Personal Budapest Guide - Andrea Makkay
Personal Budapest Guide - Andrea Makkay
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Private tours in Budapest/Hungary I am a native Hungarian, born in Budapest and have worked as a licensed, private guide since 1995. I have a University educational background in economics, but my real passion is guiding. I love my work and I am very enthusiastic to show people all the beauty in Budapest and Hungary, which was forgotten for almost 50 years! I was growing up during the communist regime, but by the time I grew up, it collapsed almost overnight. This gives me a special view on our recent history, but I am also a member of that generation that already had the chance to travel and see other parts of Europe and the world as well. I am very proud to be recommended as a private guide in Budapest and Hungary in Rick Steves' Travel Books! Let me be your private guide while in Budapest and discover much more with me than you would ever be able to do on your own!
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Personal Budapest Guide - Andrea Makkay
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
132 reviews
Excellent
131
Very good
1
Average
0
Poor
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Linda K
102 contributions
Jan 2023
We thoroughly enjoyed our day-long tour with Andrea. She was extremely responsive throughout the planning for our tour, and she offered great flexibility as we shaped and finalized our itinerary for the day with a focus on the specific sites that we wanted to see. She arranged for a driver, Tomas, who helped make the day much more enjoyable since we covered quite a bit of territory and it rained for
most of the day. Andrea is extremely knowledgeable about Hungarian history. She brought the places we visited to life as she explained the architecture and the details of each location. We visited Gellért Hill, Gellért Spa, St. Matthias Church, Fishermans’ Bastion, Dohány Street Synagogue, Central Market where we had a wonderful traditional Hungarian lunch, Heroes Square, and City Park. It was a great and very affordable way to get to explore Budapest so that we could plan what we wanted to visit for the duration of our visit to Budapest.
most of the day. Andrea is extremely knowledgeable about Hungarian history. She brought the places we visited to life as she explained the architecture and the details of each location. We visited Gellért Hill, Gellért Spa, St. Matthias Church, Fishermans’ Bastion, Dohány Street Synagogue, Central Market where we had a wonderful traditional Hungarian lunch, Heroes Square, and City Park. It was a great and very affordable way to get to explore Budapest so that we could plan what we wanted to visit for the duration of our visit to Budapest.
Written February 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bobolsonswim
Oakland, CA4 contributions
Aug 2019
My wife and I hired Andrea as our guide for two half-day tours of Buda and Pest in August 2017. We found her in Rick Steves' Guide Book.She was great! On one of the tours, four friends joined us and she provided car and driver. She was knowledgable, informative, a delightful companion and spoke very good English. She did what a good guide does -- not only shown you the sights, but enhanced our appreciation and understanding her city by providing the insight of a native about her city. She also suggested places for us to explore Budapest on our own. We unqualifiedly recommend her.
Written June 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Bob,
Thank you so much, it was wonderful having you!
All the best to you!
Warm Regards,
Andrea
Written January 14, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Adrienne
2 contributions
Sep 2021
We had a group of 10 and did a custom, 6 hour tour of Budapest with Andrea. I had let her know in advance what we were interested in and based on the time we had available, she planned an amazing 6 hour tour. She set up a driver and a sprinter van for our group. We hit the highlights of the beautiful city and some off the beaten path places. She is a wealth of knowledge on the history of the city and is very personable. Our group all agreed that Budapest was our favorite day and wished we had more days to spend there. Andrea can also recommend other highlights of the city beyond her tour I would highly recommend her to individuals or groups!
Written September 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Adrienne,
Thank you so much for your kind words :-)))!
It was such a pleasure meeting you all!
I am so happy to hear that you loved Budapest and our tour!
See you next time!
Kind Regards,
Andrea
Written September 27, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jerrey F
3 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
After being promptly met at our hotel, we embarked on an informative and personalized excursion through the Buda side from the Castle District to the scenic overlooks of the Danube complete with historic context and humor.
