Post-Congress Tour

Post-Congress Tour to Budapest

Departure: Wednesday, 14 April, 9.00
Return: Thursday, 15 April 2010, approx. 18.00
Meeting place: Austria Center Vienna
Price: € 232 per person, sharing twin/double room;
€ 20 single supplement
A minimum of 15 participants is required.

Budapest

The Eravisci, a tribe of highly cultivated Celts, had already settled at Gellért Hill in the third and fourth century B.C. They worked with iron, decorated their earthenware pots and even minted their own coins. Later, the Romans built a settlement called Aquincumon the riverbanks of today’s Budapest, and it became one of the important chains in the set of settlements along the Danube river. It is no wonder that the Castle District, the River Danube embankments and the whole of Andrássy út have been officially recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Budapest possesses a rich and fascinating history as well as a vibrant cultural heritage. Recognizing the unique value of its traditions, it has managed to maintain its magic and charm, and is rightly known as the Queen of the Danube. It has also been called the City of Spas, as there are a dozen thermal bath complexes served by over a hundred natural thermal springs.

Wednesday, 14 April

8.00: departure by private coach from Vienna and direct transfer to Budapest. The coach will arrive in Budapest at approximately 12.00; stop directly at the restaurant “Kárpátia” for lunch. After lunch, a local English-speaking guide will be at the restaurant to pick you up and take you on the Opera Tour (1 hour). The State Opera House is one of Budapest's characteristic monuments. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage area of Andrássy Avenue which was completed in 1884, in renaissance style. It is richly decorated inside and outside with references and statues of Hungarian and international classical musical life. After the Opera Tour the buswill take you to the Parliament Tour (1 hour). The huge, impressive building situated on the Danube bank on the Pest side is probably the most emblematic sight of Budapest; seat of the government and the coronation regalia. A visit to the Parliament is certainly one of the most unforgettable moments of a trip to Budapest. The tour ends at the hotel for check-in. Dinner and accommodation will be at the Danubius Hotel Gellért, which is uniquely located at the foot of Gellért Hill. Built in 1918, it is famous for its wonderful Art Nouveau architecture with its double-decker rotunda. The pièce de résistance however is really the monumental thermal bath, including an outdoor pool with wavemachine.

Thursday, 15 April

After breakfast and check out at 9.00, an English-Speaking guide will pick you up at the hotel and take you on a classical Budapest Tour. This will commence by bus and continue on foot with two short walks. Visitors will see the most important sights and monuments of the city and thus get an overall idea of Budapest. On the Pest side, the route touches Parliament, the Opera House, the Museum of Applied Arts, the Andrássy Avenue and the Heroes’ Square (where you can get out and take photos). While in Buda, the Castle District will be visited, including the Royal Castle, Matthias Church and the Fishermen’s Bastion, from where you can enjoy a great view of Pest, the Danube and Margaret Island. After lunch at the almost 200-year old restaurant Márvány menyasszony (Marble bride), return transfer back to Vienna. Arrival at Vienna Schwedenplatz on 15 April at 18.00.

The Price Includes

 


Royal Palace of Budapest                                        © Mondial