• Overall

  Journey through Hungary's rich 20^th-century history with Koryo Tours' exclusive themed tour in Budapest and beyond.

  As we traverse the Hungarian capital, you'll uncover the remnants and stories of its Cold War era, exploring iconic sites that shaped the nation's past. From the interactive exhibits of the Budapest Retro Museum to the poignant memorials in Liberty Square.
  
  Beyond Budapest, our adventure continues in a vintage Hungarian Ikarus bus, a symbol of the Eastern Bloc's ingenuity. We take a trip into a bygone era at the Memento Statue Park, where socialist-era statues stand as silent witnesses to a tumultuous past and visit the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. A marvel of Soviet-era engineering! 

  On the Austro-Hungarian border, we'll delve into Hungary's pivotal role in cutting through the Iron Curtain for the first time, symbolizing a key moment in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.
  
  Each site is meticulously chosen to provide a comprehensive and immersive experience, ensuring you gain a deep understanding of Hungary's transformation from a Stalinist dictatorship in the 1950s — likened to the North Korea of Europe by some — to the "happiest barrack" of the Eastern Bloc following the 1956 revolution.
  
  This unique tour also weaves in fascinating North Korean themes. You'll attend lectures on North Korean students who studied in Budapest and a Hungarian's unique experience at Kim Il Sung University.
  
  Join us for an unforgettable exploration led by our resident Hungarian, Greg, that promises not only historical insights but also unique experiences, such as bathing in Budapest’s famed thermal baths or a thematic tour around Lake Balaton.
  
  Koryo Tours is very excited to be able to offer this new destination featuring experienced guides and an expertly crafted itinerary. A guaranteed memorable and enriching adventure through Hungary's intriguing 20th-century history!

  See below for an overview of all tour options and extras.

  Want more of Europe?
  Check out our Serbia Tour or combine the two for our Crossroads of Europe Tour.

  Highlights

  • Themed walks in Budapest in search of the Hungarian capital’s 20^th-century history.
  • Cold War era sites and stories outside Budapest.
  • Transportation in a vintage Hungarian Ikarus bus that was the dominant bus type in the Eastern Block but could also be found on the roads of the UK and the US.

  click image to expand

• Itinerary

  Briefing Day

  1. May 19 | Monday

     Arrival Day

     Arrival to Budapest

     • The latest recommended arrival in Budapest is today morning.
        
     • Check-in at the hotel is from 15:00.
        
     • If you wish to arrive in Budapest earlier, please contact your Tour Manager and they can arrange extra nights for you at the hotel.

     Orientation and Welcome Group Dinner

     • We start our tour with a group dinner of some excellent Hungarian food, coordination, and briefing sessions, before the adventure ahead!

     Accommodation | Danubius Hotel Astoria City Center, Budapest

     Included Meals | Dinner

  2. May 20 | Tuesday

     Chapters from the 20^th-Century History of Budapest

     Pest

     • Liberty Square | Home to the US Embassy, the Monument to the Soviet Red Army, the controversial Memorial for the Victims of the German Occupation, and its counter-monument created by civilians. A central square in constant conversation with the past.
        
     • Nazis and Comrades City Walk | A former bourgeoisie neighbourhood developed in the 1920s-1940s with some beautiful Bauhaus architecture. This was the site of the International Protected Ghetto during the Holocaust.
       
       After the war, many high-ranking cadres and famous artists lived here. During state socialism, it was one of the centres for surveillance.
        
     • Budapest Retro Museum | An interactive museum of Budapest Ostalgie. Experience everyday life in Hungary’s state-socialist past.

     Evening at own leisure

     • You can rest in the hotel, discover Budapest on your own, or join your Tour Leader at one of the famous ruin pubs of Budapest’s Old Jewish District.

     Accommodation | Danubius Hotel Astoria City Center, Budapest

     Included Meals | Breakfast, Lunch

  3. May 21 | Wednesday

     Remains of 20^th-Century Budapest

     Red Csepel

     • Csepel: Under the Spell of Creation | A walking tour in Budapest's former working-class neighbourhood and one of the most significant factories of pre- and post-war Budapest.
       