Next we ventured to the Pest side for various sites and highlights of this newer part of Budapest including inspiring memorials a d the majestic Parliament building.
Andrea is very personable, easy to talk with, extremely knowledgeable about local history and a pleasure to share a 4 hour tour with. Our group of 4 were very impressed and would highly recommend her to anyone wanting a compact outing in Budapest.
Next we ventured to the Pest side for various sites and highlights of this newer part of Budapest including inspiring memorials a d the majestic Parliament building.
Andrea is very personable, easy to talk with, extremely knowledgeable about local history and a pleasure to share a 4 hour tour with. Our group of 4 were very impressed and would highly recommend her to anyone wanting a compact outing in Budapest.
Written October 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cynthia Berman
4 contributions
Sep 2021
My husband and I, along with another couple, arranged a 2 day tour of Budapest with Andrea Makkay. She met us at our hotel both days along with a mini van and driver. Andrea has a wealth of information that she expertly shared with us, including relevant history and personal stories. She made Budapest's history and sights come alive. Andrea also recommended restaurants and an itinerary for our "on our own" days outside the city. We regularly hire private guides when we travel abroad. Andrea is among the best we've ever used! I highly recommend her!
Written September 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Cynthia,
Thank you so much for you kind words, they are really a reward for me!
Kind Regards,
Andrea
Written September 27, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sharon R
Overland Park, KS15 contributions
Nov 2021
A group of six arranged a two-day Budapest tour with Andrea Makkay in November. Hands down, the best tour we did in two weeks in Europe. Andrea knows the city well and helped us to feel comfortable during our visit. Our tour was perfectly timed for us, included lots of interesting information without overwhelming us and hit just the right sites at just the right times. Andrea has a very positive and fun attitude and we highly recommend her as a guide in Hungary.
Written December 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Greg M
Concord, NC5 contributions
Sep 2021
My wife Kathy and I arranged for an excellent 4 hour tour in Budapest for just the two of us. Because we were at the front end of a Viking cruise in the Danube, and were able to use some of their tours and do some exploring on our own, we were somewhat specific (in advance via email exchange) with our wishes to tour Budapest. Even before we started, Andrea had provided some restaurant recommendations which we used the evening before our tour . Nice! Andrea made a great recommendation to use a van and driver to save time and energy to fill in our gaps. This is the way to go, since Andrea would explain what it coming up while the driver moves us from point to point. Andrea and driver picked us up at the Hilton on Castle Hill, and we spent time at some excellent vistas from the CH area, Hero’s square, City Park, Gellért Thermal Baths, and Dohány Street Synagogue. At each stop Andrea added color and meaning to the site. She even arranged that we would be dropped off at the Viking ship at the end of the tour to allow us to begin our cruise.
Written October 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your kind words, it was my pleasure to meet you :-)!!!
Written October 23, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
alan m
2 contributions
Sep 2019 • Friends
We found Andreas guide company through Rick Steves book. She delivered exceptional service. We were met on time. The car service was clean and moved us about very efficiently. But most important, our guide was phenomenal! She was a Hungarian native and provided us so much context for our tour. From stories from her youth under communism through life today she made the story of Hungary come alive. Our trip was so enriched by this tour. We, our friends and us, highly, highly recommend Andrea Mackay's company. To really appreciate Budapest and Hungary this tour is a must!
Written June 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Alan,
Thank you so much!
Take Care!
Warm Regards,
Andrea
Written June 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Vicki1020
Overland Park, KS206 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
From the first email encounter to the final farewell, Andrea was professional, knowledgeable, articulate, and one of the best tour guides we’ve experienced. We are so thankful we found her name in Rick Steves’ book on Budapest.
Prior to our arrival in Budapest, I let Andrea know that we would have had an introductory tour of Budapest as part of our Viking River Cruise. Andrea was careful not to repeat any of the places we had stopped the previous day.
