2015

Flights

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Historic Cruise on the Danube and on lake Balaton

Reference du groupe Perraud du 21 au 30 juin 2008 au programme "Ballade historique sur le Danube" Pour vous dire que notre groupe est revenu enchanté de son voyage le bateau très bien, la formule alliant plusieurs transports (bateau, hydroglisseur, car) a été apprécié par l'ensemble, le contenu des visite super aussi une mention particulière à votre guide dont la misssion a été au delà elle a été très présente, disponible, aimable, et érudite. Bravo Je suis très satisfaire car ce groupe est important pour notre agence pour une première fois que nous travaillons ensemble, ce fut une réussite, et j'espère que nous pourrons recommencer les années à venir Moirans le 2 juillet 2008. Corinne BONNAFFOUX Responsable Service Groupes

This program tries to give a new way of combinating the city visits with river ship cruises by being based on the important stages of one significant person of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, also crowned Hungarian queen, Sissi. During the excursions of the tour we visit the Schönnbrunn Castle in Vienna, the Royal Castle in Gödöllö, eat in the Gundel Restaurant in Budapest and also go to one of the favourite hunting scenes of the royal family, the Gemenc forest. These different places all show some episodes of her life by giving us an overall picture of her reign and life. Besides this there is also another historic relation of this tour as the accomodation is arranged on board of an exclusively renovated ship – now called Hotel Aqua Marina -

day 1 Arrival at the airport of Budapest. They take the coach to a short sightseeing and panorama tour int he Hungarian capital, home for 2,1 million inhabitants, one of Europe’s most beautiful and most dinamic capitals, often referred to as little Paris. The city is divided into two parts by the river Danube with Buda on one bank and Pest on the other. Check-in at the Hotel Aqua Marina ont he Danube, dinner, and overnight. day 2 After breakfast we go to a cruise into the heart of the city. We get an nice picture of the city’s wonderful monuments close to the riverside. Sightseeing tour on foot in 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. In 1867 this church was the scene of the splendid crowning of Franz Joseph and the Hungarians’ well-beloved queen Sissi. On this occasion Sissi dressed in Hungarian national costume created by Worth the famous fashion company from Paris.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. Its different halls were given their names after important persons of Hungary’s golden age. The biggest and most important hall was given the name Sissi. 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 and a folklore show with a singer and dancers. Return to the Hotel Aqua Marina, overnight. day 3 After breakfast we take a cruise to the Danube Bend. Two banches of the Danube embraces the Szentendre Island. One branch leads towards 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. We arrive in 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 and discovering the town individually. Lunch in a characteristic peasant-baroque style restaurant that is found ina n old monument building. After lunch we continue our cruise int he Danube Bend. This countryside used to be a seat for kings and pontiffs in the mediaeval times. Today Esztergom, where we visit the Basilica, is Hungary’s ecclesiastical centre and seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop. We visit the Basilica, the country’s largest church, one of the biggest religious buildings of the world. In 1856 at the consecration of the building Franz Liszt conducted the mass composed by himself. Then we take a sightseeing tour on coach to the hills of Visegrád where the fourteenth century royal palace’s ruins can be seen, the finest look-out point anywhere on the Danube Bend. Return to Budapest. Dinner and overnight in the hotel on the Danube. day 4 day 5 RBreakfast is followed by an excursion to Lake Balaton, Central Europe’s largest lake, often referred to as the „Hungarian Sea”. We go to Keszthely and its Festetics Castle in the morning, then we continue our tour on the northern side of the lake and arrive in Tihany. Lunch in a typical Hungarian restaurant. In the afternoon we continue our excursion in Tihany, that is situated on the picturesque volcanic origin peninsula reaching long into the lake. The Benedictine order was founded by András I in 1055 and the abbey’s baroque church still stands on the peak of the peninsula. We take a short ship cruise on the lake, and then from Tihany we go by coach to Balatonfüred, the lake’s oldest and most charming bathing resort. Its medicinal waters give basis to the cardiac hospital built here. Return to Budapest. Dinner and overnight in the hotel. day 6 After breakfast we take a cruise to the Gemenc Forest, that is a characteristic forest on the river flats. This is the richest hunting region of the country abounding in deer and wild-hog groups and also rich in water-game and avifauna, the visitor can have the chance to see birds like the black stork and the heron. Franz Joseph and other politicians used to hunt in this region and they ususally returned home with great trophies. Hunting was one of Sissi’s favourite hobbies, she spent a lot of time here. Lunch in a hunting-lodge or in a restaurant at the Danube. In the afternoon suprise hunting game. Later we go on a short tour in the forest by a small train, getting a wonderful picture of the area. Return to Budapest, dinner and overnight in the hotel. day 7 Breakfast is followed by an excursion on ship to Százhalombatta. In the morning we take a tour in the archeological park then we travel by coach to the Great Plain of Hungary, the Puszta. 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. 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). We take part in a traditional Puszta-programme: on our arrival we get pálinka as our welcome drink and some pastry, then we have a tipical lunch with goulash soup made in cauldron. After this pleasant day we return to Budapest, dinner and overnight in the hotel on the Danube. day 8 After breakfast free-time in accordance with the air flight schedule, then transfer to the airport of Budapest.

Hotel Aqua Marina Elegant three-level ship hotel, standard and superior cabins all equipped with toilet, shower, television, telephone, and minibar. Breakfast saloon, restaurant, drink bar, casino, private hall, theatre hall, guarded safe, ship museum. In case of force majeure i.e. when the Danube is unnavigable due to its rise the programs will be organized by using a luxurious coach and if the hotel is unapproachable the accomodation is arranged in a 4-stars hotel on land.