Our group of 4 (2 couples) did a private Soul of Hungary tour with Andras. I had spent quite a bit of time communicating with him prior to arriving in Budapest and booked several tours with his company. I can say right off the bat that he runs a first class company and listened to what we wanted and delivered. He will do custom tours upon request if he can. I will review each tour separately.
The Soul of Hungary Tour is an all day tour that encompasses almost all of the aspects of Hungary and Budapest in particular. History, culture, cuisine, and art. We toured most of the major attractions via a vehicle and in several cases exited the vehicle for a walking tour. We walked thru the Central Market, Gellart Spa, up Castle Hill and the Fisherman's Bastion - all great photo op areas. Andras grew up in Budapest and we toured his neighborhood along with several out of the way parks and cafe's. Andras loves his country and Budapest and it shows in his enthusiasm.
Following the walking and driving tour we went to his parents for lunch. This was a wonderful, personal experience with great food and conversation. Unicum, appetizers, wine, potato soup, stuffed cabbage, potatoes and strawberry dessert!
We then met with a historian, in a beautiful café, to discuss the history of Hungary - this was an extremely interesting conversation that we all (even those that hate history) felt was of great value.
We ended with a private gypsy concert - we love Czardas and gypsy music and this group of professionals played and improvised for a good 45 minutes - quite a nice finale!
This tour is well worth the time - if you have a several days to spend in Budapest do this in the beginning of the stay and you can base the rest of your time around what you learn. If you only have a day or two do this as it will encompass most of the highlights of Budapest and Hungary. It was great getting to know Andras and his family and we hope he will come visit when he comes to the US.