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day 1
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Arrival
at the airport of Budapest where the guests are awaited by our coach
and are welcomed by our tourguide. They take the coach to a sightseeing
tour around the Hungarian capital, one of Europe’s most magnificent and
most dynamic capitals, often referred to as „Little Paris”. Budapest
gives home for 2,1 million inhabitants in the two parts of the city. The
powerful current of the Danube divides it into two parts, the hills and
valleys of Buda on one side and the flatlands of Pest on the other.
Check-in, dinner, and overnight in the hotel in Budapest.
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day 2
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After
breakfast we go to the historic centre of Budapest, that is Buda with
the Castle District. One of the most beautiful Gothic churches in all
Hungary stands next to the Holy Trinity Column commemorating the plague
of 1709 in Szentháromság Square in Buda. The Church of Our Lady – more
commonly known as the Matthias Church – was founded more than 700 years
ago. We go up to the snow-white towers of the Fishermen’s Bastion. Its
seven towers symbolize the seven Hungarian tribes who founded the
country in 896. Our lunch is served in one of Central Europe’s most
elegant restaurants, the Gundel Restaurant. After lunch we continue the
sightseeing tour in the Pest side of the city, the cultural and
commercial centre of the capital with the Andrássy street, the Opera
House, the Saint Stephen’s Basilica that is Budapest’s largest church
built in classical, baroque and renessaince style, the Heroes’ Square
with the Millenary Monument, and the Castle of Vajdahunyad that is a
copy of the original castle in Transylvania. In the evening we have
typical Hungarian dinner with gipsy music. Return to the hotel,
overnight.
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day 3
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After
breakfast we go to the Great Hungarian Plain, called the „Puszta”,
lying between the Danube and the Tisza rivers. This is an endless flat
region where houses are roofed with thatch and where one can see the
famous draw wells, so typical of this countryside. In the morning we
visit Kecskemét, the capital of the Puszta, to see the Art Nouveau style
„Cifra Palace” and the marvellous facade of the City Hall. The climate
is excellent for the cultivation of vegetables and fruits, the emphasis
is put on the apricot production, the raw material of the famous
„kecskeméti barackpálinka” (apricot brandy). Then Puszta-programme
(horse show, promenade on horse carriage, visit of a farm) with
traditional lunch including a welcome brandy. Back to Budapest. Dinner
and overnight in the hotel there.
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day 4
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After
breakfast we go to the Danube Bend. It is situated right where the
Danube’s stream follows the form of a double ”S” shape, which it carved
out for itself between the hills of forests in this romantic region,
that lies about 20 minutes from Budapest. In the morning we walk around
in the centre of Szentendre, the Danube Bend’s capital, the most
picturesque little town along the Hungarian stretch of the Danube, and
home to sculptors, painters, and writers. The town’s Mediterranean
atmosphere is probably thanks to the Serbs, Dalmatians, and Greeks, who
settled here from the fourteenth century onwards. We visit the Kovács
Margit Museum, Hungary’s world famous ceramist, known for her charming
pottery figures. Then free-time for shopping. Lunch in a characteristic
peasant-baroque style restaurant, then we depart on coach to Vienna.
Arrival in the Austrian capital in the evening. Check-in, dinner and
overnight in the hotel in Vienna.
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day 5
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After
breakfast we set forth to the centre of the Austrian capital for the
first time to see the city as we proceed on the Ring: Opera, Mary
Therese Square, City Hall, University etc. We visit the Stephansdom
(Saint Stephen Cathedral) that has an enormous and very characteristic
roof. The lunch in a restaurant is followed by the visit of the Castle
of Schönnbrunn in the afternoon, that once served as the famous summer
residence of the imperial dynasty.
At the end of the day dinner and overnight in the hotel in Vienna.
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day 6
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After
breakfast we go to Heiligenkreuz and there we visit the Cistercian
Saint Cross Abbey. A little farther the next stop is in Mayerling where
Archduke Rodolphe and Marie Vetsera committed suicide. Lunch in a
restaurant. In the afternoon we go to the famous Prater and then have
some free time for shopping and discovering Vienna individually. Dinner
and overnight in the hotel.
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day 7
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After
breakfast departure to Hungary. We arrive in Sopron before lunch, take a
short sightseeing tour and later we have our lunch in a local
restaurant. Then we continue the coach tour towards Budapest where we
arrive in the evening for dinner and accomodation in our hotel.
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day 8
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After breakfast free-time in accordance with the air flight schedule, then transfer to the airport of Budapest.
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