       We will visit the former Steel Factory (known as Weiss Mansfred Factory before the war), its garden suburb built for the factory's clerks as well as its casino, and a workers' hostel and its Art Nouveau auditorium that is designed based on the salone teatro of the Opera National de México.
        
     • Bunker Tour at Csepel Steel Factory | We will visit the World War 2 bunkers of the Steel Factory that was a main target of allied bombings.

     Buda

     • Young Pioneer’s Railway | Built in the 1950s in the hills of Budapest and run by the Young Pioneers. It is still in use and the conductors and station workers are still schoolchildren.

     Hungary and the DPRK

     • Petőfi Sándor Secondary School | During the Korean War North Korean students (mostly war orphans) studied here. We will have lectures about North Koreans living in Hungary, and Hungarians living in North Korea.

     Evening at own leisure

     • You can rest in the hotel, discover Budapest on your own, or join your Tour Leader for an evening walk to discover the more touristy side of Budapest.

     Accommodation | Danubius Hotel Astoria City Center, Budapest

     Included Meals | Breakfast, Lunch

  4. May 22 | Thursday

     Budapest to “Stalingrad”

     Atom City

     • We will drive south of Budapest on the right bank of River Danube to Paks, home of Hungary’s sole nuclear power plant. 1.5-hours drive.
        
     • Paks Nuclear Power Plant | Built between the late 1960s and 1980s by the Soviets, its current expansion by Russia is one of the many controversies around the Hungarian government’s close ties with President Putin and the Russian government. It provides ca. 50% of Hungary’s electricity. We will visit the Information and Visitor Center as well as the Operational Area.

     Steel City

     • Dunaújváros | ‘Danube-new-city’ or Stalin City as known till 1961 was built in the 1950s as a new Socialist industrial city to make Hungary “the country of iron and steel”. We will have a walking tour to explore the city’s Stalinist infrastructure. Sometimes you might feel that you are walking in the DPRK. We will also visit a Cold War-era bunker that is not open to visitors outside this tour.

     Retro Dinner at a Cold War Era Bunker

     • We will finish the day with a dinner at the bunker recreating the atmosphere of the 1960s and sampling the dishes of the era. 

     Accommodation | Corner Hotel, Dunaújváros

     Included Meals | Breakfast, Packed Lunch, Dinner

  5. May 23 | Friday

     The Cold War at Lake Balaton

     • The Stasi at Lake Balaton | During the Cold War, East and West Germans met in Hungary at Lake Balaton. Many East German tourists were just ordinary holidaymakers, some were Stasi agents to keep an eye (and ear) on them. A thematic tour.
        
     • “Little Moscow” (*pending approval from the Hungarian Defence Forces) | Abandoned Soviet military base. Nukes were stored here during the Cold War. One of the many Cold War Era Soviet Military bases in the People’s Republic of Hungary where Soviet troops were stationed “temporarily” for 40 years.

     Evening at own leisure

     • You can rest in your room, stroll on the premises, or join your Tour Leader for a traditional Hungarian ‘szalonna’ (bacon) roasting.

     Accommodation | Retro Lido, Lake Balaton

     Included Meals | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  6. May 24 | Saturday

     In the shadow of the Iron Curtain

     Austro-Hungarian Border

     • We will drive to North-West Hungary to the Austrian border. 2-hours drive.
           
     • Pan-European Picnic Memorial Park | The site where the Iron Curtain was first opened in 1989 and the border between East and West ceased to exist for an afternoon. Everyone could pass “freely” for a couple of hours.
        
     • Iron Curtain Memorial | Between 1948 and 1989 Hungary was cut off from the West by an iron curtain along with the border of Austria. Here you can see barbed wires, guard posts, and minefields.

     Return to Budapest

     • In the afternoon, we will drive back to the Hungarian capital. 2.5-hours drive.
        
     • Memento Statue Park | Open-air museum with Socialist-era statues removed from the streets of Budapest.

     Evening at own leisure

     • You can rest in the hotel, discover Budapest on your own, or join your Tour Leader for a night bathing in one of Budapest’s famous thermal baths.

     Accommodation | ibis Budapest Centrum, Budapest

     Included Meals | Breakfast, Lunch

  7. May 25 | Sunday

     Farewell Day in Budapest

     Free time in Budapest

     • You will have this morning to your own to sleep in, pick up some last-minute souvenirs, or visit some of the more touristy sites of Budapest.
        
