One of the great capital cities of the modern world, Budapest, awaits our arrival on this outstanding nine-day tour through Hungary. An urban center of glittering, romantic allure, Budapest emanates an Old World ambiance through its architecture and the proud cultural heritage of its peoples, yet simultaneously emits a distinct air of sophistication and chic associated with modern metropolises. So abundant and stimulating is it, we commit a couple of days of our busy schedule to sample Budapest's many diverse flavors and unique charm. From the Gothic Parliament, to the Concert Hall and to the still-standing Soviet monuments, we see a wide spectrum of architectural style and enjoy mingling with the locals in marketplaces offering wide varieties of foods and art- and craftwork. Seeing authentic horsemen on 'The Great Hungarian Plain' is a truly unique experience.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Budapest
Today we arrive in Budapest, Hungary. Hungary is a land of beautiful monuments and romantic music. Buda and Pest, two of the city's three regions, both face the mighty Danube, which forms the physical and spiritual center of the Hungarian capital. It is its center piece, its heart, and its pulse. Its relationship with the city is even more intimate than that of the Seine with Paris or the Arno with Florence.
Please Note: The hotels indicated in this itinerary reflect our preferred properties in each location. We list these hotels primarily to provide a general sense of overall standard; the final hotel list (which supersedes this itinerary) is not 100% confirmed until approximately 30-45 days prior to departure. We reserve the right to make substitutions of a similar standard if necessary. Overnight in Budapest. Hotel Ibis Centrum or similar. Dinner if required.
Day 2: Budapest: City Tour
This morning we depart our hotel by private bus for Heroes Square where we will disembark and learn of the history of Hungary as it pertains to the monument. We then walk over to Vajdahunyad Castle before continuing to St. Stephen's Basilica for a quick look inside. We will pass by the Parliament buildings continuing toward Margaret Bridge over which we cross to Buda. We drive along the water passing by the Chain Bridge and continue up to the castle area. Our next stop is the Citadel- good for panoramic views. Our bus leaves us for the day, allowing us to continue on foot to the Fisherman's Bastion.
After a lunch break we reconvene in front of the Plague Monument from where we proceed to St. Matthias Church. After visiting the church we will walk down Tarnok Utca to the Royal Palace. At the Royal Palace we visit the National Gallery, devoted exclusively to Hungarian Art. At this point you are free to continue independent exploration, or return to the hotel. One of the highlights of our Eastern European tours is using the local transport in each city--most travelers truly enjoy the experience. Your Tour Leader can help plan the rest of your day. Overnight in Budapest. Hotel Ibis Centrum or similar. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 3: Budapest: Walking Tour
This morning we embark on a leisurely walking tour of city's urban heart. This is an area is full of stately old buildings, grand avenues, and innumerable tiny streets. We will take local transport to the huge neo-Gothic Parliament (Orszaghaz), the most visible building of Budapest's left bank. Built by 1000 workers between 18885 and 1902, this building has now become the symbol of the capital with its slender towers, spacious arcades, high windows and vast central dome. Nearby one can see the magnificent building housing the Museum of Ethnography. Walking southeast we come to the stately and sprawling Liberty Square (Szabadsag ter).
In the square's center remains a gold hammer and sickle atop a white stone obelisk, one of the few monuments to the Russian 'liberation' of Budapest in 1945. Passing by Roosevelt Square we soon come to the famous Chain Bridge, the oldest and most beautiful of the seven road bridges that span the Danube in Budapest. Before it was built, the river could be crossed only by ferry or by a pontoon bridge that had to be moved when ice blocks began floating downstream in the winter. We continue along the pedestrian ‘Promenade' with great views of Gellert Hill and Castle Hill on the opposite bank. We will stroll past the Concert Hall (Vigado), which is a curious mix of Byzantine, Moorish, Romanesque and Hungarian motifs.
From here we walk to one of the liveliest places in Budapest, Vorosmarty Ter, a large square that the north end of Budapest's best known shopping street - Vaci Utca. This is a fantastic pedestrian-only area of the city that has undergone a full transformation over the last 10 years. Eventually we will arrive at the famous 19th century Central Market Hall. This cavernous three-story market teems with people browsing stalls packed with everything from salamis and red-paprika chains to folk embroideries and souvenirs. The balance of the day at leisure. Overnight in Budapest. Hotel Ibis Centrum or similar. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 4: Budapest - Holloko - Eger
This morning we travel by road to Holloko, one of most beautiful towns. The small town of 650 people with its two streets and nesting in a valley is enchanting. What sets it apart is the Old Village where 50 houses have been listed and declared historic monuments. Holloko has been added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list, with its preserved unique ethnographic and folk art values. Holloko women are inclined to wear their costume of the past - long, lacy black-pleated skirts, black shawls and black stockings. The village itself is certainly picturesque. Its streets are cobbled and its little white houses noted for the round tiles like giant coins that protect the interiors.
