Tour Designer, Local Host, Guide, with background in journalism, communications and music. Have you heard of Esztergom, Visegrรกd, Szentendre?
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Specialties are
- HISTORY
- ARCHITECTURE
- JEWISH TOUR
- ENTERTAINMENT
- FOOD
For further details click here: https://www.facebook.com/gabortours/about_details ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
To make ๐ฆ๐ฒ Budapest ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ Budapest is what motivates me, and I just can't get tired of it. Though I have an international background โ born in Romania, raised in California โ Hungarian is my mother tongue and I've lived more yea
rs in Budapest now than in any other city. Coming from journalism, I started working for the international travel company Withlocals.com as a tour captain, designing some of the original Budapest tours. That's when I realized how uplifting it is to be a tour host, plus it's also about communication. So here I am.
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If you'd like to see what previous guests have thought about my tours you can check the appropriate section of this page: https://www.facebook.com/gabortours/reviews/
โ and for hundreds of more reviews, please check my profile on the website of the agency that got me started in this field professionally, and where my review rate is still 4.9 out of 5, with only one (troll) review out of more than 250: https://www.withlocals.com/host/gaborbc35fe040a/
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While I always ask about your personal interests so I can focus on those themes, here are some general options:
โ "๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐" โ Introductory tour to get you started [Walking, 2 hours.]
โ "๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ & ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐" โ Must-see spots and hidden secrets on both sides of the river [Walking & public transport, 4 hours, 1 snack break.]
โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ (because a couple of hours might simply not do it) โ Give yourself some time to take in the best that this city offers [Walking & public transport, 8 hours, lunch & coffee breaks.]
โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ โ The largest existing Jewish community in Central & Eastern Europe in fact resides in Budapest today, deeply connected to its history. Find out how. [Walking & public transport, 3 hours.]
โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ โ as the name suggests, we will connect Budapest's history with its architectural evolution [walking & public transport, 4 hours, coffee break.]
โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐ & ๐๐๐๐ โ you will be shown old photos of prominent areas of the city before and after the damages caused by war and revolution, and compare them to how they look today, including actual bullet holes [Walking & public transport, 4 hours, coffee break.]
โ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ โ One primary feature of Budapest is its famously quirky entertainment scene. Find out the deep secrets from an active event organizer & musician. [Walking, 3 hours, drinks.]
โ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ โ Central Europe's largest body of water is jokingly called the 'Hungarian Sea', yet its prominent history, picturesque spots, silky water, mouthwatering food and exquisite wine have surprised many who didn't already know about it. [Private car & walking, 9 hours roundtrip, lunch & coffee & snack breaks.]
โ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ โ Up for some breathtaking views along Europe's longest waterway's most prominent curve? These romantic and historic towns might be the perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. [Private car & walking, 8 hours roundtrip, lunch & coffee breaks.]
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Feel free to mention any specific combination of interests you might have and I will tailor a tour just for you. Also, if you don't want to walk, I'm happy to use public transport to a larger extent, or even take you around by car. Yet another option is the bicycle, which I use regularly.
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On average I charge โฌ45/hour for a group of up to 6 people, not including refreshments, public transport or gasoline costs. For specific costs please contact me by email: gabortours (a) gmail.com
07/09/2024
Night & day: the Danube on a boat in Budapest never stops amazing me. A wedding made it even more special. Congratulations Yaz & Josh! $happycouple ๐ญ๐บโค๏ธ
The most unique festival in Hungary (and probably in the region) is the Valley of the Arts, held every summer for 10 days, ending Monday morning, July 29, 2024.
If you haven't been yet, read this article to get a better understanding of how it's different, and you can still catch it for a day, or next year: ๐ค
The festival where itโs possible to just come by, hang out, enjoy the vibe, and then buy a ticket if you want to. But if you opt out, you can still enjoy yourself in an authentic country setting through Sunday, July 28, 2024. No pressure Hungary is known for its festivals: with a huge varietyโฆย ...
21/07/2024
It was 40 years ago today -- July 21, 1984 -- that I landed in Los Angeles and my family was reunited after two years of uncertainty in Romania's dark 'Ceausescu era'. (My mom defected together with my brother two years earlier, and my dad and I stayed behind in Romania until we finally managed to join them in LA.)
I was basically a kid still, and the contrast between Romania and California was enormous. My life changed so much that day that I tend to call this my second birthday, or 'Personal Independence Day'.
History with a personal twist: today is what I call my own โDay of Independenceโ. Having been a child in Communist Romania, itโs the anniversary of when we escaped and first landed in the US. Arguably the worst of the Soviet-Bloc dictatorships, Ceausescuโs portrait had to be displayed on the front page of every textbook, and in every classroom at my elementary school, especially the auditorium. You can see him โwatch over usโ as weโre performing a Hungarian musical folk play (Egyszer egy kirรกlyfi | Once upon a Prince) in which I happened to have the lead role, but of course, at age 6, I didnโt quite understand the implications. However, I still feel that I had a happy childhood โ though in an unhappy country โ because I was surrounded by a loving family.
