See a different side of Budapest with this night tour around the Buda Castle District. As well as passing key landmarks—such as Buda Castle and Matthias Church, the tour reveals mysterious stories that you wouldn’t find in a guidebook. Highlights include tales of Vlad Dracula, the city’s dark history, and notorious characters from the 19th century.

Enjoy a specialty walking tour that reveals Budapest’s dark history
Learn about historical events from a guide in period costume
Discover how Vlad Dracula was linked to the city
Find out secret stories about Budapest that you might not discover alone

What's Included

Professional narrator in period outfit

Coffee and/or Tea
Snacks
Transportation on the way back

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Zero Kilometre Stone
Budapest, Clark Ádám tér, 1013 Hungary
Meeting Point is at the Zero Kilometre Stone in Clark Adam Square. Buda side of the Chain Bridge, at the bottom of the castle hill, a few meters away from the funicular entrance. Look for your storyteller who will be wearing a period outfit and carrying an oil lantern

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Buda Castle (Pass By)

Matthias Church (Pass By)

Fisherman's Bastion (Pass By)

Buda Castle

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 35 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

Needs to be mindful that not all the group will be a fast as him.

Reviews

5.0

414 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 414 reviews

Joe was excellent - we loved this tour !!!!

Michael_H, Jun 2023

Very much worth it - our guide “joe” was very knowledgable, he spoke perfectly English, it was a great not rushed tour, recommend keeping seeing the sites if Buda castle district until you do this tour because you get to see it then, we really enjoyed it - it was well worth the money ..

Nice way to spend the evening.

Mark_P, Jun 2023

Fun walk around Budapest. Tour guide did a nice job. Could have been better if he explained and told us more about the buildings that where we stopped. City is beautiful at night.

Not your average tour

Joe_S, Jun 2023

Listening to spooky stories as the sun set and the castles surrounding us became illuminated in the false light of the industrial age was a beautiful experience. Joe was our presenter. He did a wonderful job. He is a great storyteller and performer.

Vampire Stories

Kimberly_P, May 2023

Our guide was Joe and we participated in Night-Time Dark History and Vampire Walking Tour in Buda Castle District in Budapest, Hungary. We had about 30 participants in our group. Joe had a voice that was easy to hear and he used much expression in his storytelling. We walked to different parts of Buda castle to hear stories about vampires. There was some grotesque facts and humor as well. The focus was mostly on enjoying the stories, not learning about the castle area. We did get to enjoy seeing the castle and city lit up at night.

Great evening

LaiMing_R, May 2023

Joe was an excellent story teller, funny, intelligent and interesting. Kept everyone interested. Loved it.

Wonderful

Victoria_A, May 2023

Great tour guide! Very informational and a little scary. Great tour. Lots of stairs but we expected that.

Fun evening tour to learn about a different side of history!

Karen_L, May 2023

Great tour and the guide was knowledgeable, but some of his stories were a bit too long. Weather was bad, and he could have cut out a few things to move it along. But it is something we would definitely recommend.

Great experience and storytelling!

Richard_S, May 2023

We had great experience with Joe, our guide/narrator. Large group but he handled well! Interesting stories that could be heard by all. Awesome surroundings added to intrigue. Joe was very sensitive to everyone staying together and kept the pace reasonable. He handled a a few people trying to mooch off the our tour in a professional and kind manner. Afterwards, he made sure everyone had a way back or access to cabs. Would highly recommend. Be aware that closest bridge, Chain Bridge, is currently closed to pedestrians so you’ll need to plan ahead if you’re on the Pest side (Tour on Buda side).

Vampire tour

Michelle_B, May 2023

The tour guide was very knowledgeable, entertaining and animated. His dress attire fit the script. The narratives at each stop were comprehensive and detailed. His stories were captivating and kept my attention. He was available and open to questions. It was a well spent and non disappointing tour. Highly recommended if you like the dark side.

Vampire walk!

Lisa_H, May 2023

Seeing Buda Castle! Tour guide was very entertaining and was prompt which is big for us. Husband enjoyed the history of vampires. Beautiful walk!!

The guide/actor was very...

JoAnn_P, May 2023

The guide/actor was very enthusiastic. I would say probably to plan more for 2:15-2:30 to be back to original pickup point compare to the 2 hours mentioned on the activity description.

Worth doing

Shona_m, Apr 2023

Very interesting tour, we enjoyed it, it was nearly 2hrs 30mins. The only downside was we were freezing, we werent properly dressed for it.

It wasn’t just the wind giving us chills!

Dana_C, Apr 2023

We had such a good time! Joe is such a talented storyteller! Despite a cold and windy evening, we were enthralled with his storie of evil beings, both real and imagined. Definitely a great experience!

Great night tour, lots of fun.

Ron_H, Apr 2023

Joe is an excellent performer and a gifted storyteller. An excellent night in Budapest. Would highly recommend.

Beautiful and spooky

Katherine_N, Apr 2023

Joe was an amazing guide and storyteller. I highly recommend this experience. The walk through the castle district at night was beautiful and spooky. It was perfect.

Improvements Required !

Russell_F, Apr 2023

The group was too large and the mix too diverse from young children who were not remotely interested and constantly distracted to older people who struggled with the walking. I think the group sizes need to be smaller to make the experience better and I would also advocate making it clear that it might not be suitable for young children and frailer older adults. That said the guide was interesting and did his best to hold the crowd. Good concept but needs a few tweaks

The Budapest vampire

James_I, Apr 2023

Very entertaining guide and informative on the history of Budapest . Made for a nice evening, and a not so ordinary experience.

Vampires were the least scary part of this hike

rshimonski, Apr 2023

This trip started poorly because we had to climb close to 100 stairs on wet cobblestones without benefit of railings (this was not indicated in the ad). Our guide set a rapid pace throughout the excursion and never stopped to check on the welfare of the stragglers. The tour ended with our guide leaving us at the top of Buda hill in the rain and dark and told us to just follow the curving road back to our starting point (It was advertised the tour would end where it began, not a half mile away). The guide then simply left us, never checking if anyone needed help.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Dear visitor, we are very sorry to hear that you did not enjoy the activity. Unfortunately, out of our control, there are temporary reconstructions along the Buda Castle district, that force us to use a secondary way along the castle stairs. We spoke with the tour guide who confirms from his side that he waited for the entire group to catch up, probably due to big size of the group, he might have missed to keep on eye on each one of them. He also tell us he escorted the group back to the starting point. We'll make sure to double check this next time.

Dark History

Robert_G, Apr 2023

Joe, the guide was very good. It was like watching a play. He brought the stories to life. And Buda at night added to the mystery.

A must do

Jade, Apr 2023

Absolutely wonderful evening, the walk around the palace grounds and castle hill were breathtaking beautiful lit up and the the science for the wonderful history and stories, a huge thank you to our guide Joe who was theatrical and entertaining and kept everyone engrossed with his story telling and jokes, never change Joe, leaves do not move without wind

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