Picket fences enclose the small gardens. You can see what remains of a 13th century castle the Hapsburgs blew up on a hill above the village. From here we continue on to Eger, situated in the Eger Valley between the Bukk and Matra Hills. Eger is famous for the strong red Bull's Blood (Egri Bikaver) wine that gave them courage, for its medieval library, and for the northernmost minaret in Europe. There are still many accessible sites and much charm to the narrow streets, arcaded buildings, wrought-iron gates, and Baroque towers and domes of the Old Town. This is the perfect walking city with something interesting at every turn. Situated in the valley between the lavender peaks of Hungary's highest mountains, the Matras, and the wooded Buk Hills, the natural backdrop for this city's historic monuments is superb. Overnight in Eger. Hotel Korona or similar. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 5: Eger: Town Tour
Eger has beautifully preserved Baroque architecture, flanked by two of the Northern Upland's beautiful ranges. The story of the women of Eger fighting the Turks alongside their men folk, is an epic of Hungarian history. The women of Eger poured oil and pitch on the 100,000 invading Turks from the ramparts of Eger Castle. Our tour includes a visit to the Lyceum and Library and the castle. Overnight in Eger. Hotel Korona or similar. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 6: Eger - Bukk Hills - Miskolc
This morning we travel through the Bukk Hills, (or Beech, after the predominant tree) an area of incomparable beauty with an abundance of wildlife. There are almost 500 caves in the mountains. We also visit the Bukk Plateau, a limestone area at altitudes between 800-900 m (2,624-2,952 ft). The area's most famous inhabitants are the Lippizaner horses, which have been bred for more than 400 years. Later we travel to the Aggtelek Caves. The array of red and black stalactite drip stones, stalagmite pyramids and enormous chambers of this area is incredible. Here we descend into the convoluted galleries and winding canyons of the whole area. The caves enjoy international protection, constituting a Biosphere Reserve in accordance with the Man and Biosphere Program of UNESCO. We have a guided tour of the area before continuing on to Miskolc. In the evening you may want to try a glass of Bull's Blood, a potent throat-rasping red wine! Overnight in Miskolc. Hotel Palota or similar. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 7: Miskolc -Tokaj - Debrecen
Today we travel to Debrecen, with plenty of free time to enjoy the charming town of Tokaj en route. This whole area with its volcanic soil, sunny climate and protective mountain shield are perfect for wine making. Had it not been for the prospect of a fall raid by the Turks, this little village whose name is of world renown might never have been known at all. Though grapes had long been grown on the surrounding hills and wine produced, until the middle of the 17th century the wine was neither better nor worse than most Hungarian white wines. But Mate Sepsi-Laczko, a Calvinist clergyman who was also a vine grower, having heard one October that the Turks were en route, postponed till November his harvest of grapes.
The grapes began to rot slightly in the hot sun; a fungus shrank them and shriveled and thinned their skins, but increased their sweetness. "Aszu," the golden Tokaji sweet dessert wine of Hungary, was born. Louis XV of France, toasting his paramour Madame de pompadour with Tokaji, supposedly pronounced, "It is the wine of kings and the king of wines." Pope Benedict XIV, the recipient of a gift of Tokaji Aszu from the empress Maria Teresa, reportedly heralded it with the words, "Blessed be the land that has produced you, blessed be the woman that has sent you, blessed am I who drink you." And Voltaire wrote that "this wine could only be given by the boundlessly good God."
Our visit includes a cellar tour and wine tasting. We then continue on to Debrecen. After acquiring municipal status at the end of the 14th century, Debrecen rapidly developed as an important market town, and today is the largest town in Eastern Hungary. Debrecen is renowned for its position as an entry point into the Hortobagy Great Plain and as a center of Protestantism, "the Great Calvinist Rome." In 1552, it was decreed that only Protestants could settle here. As it turned out, the ruling made little difference, for three years later the Turks moved in making Debrecen a property of the sultan who interfered little with the activities of the Calvinists.
Once the Turks were gone, the Catholic Hapsburgs tried converting the Calvinists but they stood firmly by their faith. Debrecen's proximity to the Hortobagy increased its prosperity considerably. The Hortobagy cowhands, raising their long-horned grey cattle on the plain, started their cattle drives to Vienna and Prague from Debrecen. Overnight in Debrecen. Grand Hotel Aranybika or similar. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 8: Debrecen - Hortobagy National Park and Wildlife Preserve - Budapest
Hortobagy on the Puszta, "The Great Hungarian Plain," is perhaps the most romantic area in Hungary. Here the proud csikosok, or horsemen, dressed in exuberant style of their forefathers tend vast herds of horses. Their clothing is embellished with the cross, a reminder of the crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon who passed this way in 1096 on their long trek to retake Jerusalem. In addition to meeting the local people here, we visit the 52,000 hectare wildlife preserve - home to hundreds of bird species and plant life that is usually found only by the sea. Overnight in Budapest. Hotel Ibis Centrum or similar. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 9: Departure. Departure from Budapest. Breakfast. Bon Voyage!!
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Breakfast and dinner (hotels & local restaurants) daily
- All sightseeing and entrance fees for sites noted as 'visited' in the detailed itinerary
- Gratuities for local guides, drivers, restaurant staff, porters
- Airport transfers for land / air customers arriving / departing on tour dates.
Price Excludes:
- Tour Leader gratuities, lunches, drinks, personal items (phone, laundry, etc), international air taxes (if applicable), excursions referenced as 'optional'
- Airport transfers for early / late arrivals / departures or Land Only customers
- Our post-reservation trip notes offer further guidance on optional meal costs and shopping.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Hungary
Cultural Journey
Archeology/History
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