Then my mom defected to the US with my brother, applied for political asylum, and my father and I could only join them 2 years later. During this time we couldnโt communicate freely due to censorship, we were unsure when we will see each other again as we were on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain, and my father was regularly interrogated by the secret police. Finally, the Romanian government confiscated our house, that being the price for our family eventually being reunited in the US. After all this uncertainty, I arrived in Los Angeles, together with my Dad, just 2 weeks before the LA Olympics started in 1984. As you can imagine, it was a culture shock, and it became such a turning point in my life that I โcommemorateโ July 21 every single year, one way or another.
28/07/2023
๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ญ: ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง?
Which region? Oh, you mean the Central European region outside of Vienna. I see.
Anyway, this is definitely reassuring according to The Economist, at least in comparison with Prague, Warsaw, or Bratislava.
But let's not forget, Vienna is on the very-very top of the list, meaning: #1 in the world! Not a bad neighbor to have though... ๐
By the way, did you know that Hungarians call Austrians the 'brother-in-laws'? It goes back to Austro-Hungarian times, as much of the Habsburg empire had grown through (strategic) marriages. More on this later. ;)
Budapest surpasses its regional peers Prague, Warsaw and Bratislava as being the most liveable city in the region, according to experts from The Economist Intelligence Unit.
05/03/2022
Heart-wrenching and heart-warming as Ukrainian refugees are welcomed at Budapest Western Train Station (built in 1877 by the Eiffel Company). Unspeakable sadness caused by war next door and watching one special train after another arrive on a dedicated humanitarian platform. But proud of local charities, volunteers, donors and govโt organizations offering selfless help to those in need. The faces say it all: people of all ages and backgrounds โ including thousands of foreign students โ fleeing, reminding us never to take anything for granted.
11/01/2022
It was the first time I hosted guests from Moldova, and I very much enjoyed offering a bit of a Romanian perspective.
Tailoring tours to people's interests and backgrounds is what keeps it interesting for me as well. It keeps me going. I never give two identical tours and I never get burned out this way.
Dear Gabor, thank you so much for the tour! We discovered different Budapest with you. Giving different views about history events made us reflect and become even more curious about Budapest and Hungary in general. Excellent presentation, intelligence and a lot of knowledge about history and archite...
01/01/2022
Happy New Year from sunny Budapest! [No winter jacket needed this time, in 16C (61F) weather.]ย
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Attracting more than seven million followers on Facebook, English-language travel site Culture Trip has just announced its favourite destinations this winter, with Budapest included in the list.
10/12/2021
It's not every day that you get to meet somebody from Namibia, let alone, offer her a tour of Budapest. Luckily, she seemed to have appreciated it, based on the review. (Btw, she's been staying in Europe for many months now, so no Omicron import there for sure. ;p ) https://www.withlocals.com/host/review/de0ea86e-3d00-4d2a-9f09-09ed127f6699/
I did this tour with Gabor and enjoyed it very much. His wealth of knowledge spanning from history to politics, art and everything in between was simply phenomenal. We covered a lot of ground and I learned tons. The tour was also very interactive and engaging. Highly recommended!
05/11/2021
Thank you BudaFlakes for putting this video together right before the end of the lockdown, when tour guides were anxious to get back to business (though a bit rusty in gathering their thoughts). I really appreciate your motivation. ๐ฅ๐๐
Once "A very feminine looking bridge, the longest single span bridge for more than 20 years" the Elisabeth Bridge is a visual evidence of how World War 2 red...
10/08/2021
The Tokyo Olympic Games are over and Hungarians can't stop bragging again about how well they've done, especially when we take the size of the population into account.
But is it true that they've been so successful? Well, if we only look at the Summer Olympics, Hungary is in the top 3 in the world for per capita medals since 1896: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1102056/summer-olympics-average-medals-per-capita-since-1892/
We should also not forget, however, that when modern Olympics started, many countries simply didn't exist yet as sovereign nations. Other, once-successful countries like East Germany, Yugoslavia, Soviet Union, no longer exist.
And what sports fit the Hungarian spirit the most? You guessed it: water sports. Given all the natural water surfaces and spa culture, water polo, swimming, and kayak-canoe tend to rake in most medals. Other successful sports have been fencing, wrestling, pentathlon, gymnastics, handball, and โ not very recently โ soccer (European Football).
On the photo: Awarding ceremony in the women's kayak four, 500 meters, which the Hungarian team has won for the third time in a row.
Source: Wikimedia commons.
05/08/2021
I have the feeling that when this whole Covid thing is over, we'll think about having to wear a mask on the streets as the 'bad old days'.
But thank you for the good thoughts Krisztiรกn Tรณta photographer! It was truly happy.
