Downtown Pest: The New Imperial Capital 1867-1914 Tour with a Historian

On this tour you'll have the chance to walk through the center of Pest on the east bank of the Danube river. Its western neighbor, Buda, has always been the center of the royal power, but after the two cities united in the late 1800s, they rose up as the country's powerhouse in politics, finance, and culture.

Your tour will start outside the Parliament in Kossuth square. The building one of the largest and most expensive projects in Hungary and is still filled with amazing art. The tour will not go inside since the Parliament hosts its own tours, but you will be able to revel in the other architectural wonders surrounding the square. Afterwards, you'll visit the Holocaust Monument behind the Parliament, where the city's Jewish community (a fourth of the city population) was brutally murdered towards the end of World War II.

The tour will move on to the busy Freedom Square. It was originally constructed to be the financial center of the city and today contains several large and ornate buildings, such as the stock exchange palace and offices of various banks. The square also features statues of famous figures with amazing stories. There's one of Cardinal Mindszenty, who hid in the US embassy for 15 years to escape the communists. There is also the last Soviet monument...next to a statue of Ronald Reagan.

You'll move on to St. Stephen's Basilica, passing many gorgeous art nouveau buildings. You'll also get to see the Large Synagogue, the second largest in the world and an important monument to the Jewish population. Comprising a fourth of the city, the rich citizens of this group heavily contributed to the rapid development of the city. You'll be able travel on the Andrassy Boulevard, built for the city's nobility, and see the Opera House. Finally, your tour will finish at Heroes Square. Here, Hungarians celebrated their 1000-year existence in 1896.