Ivan
Researcher of Cold War
- I live in Budapest
- I speak English
- Verified Local host
- Response time less than 18 hours
Hi there! Nice to meet you
Hi, I'm Ivan, a 44 year old former freelance journalist and current author with a passion about history & Budapest and a dislike towards trivial or banal things - even during a city tour. After years of research I have recently finished my book about the activities of the U.S. Legation (Embassy) in Hungary in the darkest days of Communism, from 1945 till the aftermath of the 1956 Revolution - so if you are interested in never heard before spy stories and a gripping tale of a Cold War struggle set in post-war Budapest, while actually seeing where all those things took place, I'll be happy to show you around. I promise you will see the beautiful landmarks of the city as well in the meantime. And of course, we don't have to talk about the Cold War exclusively - ask me about Mr Orbán, the alternative scene, music or Hungarian football, and then try to shut me up. Hope to see you soon!
- I live in Budapest
- I speak English
- Verified Local host
- Response time less than 18 hours
Book one of my offers in Budapest
Let's explore Budapest together! As your local guide, I'll show you the best of Budapest on a private & personalized tour for you.
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Enjoy Budapest with Ivan
Spies & Masters: Cold War Tour in Budapest
33 reviews • €50 pp • 3.5 hoursart & culture tour
Did you know that I can personalize your experience?
All Withlocals tours are completely customisable to your needs. Just let me know your preferences for a private and personalized experience!
Reviews
Brett
17 February 2025
From the get go, Ivan was eager to share his knowledge and kept it interesting throughout. Such a great way to see a different side of Budapest and get a true sense of what it was like during the Cold War, particularly as a Diplomat. I highly recommend anyone with an interest in this space to take this tour and learn from Ivan. Thanks Ivan!Highly informative and memorable!
Katherine
3 February 2025
Ivan was an incredibly knowledgeable and interesting guide. His insight and attention to detail was fascinating and he seemed really happy to adapt the tour to our questions and interests. It felt more like a thought provoking conversation than a tour. If you want an experience that goes beyond the usual, and makes you think about Budapest, and twentieth century history, in a new light, this is the one for you. Excellent tour
asimonlago
6 January 2025
Highly recommend the tour with Ivan. Learned a lot about history and how the cold war has impacted contemporary Hungarian history. Ivan has also shared comprehensive research and privately-held pictures from the 1956 uprising. Amazinz tour
Susan
4 January 2025
An extraordinary experience with Ivan, his depth of research and knowledge on 1947-1956 era of Hungary is fully shared in this amazing walking tour. I feel like I’ve met the ‘Stephen Ambrose’ of Hungary such is his ability to bring the stories of fascinating men and women from this era to life from his years in the archives!
I can not wait to read his book - I know it will be a bestseller 😎😎😎😎😎Extraordinary trip back in time to 1956
Sally
16 October 2024
Ivan was the best part of our trip to Budapest. Really interesting and he gave us insights to the Cold War which you can’t read in a book. Highly recommend this experience.Inside the Cold War
Christopher
16 October 2024
My wife and I participated in Ivan's private tour. We both throughly enjoyed the experience. Ivan is a real expert on the subject. You can tell he put in a lot of time and effort into his research, reviewing primary sources and conducting first-hand interviews. The tour was a great pace and we both enjoyed his conversational approach. You won't find another tour like this. If you have an interest in 20th century history and the cold war, this is a must experience when you're in Budapest. We are looking forward to reading his book when the English version is released.Fantastic Private Tour
Stan
3 October 2024
If you are fortunate enough to engage Ivan for the Budapest Cold War Tour you will certainly be delighted. Our intention during our visit to Budapest was to develop a better understanding of the life of the average Budapest resident through the changes of WWII, Soviet occupation, the 1956 uprising and the subsequent 'cold war'. Our guide, Ivan, brought so many insights that can only be brought by a local. He customized our tour to include the topics we were most interested in. The city's monuments and buildings took on a greater meaning as we added history to each site. We left the tour feeling truly educated. Highly recommended for anyone who would like to be transported to the not so distant past of Budapest's darker history as well as Hungary's relationship to the modern world.Cold War Tour with Ivan
Alan
19 June 2023
This tour with Ivan far exceeded our expectations for learning about the untold cold war history of Budapest. We came away with a far deeper understanding of not only the uprising but the previously unknown American involvement in it. Ivan was an engaging and highly informative host whose passion for this subject and for his city was evident. Highly recommend this tour.Outstanding experience in Budapest
Amber
1 June 2023
Ivan was absolutely wonderful and had so much information and answered all our questions. He showed us so many hidden gems in Budapest! Ivan is writing a book and so he has done an amazing amount of research so get ready to learn a lot. Thanks for everything, we highly recommend!Great Cold War Tour!!
Meredith
24 May 2023
Ivan was a spectacular guide! We particularly enjoyed his great ability to balance friendly conversation with interesting and some little known facts about Hungarian history. Ivan has done extensive research, and he has tracked down some very interesting individuals as part of his research. Because of this, he had a unique perspective, which we really appreciated. We booked Ivan’s tour on our first day in Budapest, and I’m so glad we did, because as we were able to think about everything we learned from Ivan as we explored the city. I’d recommend Ivan’s tour to anyone visiting Budapest with an interest in learning about Hungary’s fascinating history. Thanks Ivan for a wonderful experience! Simply Wonderful!
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