You know, designing a tour of Budapest for a family with three teenage boys may sound challenging at first, but not with these guys. Super well-behaved and showing genuine interest in a rather complex local history, I was more than impressed. You will not remember every detail, of course, but the experience will definitely contribute to a well-rounded personality back in Atlanta, Georgia. ๐
09/06/2021
Wow, thank you for this interview, Steven & Todd at 011 Podcast. It was quite an experience to meet so much interest in my background, which, I guess, looks a bit adventurous now. Come to think of it, it's part of history, but you never know that when it's in the making. You just live, and try to make the best of it, right?
Episode 46: From Romania to California in the 1980s, part 1 of our interview with Gรกbor Bihari. As a teenager under the Ceausescu dictatorship, Gรกbor's family was cut in half when his mother and brother defected to America. Two years later he joined them in Los Angeles and the American dream was at hand. So why does he live in Hungary?
Immunity for Liberty: you will definitely need this card (or app) if you wanna do anything meaningful in the next months in Hungary. The article (link below) tries to help you with it. Let us know if you need more help. Weโre in this together still. http://www.openmicbudapest.com/.../guide-to-the.../
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A guide for getting the immunity certificate, a.k.a. the vaccination card in Hungary. This is, of course, with the assumption that you've gotten at least your first dose of the vaccine (if not, then do it now) or can prove that you've recently had the virus.
On May 19, 1974, Hungarian professor Ernล Rubik designed his first โMagic Cubeโ as a way to help his students understand three-dimensional problems. With more than 450 million sold to dโฆ
19/05/2021
Been on some Euro-trips again recently, and I couldnโt help but visit some historic sites on the way, positive or negative. At least now I know what inspired Hi**er around this truly breathtaking landscape.
โThose who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.โ (George Santayana, philosopher)
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Fun Budapest Tour for Locals: History & Architecture
Hello Bp Folks. Would you like to know a bit more about your city? I mean, OUR city? Join me this Saturday, 3 pm. Weather should be much better by then. ;)
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To make MY Budapest YOUR Budapest
Sharing with you my Budapest is what motivates me and I just canโt get tired of it. Though I have an international background โ born in Romania, raised in California โ Hungarian is my mother tongue and I've lived more years in Budapest now than in any other city.
Coming from journalism, I started working for Withlocals.com as a tour captain, designing some of the original Budapest tours. That's when I realized how uplifting it is to be a tour host, plus it's also about communications.
REVIEWS
You can read most of my reviews at this direct link to the Withlocals.com site. To summarize it: my review score is 4.9 (out of 5), and about 200 people decided to share their remarks out of about 600 tours given. Iโve also become a Superhost in February 2020, just before the nCovid-19 lockdown grounded us all.
In addition, you can also search for โWithlocals Budapest Gaborโ on Tripadvisor.
A few people started writing reviews on this page as well, which is relatively new.
TOURS OFFERED
I offer general tours and some more specialized ones. The most important aspect is that I always tailor my tours to the interests of my guests. Here they are:
INTRO TO BUDAPEST โ 2 hours
HIGHLIGHTS AND SECRET SPOTS โ 4 hours
THE ULTIMATE BUDAPEST TOUR โ 7 hours
JEWISH BUDAPEST โ 3 hours
HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS PHOTO TOUR: THEN AND NOW โ 3 hours
ARCHITECTURE TOUR โ 4 hours
JEWISH QUARTER GONE PARTY DISTRICT: 'THE HAPPIEST GHETTO' TOUR โ 2 hours
REGIONAL ROAD TRIPS BY CAR โ to be agreed
So feel free to mention any specific interest areas and I will respond.
If you wish not to walk, I'm happy to use public transport or even take you around by car. Yet another option is the public bike-sharing system called Bubi, which I can share with up to 3 people besides myself, for free.
RATES & CONTACT
Every guest gets a special, personalized rate based on duration of tour and group size. Please email me if you have a specific or generic question, I respond as quickly as possible: gabortours (a) gmail.com
MY PASSIONS
I'm simply attached to music: I studied classical voice & jazz, and as a hobby, I've sung in various rock bands. Nowadays I organize open mic events in some of Budapest's most popular venues, so it's a profession too. And I love getting paid for my hobby!
History: In order to understand anything about a place you visit and the people living in it you really have to look at their past, as it reflects on their present. This has been yet another hobby of mine that has grown into a profession.
I think Art Nouveau architecture is the most creative and flamboyant of all. It also has local interpretations, making it very unique in every region you go to, and in my modest experience it really stands out in historic Hungary.
MY POSTS
I like to share what inspires me. It could be a building, a part of town, an event, a dish that I ordered or made myself โ whether itโs in Budapest or somewhere else. Thatโs right, I think itโs very important for a tour host to travel the world as much as possible. In order to offer better experiences to your guests, you need to keep exploring the world as much as possible and be a guest!
![Happy New Year from sunny Budapest! [No winter jacket needed this time, in 16C (61F) weather.]ย #ย ย ...](https://img5.travelagents10.com/020/424/5131748540204245.jpg)