The day began with a stop at Hero Square, where we learned of the tumultuous history of Hungary. Andrea explained this complicated history in a way that was easy to process. We told Andrea, we were particularly interested in the Communist era and Jewish history and she made sure to include those as part of our day. Included stops: Jewish synagogue, various memorials ( the ‘Shoes’ was so impactful), and out to Monument Park were highlights of our day.
Rather than stopping for lunch, Andrea suggested we stop at the opulent New York Cafe for strudel and sponge cake. Well worth a break in the day.
Andrea made Budapest come to life for us. What a delightful guide and so easy to spend time with and her driver Thomas who was great at maneuvering the van through the busy city.
Thank you Andrea for a FABULOUS tour. We will always remember you and Budapest.
Vicki and Norm
Prior to our arrival in Budapest, I let Andrea know that we would have had an introductory tour of Budapest as part of our Viking River Cruise. Andrea was careful not to repeat any of the places we had stopped the previous day.
The day began with a stop at Hero Square, where we learned of the tumultuous history of Hungary. Andrea explained this complicated history in a way that was easy to process. We told Andrea, we were particularly interested in the Communist era and Jewish history and she made sure to include those as part of our day. Included stops: Jewish synagogue, various memorials ( the ‘Shoes’ was so impactful), and out to Monument Park were highlights of our day.
Rather than stopping for lunch, Andrea suggested we stop at the opulent New York Cafe for strudel and sponge cake. Well worth a break in the day.
Andrea made Budapest come to life for us. What a delightful guide and so easy to spend time with and her driver Thomas who was great at maneuvering the van through the busy city.
Thank you Andrea for a FABULOUS tour. We will always remember you and Budapest.
Vicki and Norm
Written October 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cde@txtraveler
9 contributions
Oct 2019
I found Andrea's name through the Rick Steve's Guidebook. Although Andrea was not personally available for our tour, she provided us with a fabulous guide, Susan! Andrea was very responsive, gave us lots of options and suggestions, payment was easy and her emails were very helpful. Budapest is a large city and without the help of a professional guide, we would have missed out on so many interesting sites! Don't hesitate to hire Andrea Makkay!
Written June 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Written June 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My wife has back issues and can not walk very fast or for very long. Do you have any kind of tour that could/would accommodate her disability?
Kevin Walsh
Written November 4, 2019
We did two 1/2 day tours and it was a van that also took us around to different locations both days , one day Pest, one day Buda. Then we would get out and walk around. I would think Andrea or whomever she hooks you up with ( for us it was Magdi) would be more than happy to accommodate your wife and tailor it to her needs.
Written November 5, 2019
Can we make advanced appointment with Andrea Makkay? What company do we make the arrangements through?
Written October 18, 2018
Dear Christina,
Please write an email to me!
I am very happy to help!
Kind Regards,
Andrea
Written October 20, 2018
w2bmg
Kilmarnock, United Kingdom
We are 4 ladies in our 60s. How much walking is involved in the guided tours and how much is a half day tour?
Written August 7, 2018
My wife and I, both in our early 60s, took a guided tour of Budapest with Andrea. A few days earlier I began experiencing sever back from a bulging disk while in Vienna. I was able to do the walking portions of the tour without difficulty, and she had a driver to cover the longer distances. Excellent tour guide!
Written August 8, 2018
Hello, My husband and I are arriving in Budapest next Tuesday 7th from Australia.
We are looking at a private guided tour of the city on the 8th.
We have been looking at a number of travel videos on utube and have a lot of things we would like to do.
The idea of a personal tour is very attractive and we hope you may have some availibilty next Wednesday.
Kind regards
Anna
Written July 31, 2018
Dear Anna,
I am so sorry, I was away and did not see your request!
In case you do not have a guide and tour arranged yet for Wednesday, please contact me on my email address on my website!
Kind Regards,
Andrea
Written August 6, 2018
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