European tour – Budapest
The Art & History of Budapest – ‘The Pearl of the Danube’
23 – 27 September 2014
Our 2014 European tour was to Budapest. Please see below for photos.
Our itinerary is below.
Day 1: We transfer to the 4* K+K Opera Hotel in Budapest for a four night stay. Dinner is included in our hotel on the first evening and the remaining three nights are on bed and breakfast basis.
Day 2: Our morning guided city tour of Budapest reveals the characters of the once rival cities of Buda and Pest separated by the Danube. A city full of Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture, we see St Stephen’s Basilica, the Coronation Church, the white stone and Fisherman’s Bastion. The rest of the day is at leisure in Budapest.
Day3: This morning we visit the Dohany Synagogue. Built in 1859 in the Moorish Revival style, the building can seat nearly 3,000 people, and is he second largest synagogue in the world. We then visit the neighbouring Jewish Museum, whose rich and vast collection of Judaica makes it the second largest Jewish museum in Europe. Subject to availability we continue to the magnificent neo-Gothic Parliament House for a guided tour, one of Budapest’s finest architectural achievements and the home of the Holy Hungarian Crown, the splendid Session Room, the impressive central staircase and the wonderful Great Vaulted Hall. This evening (subject to the timings and classical concert programme which has not yet been finalised for the 2014 season) there may be the option of seeing a classical concert.
Day 4: We enjoy a half day excursion to Szentendre with our guide. Situated on the banks of the Danube with old medieval streets and churches, his delightful town is famous for its Orthodox Church and Margit Kovacs Museum, a much renowned ceramics artist. The rest of the day is at leisure in Budapest.
Day 5: Flight times permitting we enjoy a guided tour at the Museum of Fine Arts. The museum is home to a magnificent Spanish collection, reputedly the best outside Spain, and other highlights include an excellent Venetian collection (particularly Titian and Giorgione), a Durer,several Brueghels, a beautiful Raphael and works by Leonardo da Vinci. We return to the airport for our direct scheduled Ryanair flight back to Manchester.
