podtour
Buda Castle: Kings, Views and Legends
Buda looks like a setting for kings, but its façades also tell stories of rebuilding and invention. Walk from Matthias Church to the Royal Palace.
Buda under Siege: audio walk in Budapest
The northern half of the Castle District, the half of the sieges: a prison for revolutionaries, a medieval Jewish prayer room, a pastor who hid children in 1944, the gate through which thousands of besieged soldiers tried to break out in 1945, the symbolic grave of the last pasha, and the breach where the Duke of Béjar fell, with the plaque to the "300 Spanish heroes" and what we really know about them.
What this walk is about
You start on the street of famous prisoners and in a room where the Jews of medieval Buda prayed. In Vienna Gate Square you meet a pastor who hid children in his cellar during the siege of 1945, a fire that swept through half the town in an hour, and a gate that looks medieval but went up in 1936 to celebrate 1686. Through that gate, thousands of soldiers tried to break the ring in February 1945. You pass the tower that outlived its church, and the bell a pope ordered to ring before a battle, not after it. By the Anjou Bastion, a Hungarian family honours the pasha who defended Buda. You finish in a park at the foot of the walls, where an army from half of Europe stormed the breach in July 1686: that's where the Duke of Béjar fell, whose fame he wrote himself in a letter to his mother, and where the 1934 plaque speaks of 300 Spaniards.
- Start
- The Prisoner Who Won the Street from His Prison
- Finish
- Three Hundred Men, 1934 and the Catalans
- Who it is for
- A walk for anyone curious about military history and Spanish heritage.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- The walk has slopes or changes in level. There are cobbles or uneven surfaces. The route notes mention stairs or steps on the walk or its approaches.
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
The Prisoner Who Won the Street from His Prison
- 2
A Prayer Inside an Arch
- 3
Twenty Days in a Cellar
- 4
Furnished from Vienna, Burnt in an Hour
- 5
A Visitors' Gate and the Angel of 2 September
- 6
The Night of 11 February 1945
- 7
The Tower That Outlived Its Church
- 8
The House That Tells Us Nothing
- 9
A Bell Before the Battle
- 10
The Enemy with a Gravestone
- 11
Half of Europe Against a Breach in the Wall
- 12
The Duke Who Wrote His Own Legend
- 13
Three Hundred Men, 1934 and the Catalans
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
Budapest, before you go
A view can seem close while lying across a bridge. Keep each walk within a sensible area and save some energy for simply stopping beside the Danube.
More walks nearby
From Parliament to the Glass House
From the Danube to the Glass House, walk through a district of power and remembrance. Its monuments do not always tell the same story.
Pest and the Revolution of 1848
A revolution survives among the cafés, printing shops and theatres of central Pest. Follow 15 March 1848 through the streets where it unfolded.
Good to know
What is Podtour?
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
When can I download the app?
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
Can I add guests after buying?
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Your first city,
on Podtour.
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Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
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One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.