Forget the must-do-see-eat lists, sometimes stepping off of the tourist trail for a day can be fun and useful to understand a new culture. Budapest for example is a fascinating city with many hidden sides to discover. Let´s talk about the options, and “Alternative Budapest walking tour” is one. It was created to show visitors unusual sights, trends and sounds, tours are about what´s happening in these days bringing together aspects of the underground music and art scenes and takes you through districts that most visitors ignore. It´s a chance to learn about a specific culture, architecture, politics and of course the people that make Budapest a unique place.

Tours are always composed by small groups, this is necessary to enable to come into personal contact with the environment. So, if you´re visiting Budapest remember that “The Alternative Budapest Walking Tour” begins at Deák Tér, in front of the church. Booking is not necessary, just show up at the meeting point. Another alternative is ”Budapest Beyond Sightseeing”, basically a ’socio-cultural’ walking tour in the 8th district in Budapest. In the past it was considered dangerous and strongly advised to avoid. Although the 8th district is continuously developing, the changes remained unnoticed, and these tours have the purpose to stop this bad reputation.

You can choose different kinds of tours, for example the 3 hours “socio cultural walkig tour” where you will feel the real contrasts of the city going into the hidden backyards. and visiting the home of a gipsy musician family. Meeting point: outside the Hungarian National Museum. Another option is The Secret Budapest Downtown, 2 hours around the streets of the old Pest discovering the ancient city wall from the middle ages, a palace of Miklós Ybl, the greatest Hungarian architect, and again across passageway houses and the secret short cuts of the city. But also Váci Street, the most fashionable main street of Budapest presented from another, original point of view. Meeting point: Egyetem tér. The 8^th district and Hungarian contemporary art, a connection that most of people don´t know. Another tour is just about this and the contrast between crumbling buildings tumble down sculptures and a growing art community. The tour we´ll show you the artistic trends in the 8th district through home-galleries, ateliers, cellar-galleries, photo exhibitions.

Meeting point: Mikszáth square, next to the Mikszáth statue. So, Art, history and games, and active participation, his is the recipe for  “Budapest Beyond Sightseeing”. One more suggestion for your Budapest alternative tour: the Pálvölgy Cave. Just underneath the Buda Hills you will find the third longest cave in the country. Stalactites, rigid corridors, and spherical formations, if you love nature, this is the right place for you, and the 500 meters route will show you a very different glimpse of the Buda Hills. If you´re looking for some challenge and adventure you can choose the option to climb and hike along a 20 km long trail, it will take about 2-3 hours to complete. Now just enjoy the alternative Budapest.

Gianluca Petrillo

If you need to find great places to stay in Budapest we suggest you to check in the old Buda, the heart of this fantastic city.

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Budapest for the curious

The amazing city of Budapest is known for its extraordinary beauty and its wonderful and relaxing spas. Many people have no idea about them, but there are places of extraordinary natural beauty, beautiful underground spaces and mysterious and enigmatic places: the enigmatic caves of Budapest.

The first caves you should visit were formed many thousands of years ago thanks to the hot springs. Among the 200 caves of Budapest only four can now be visited. But all of them are special, because they have cold temperatures in summer and strange morphologies. The temperature is around 14 degrees and the humidity around 90%. Below the castle of Buda the caves extend about 10 kilometres. These caves were used by prehistoric men in order to hide from enemies and as a reserve for food.

When they found the cellars of the castle they found that there was a labyrinth there. This amazing series of tunnels and caves are part of the ten most popular places of cultural interest in Budapest, regarded as one of the seven underground wonders. About 4,000 square metres called “Labyrinth” can be visited today. The visiting hours are from 9:30 to 19:30.

One of the most special caves is that of Monte Gerardo which is also known as the Szent Iván cave which has its entrance 20 metres above the water level of the Danube. In 1925/26 new galleries were created as a result of some explosions.

The Pàlvölgyi cave is the second biggest in Hungary, around 14 kilometres long that was discovered accidentally. The cave is famous for its stalagmites, its enormous halls and all the amazing paths that are created thanks to the thermal water. Taking the tourist route along 500 metres it is possible to see a great quantity of curiosities: fabulous stalagmites, strange rocks and a constant temperature throughout the year of 11°C.

At the end of our journey we’ll find the strange subterranean Szemlôhegy cave. This was accidentally discovered in 1930 during an excavation. After years of work, it was opened to the public around 1986. Nowadays only 300 metres of the original route can be visited, which is illuminated. Children feel very drawn by the curves in the form of animals as well as the shapes in the room called “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Since 1990 sick people go there to heal themselves through the purity of the air, since it makes you seem you�re high up in the mountains. The humidity is around 100%, which is very good for the health. The dust content in the air is minimal.

What do you think? Is it curious? This cosmopolitan city offers you special things to see and to do. Summer is approaching, what are you waiting for? Rent your apartments in Budapest and live fantastic adventures in the dark caves.