (Adria-palota) – Atlantis above ground reveals the sea-born ornamentation and imperial swagger of a downtown palace on January 4 at 14:00; January 10 at 10:00; January 11 at 10:00; January 18 at 14:00; and January 31 at 14:00. The deep dive into the Stock Exchange Palace (Tőzsdepalota) to TV headquarters transformation at Szabadság Square (Szabadság tér) 17 unpacks layers of finance, propaganda, and media. Slots are plentiful: January 11 at 09:00; January 17 at 10:30, 12:45, and 14:15; January 18 at 09:00, 09:45, 12:45, and 14:15; January 24 at 11:15 and 13:30; January 25 at 09:00, 10:30, 11:15, 12:45, and 13:30; and January 31 at 10:30, 11:15, 12:45, and 13:30.
Arcades, vaults, and glitter
The Párisi Udvar (Paris Court) – dream in deluxe is a love letter to the city’s most ornate arcade, the one with Moorish flourishes and show-stopping glass. Find it on January 8 at 17:30; January 11 at 11:00, 15:00, and 16:30; January 15 at 17:30; January 18 at 11:00, 15:00, and 16:30; January 22 at 17:30; January 24 at 11:00, 15:00, and 16:30; January 25 at 11:00, 15:00, and 16:30; January 29 at 17:30; and January 31 at 11:00 and 15:00. For a seasonal glow-up, Golden Budapest (Aranyló Budapest) – festive Budapest shimmers in the winter light on January 10 at 14:30 and January 11 at 14:30.
Secret lives and strong voices
Intimate secrets at the fin de siècle – women’s everyday lives in old Budapest peeks behind the lace curtains of the turn of the century on January 6 at 18:00 and January 13 at 18:00. Then there’s Diva and Nightingale – what is a woman worth, if…? on January 14 at 18:00, which tunes into the city’s star singers and the stages they ruled.
Crime, codes, and clues
They say around town… (Azt beszélik a városban…) – crime stories and gossip in Budapest lands on January 17 at 10:00 with scandal-heavy detours. Prefer puzzles? Urban codebreaking – palace stories on Andrássy Avenue (Andrássy út) runs January 11 at 10:00 and January 31 at 10:00, cracking façades and family myths letter by letter.
Gourmets, assemble
Budapest tastes sweet, and Sweet Life (Édes élet) – a dessert-themed gastro walk makes sure you get the best bites on January 10 at 10:30, January 17 at 10:30, and January 31 at 10:30. The Big Gundel Story – the ingredients of hospitality serves up the restaurant dynasty’s recipes and rivalries on January 9 at 18:00 and January 25 at 15:00. For a more bohemian pairing, Literary gastro walk on the Lágymányos pampas – not just mental nourishment stirs stew pots and stories on January 18 at 14:00.
Behind closed doors
The Csekonics Palace opens wide on January 17 with a marathon of slots from 09:30 through the afternoon, each titled Visit to the Csekonics Palace – the aristocratic lifestyle on the table. Expect parquet creaks, porcelain gleams, and etiquette explained. The Yellow House, once upon a time – the history of the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology confronts a complex past and the city’s memory on January 11 at 16:00, January 21 at 18:00, and January 28 at 18:00.
Streets with memory
Stories from the synagogue triangle – the Jewish Quarter tour maps out prayer houses, courtyards, resilience, and revival on January 18 at 10:00. For an era-spanning panorama, Once upon a Millennium – an evening with Csaba Katona frames the fin de siècle’s boom and bravado on January 20 at 18:00 and January 31 at 16:00.
Play to win
The city’s a quiz board at Budapest Quiz Station (Budapest Kvízállomás) – quiz night on January 22 at 18:00. Think rapid questions, cheeky trivia, and a dash of friendly rivalry.
Plan your month
With 312 dates in total, January’s schedule is stacked, from early-morning insider visits to golden-hour promenades and after-dark storytelling. Every tour has a guaranteed start time, with smart routes and engaging guides who know how to turn façades into characters and corners into cliffhangers. Times are listed next to each theme, and many crowd-pleasers repeat across multiple weekends for easier planning.
Good to know
All walks take place in Budapest, across both Buda and Pest. Tours are family-friendly, and group or team-building bookings are welcome. The organizers reserve the right to change times and programs, so double-check your slot before you lace up. Then let the city do what it does best: surprise you.
