Today the number of coronvirus cases is 3178 and 392 people have died already. The virus in Hungary was first diagnosed on 4 March. A week after the first case the government declared state of emergency and at the end of March the government announced a "Stay at home" order. Schools, universities were closed and all upcoming events were cancelled. Everbody - who's able to - work from home. I cannot do any guiding tours from the middle of March which is so hard on me. Borders are closed to all foreigners, we don't have any tourism at the moment. As I heard today, all festivals will be cancelled until middle of August. Our most famous festival, "Sziget", will be also postponed, maybe to next year.
Originally the epidemic was expected to peak in June or July. Later the experts estimated its plateau for beginning of May. Today is 8 May, the number of new cases have been lower in the past few days, but who knows what will be later? At the end of April the restrictions were rolled back in most of the countries; restaurants, cafés and thermal spas could open again but Budapest and the surrounding counties are still under lock-down. According to latest news maybe for one more week only. So I am optimistic now. The passenger traffic is slowly starting again at Budapest Airport as more and more arilines are resuming their services. If you're planning a visit, please check the current rules of entry to Hungary.
I miss my guests , my private and public guiding tours. I really hope that life will be soon the same as before. Safety and health is the most important, so I think we should start with private tours in smaller groups, only with outside activities as long as the virus is still with us.
The time of restarting is unsure for now, so I am thinking about arranging virtual tours in Budapest. I would walk on the streets of Budapest, show you the iconic sights, and talk about history, buildings, arts and other interesting stories. It is up to you. You are in the safety of your home while I am answering all your questions about Budapest. Let me know what you think about in the comment section below.