Group Tour Operator for holidays to Budapest, Hungary

Depart the UK

Travel to your local airport and take the flight direct to Budapest.  On arrival, you will be met and transferred by coach to your hotel in Budapest.  After check-in, the rest of the day is at leisure with dinner at the hotel this evening.

Budapest

Today we enjoy a sightseeing tour of Budapest and admire major sights of the city.

The imposing, iconic Hungarian Parliament building, one of the most striking sights of the city, was only completed in 1904. Group ours can be arranged around this fascinating building. The Jewish Museum and Synagogue tells the haunting story of the deportation of thousands of the city’s Jewish inhabitants, whereas the Hungarian State Opera House tells of the opulent might of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Other highlights include the National Bank, Stock Exchange and Soviet Memorial as well as the imperial era buildings on Ándrassy Street. Located at the end of the elegant Andrassy Avenue, flanked by the Museum of Fine Arts and the Kunsthalle.  Statues of Hungarian Kings and leaders are overlooked by a column with the Angel Gabriel at the top and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the foot. St Stephen’s cathedral is the city’s tallest monument and renowned for spectacular frescoes.  Access to a viewing platform give panoramic views of the city.

Discover medieval Buda on the western bank of the Danube, the hill-top half of the city. Taking the historic funicular is a great way to ascend Castle Hill, full of cobbled streets and colourful buildings. At the top you will find buildings telling of the varied histories of the city, including the Royal Palace, dating from 1265, the stunning St Matthias’ Church and Fisherman’s Bastion as well as the Hospital in the Rock bunker museum. Photos of the views pale in comparison to the breath-taking reality as you look out from Buda, over the Danube, towards the stunning Parliament building on the opposite bank.

This evening is at leisure.

Day at Leisure in Budapest

Spend a day at leisure to explore Budapest further. With the first underground railway in Europe being built here and the Danube providing a natural transport route, it is easy to get around the city.

Hungary and in particular the people of Budapest have suffered greatly over the last century. Walk along the banks of the Danube and take a moment to reflect at the ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’ Memorial. With 60 pairs of shoes made out of iron, it provides a sombre point to remember Budapest’s history. One can see the bullet holes and shrapnel pockmarks on buildings from WWII and the 1956 Uprising, non more clearly than in the finely kept ruins of local bars which have been set up inside dilapidated pre-war buildings and are a cultural hot spot for tourists and locals alike. The arts certainly flourish in Budapest as well. There are more pioneering Hollywood film makers from Budapest than from any other European city. Hungary’s two most celebrated composers – Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály lived in Budapest and not forgetting one of greatest footballers to ever play the game, Ferenc Puskás was born in this great city.

Budapest Travel Cards

Travel cards are available and offer unlimited use of the local public transport system and many discounts on attractions and visits.  Includes use of metro, trams, buses, trolley-buses and some suburban railways.  It also includes free entry to over 20 museums and landmarks and discounts to many others; free entry/discount to selected thermal baths; free river cruise and selected guided walking tours

City Hop-on/Hop-off bus tours

Available for 24, 48 or 72 hours.  Two routes available stopping at all the major attractions and landmarks throughout the city.  The full loop takes between 90-120 minutes.

Discover the Danube

The impressive River Danube once divided this city into Buda and Pest. The Chain Bridge, a spectacular suspension bridge opened in 1849, was the first permanent link over the river. Perhaps take a cruise along the Danube to view the city from a different perspective or discover Margaret Island in the middle of the river. There are a number of options for cruises including sightseeing crises by day and night, lunch and dinner cruises.

Margaret Island

In the middle of the Danube and reached by the Margaret Bridge, this park-filled island provides a tranquil retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. Explore the small zoo, relax with a picnic or simply explore the parks at your leisure. The Water Tower can be climbed for a fabulous viewpoint over the river and city.

Thermal Spas

Famous since Roman days for their healing properties, Budapest was built on a number of natural, thermal springs. Opulent hotel-spas offer the possibility to immerse yourself in the warm waters, with indoor and outdoor pools, massage rooms and plunge pools.

Coach Transfer to Lake Balaton via Bory Castle

After breakfast we check-out of the hotel and travel to Bory Castle. The origins of the castle started in 1912 when Jenő Bory bought one acre of land in Maria Valley near Székesfehérvár. It only had a little wine cellar and they spent their summer holidays there. He considered the castle his own work of art, a statue, rather than just a building and the castle was extended over the years. This oversized home with its numerous decorations is a special example of Hungarian symbolic architecture. Even its layout is emblematical as the Chapel and the Studio Gallery symbolize two elements of Jenő Bory’s life. Several hundred statues can be seen in the castle. Paintings cover the walls, there are mosaics inside and outside of the building, glass paintings and fountains. The castle has seven towers, thirty rooms and there are statues, paintings, antiquities and works of art on display. Heroes, kings and bards of Hungarian history, from Álmos to Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos, stand in the corridors of the Court of the Hundred Columns.

We then continue to Balatonfüred, situated on Lake Balaton, where we check into our hotel and enjoy dinner this evening.

Full Day tour to Tihany

This morning we enjoy a one-hour guided walking tour of Balatonfüred. We then take a 30 minute boat trip from Balatonfüred to the Tihany Peninsula, enjoying lovely views of the bay, colourful vineyards and the church on the top of the Tihany peninsula. On arrival in Tihany we visit the Abbey-church built in the middle of the 18th century and see the crypt, in which the Hungarian King Andrew was buried (he died in 1060).  There will be time at leisure to wander around this pretty hillside town which has some souvenir shops, cafes & restaurants. We return to Balatonfured by tourist train. Dinner this evening in the hotel.

Day at Leisure

At leisure.  Dinner this evening in the hotel.

Day at Leisure

At leisure.  Dinner this evening in the hotel.

Depart Lake Balaton

After breakfast we check out of the hotel. A coach will transfer you from the hotel to the airport for your flight back to the UK.