     • Alternatively, you can join your Tour Leader for a visit to the controversial House of Terror Museum | Once the headquarters of the nazi Hungarian Arrow-Cross Party, then the Hungarian NKVD known as the State Protection Authority. The museum was opened in 2002 and follows the historical narrative of the current government. Your Tour Leader will provide context with a critical attitude. Ca. 10 EUR.
        
     • We will gather for a final, farewell lunch at Budapest’s oldest restaurant opened in 1831.

     Soviet-era aviation

     • Pleasure flight over Budapest | A pleasure flight over Budapest on a Li-2 aircraft (a Soviet license of the DC-3) from Budaörs Airport which was the international airport serving Budapest between 1937 and 1950. The terminal building was built in a modernist style worth a visit in itself.
        
     • Aeropark Aviation Museum | A unique world-class open-air museum showcasing old Soviet aircrafts (many of which are still in operation on Air Koryo’s domestic and Russian routes), airport equipment, and a tribute to Hungary’s now defunct national airline Malév.
        
     • Drop off at the airport hotel which is in walking distance to Terminal 2A and 2B.

     Accommodation | ibis Styles Budapest Airport

     Included Meals | Breakfast, Lunch

  8. May 26 | Monday

     Departure Day

     • Flights leave from Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (airport code: BUD) to over a hundred cities. You may also wish to spend more time in Hungary. Contact your Tour Manager – a native of Budapest – for tips.

     Included Meals | Breakfast

     End of Tour

• Extras

  • Upgrade to your own room in Central Europe

    The default rooming option for this tour is a shared hotel room. Each hotel room on tour has two separate beds. If you'd like a room to yourself then you can upgrade for an extra 55 EUR per night.

• What is / is not included?

  INCLUDED

  • Koryo Tours' Hungarian-born local tour guide/tour leader
  • Special lectures
  • Meals other than those taken at leisure
  • Hotel accommodation in 3-4* hotels
  • All included sights
  • Transportation in Hungary in an old-timer Ikarus bus
  • Pleasure flight over Budapest on a vintage aircraft
  • An amazing time in a fascinating country!

  NOT INCLUDED

  • Tip for the driver
  • Incidentals, extra drinks, etc
  • Meals taken at leisure
  • Optional single supplement: 55 EUR per night
  • Special activities (night bathing is ca. 30~35 EUR; movie screening 5 EUR; bacon roasting 5 EUR; House of Terror Museum 10 EUR)
  • International transportation to/from Budapest not included
  • Transport from/to point of entry/departure to/from Budapest
  • Spending money on souvenirs

• Notes

  Transport Options

  This tour starts and ends in Budapest. You will be responsible for arranging your means of transportation to Hungary and the hotel.
  
  The airport code for Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport is BUD.
  
  Budapest can also be reached by international trains and buses from many European cities.
  
  The hotel is easily accessible from the airport and the railway station by public transportation which we recommend using over taxi and the airport minibus.
  
  The last night will be spent at the airport hotel right next to Budapest Liszt Ferenc Airport Terminal 2.
  
  If you wish to arrive early or leave later, please liaise with your Tour Manager.
  
  For those joining us from the Serbia Tour, a Belgrade–Budapest flight on Air Serbia and transport from the airport to the hotel are included in the tour price.
  
  
  Visa Information

  Most of our travellers will not require a visa to Hungary which is a member of the Schengen Area.
  
  However, if you require a Schengen visa, it can be a long and painful process.
  
  For details, please consult the website of the Consular Services of the Hungarian Ministry of Trade and Foreign Affairs.

  
  Additional notes

  Groups will be in the experienced hands of a Koryo Tours tour leader who is a native of Budapest.
  
  Please note that when on tour your day-to-day itinerary may differ from what is advertised above. Your tour leader will ensure, however, that everything available at the time is covered, and replacement options are provided where needed. We will also add in extras when there is time.
  
  After the tour, we will send out a list of all participants' emails so you can keep in touch, swap photos etc. If you do not wish to be on this list then please let us know.

Please apply by 9th May, 2025.