Danube Bend: Day trip from Budapest

The EUrama tour started poorly with a vehicle that used the extra seating normally folded away in the luggage area. These seats (more suited to young children) were totally inadequate and uncomfortable for adults let alone for the aged. There was no leg room, the accessibility required gymnastics skill that 70 year olds do not possess. My arthritic wife could not sit with suitable back support. Perhaps all passengers need to be questioned about seating requirements before being allowed on the bus. Better still don’t use the extra seating. Another issue was the poor visibility from extra seating seats. We had access to barely a third of the window space of the other passengers from only one side. The lunch was tasteless and overcooked. Desert however was a delight. Only water was offered with the meal. The basilica is under renovation and very little could be seen. No information was given about the renovations before the trip. There was a distinct smell of concrete dust in the air. No medical warning was given. Perhaps a better use of time would be to provide adequate browsing time in Szentendre. The artist village was quaint and worth more than the cursory glance that it received. Our tour guide was great and was very knowledgeable helpful.

Unfortunately, I had a very underwhelming experience with this tour, and I know that I wasn't the only one in the group not impressed with their poor service. Essentially, Gray had a tour guide that did the tour both in English and Spanish at the same time. The guide was not very keen on answering questions, neither would give us the chance to ask. The guide seemed she was more interested in engaging in prolonged conversation with the driver, instead. 1. Esztergom Basilica is currently being refurbished and there's not much to see in there but the panoramic view. 2. Visegrad Castle was nice with a beautiful panoramic view but due to the rain we also felt compelled to have a meal at their chosen restaurant (I bet they are paid commission for taking the tour there) for 1.5 hs, which could be much better enjoyed as free time in Szentendre, which was the highlight of the trip and had plenty of restaurants to choose. Now, the "cherry on the cake" is that the tour guide will not go anywhere with the group, explaining inside the "attractions". Once you get to Szentendre you also find out that you won't be going back to Budapest on the private coach with aircon but on a "public" boat among the general public and once again, without any commentary or guide tour once you are onboard. I would not recommend this tour to a friend.

What an unpleasant tour guide. I think her name is Judit, a blonde lady. I don't want to judge people, but if I am paying $100 for a day, I don't want to spend with a tour guide who is uninterested and lazy. She did her short commentary in English and Spanish on the bus, and talked to the driver the whole way. She doesn't engage with guests and treats them like they are obstacles for her. She complained about the wages being the lowest in Hungary among EU countries, I was just surprised that she has a job as a tour guide and gets paid with this performance in any EU country. The tour was not designed well either. The lunch place is middle of nowhere, you are stuck to eat there. I went to the bathroom in the restaurant first and it was pretty dirty, so I couldn't eat lunch. Also, the tour uses the bus 90% of the time and the boat is a public transport, so you can take it on your own. We had Ben as a guide on our city tour with the same company, and we had fantastic time. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case this time and I cannot recommend this tour to anyone. Total waste of my money&time in my opinion.